This late 1800s German bookplate shows a wonderful example of a very early Chinese chow. Thank you to Sandra Lindberg (a friend in Chinese Shar-Pei history circles) for the translation and to all those who generously offered to help !

This is such a very interesting article which had no date on the pages but Sandra’s translation pointed to the England Chow club being recently formed which I added in parentheses as 1895. Enjoy!!!!

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TRANSLATION BELOW by Sandra Lindberg

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As the German is already a little “stiff”, the translation probably does reflect that ;):

CHINESE SPITZ

Compared to our fine-headed Spitz with delicate yet sturdy bone structure, this rough animal with a blunt snout and true bear paws is quite different. However, in its own way, it is not a bad dog, and recently in England, it has even gained its “special club” (est. 1895) and is bred as a standard by enthusiasts. The English call it the Chow Chow with the Chinese expression “Tschau Tschau”, and spell it as “Chow-Chow”; but it actually means food, according to Siber some kind of vegetables, and probably refers to the habit of poorer classes in China, who eat all kinds of things, including dog meat.

This is particularly common in southern China, where the Chow Chow seems to have been mainly kept. From there, it migrates with the Chinese to the Sundanese islands, and Max Siber, the meritorious, unfortunately already deceased Swiss cynologist, got to know him better on Sumatra and Borneo, where the Chow Chow is also appreciated by Europeans for its vigilance at night and its restraint towards strangers. During the day, it is drowsy and not very active even around its owner.

Years ago, a red pair of Chinese Spitzes arrived here in the same box as a young tiger, as playmates. It was a highly interesting group that was magnificently immortalized by our master animal painter Friese at the time. The black pair that we currently own was imported by bird trader Ruhe-Alfeld via North America. It has the same restless, attentive nature as the Spitz, but looks much more dangerous with its heavy head and grim expression.

When shedding, I observed on our Chow Chows that the old hair turns cinnamon brown-red before falling out, just like with the American Baribal bear. Another characteristic of the Chow Chow is its blue-black tongue, which, according to English breeder Taunton, newborn puppies do not have; a black spot only appears after a week, which then gradually spreads over the entire tongue.

 

EXCERPTS FROM THE NEW YORK SOCIAL DIARY  
Evander Berry Wall: King of the Dudes

“There is one colorful society leader who, if he were around today, surely would have thought he had died and gone to heaven had he been in New York last week. Social arbiter, international clotheshorse, and legendary lover of chows, Evander Berry Wall would have sat front row and center at the fashion shows and at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

A lifelong owner of chows named either Chi-Chi and Toi-Toi, Berry certainly would have applauded along with Martha Stewart when her dog, G.K., won top honors in the chow chow competition last Monday. Indeed, with his sartorial savoir-faire and natural love of display, he could have given the beauties on hand (of the human and canine kind) a master class in preening.

He was known as the Best Dressed American in Europe and in the US, and reveled in his title as “King of the Dudes” (“dude” meaning “dandy.”) He was considered a fashion pioneer and trend-setter who could claim, among other things, to have introduced the tuxedo or dinner jacket to Americans as an option to the formal tailcoat.

Berry’s chows accompanied him everywhere – even to dinner at the Ritz Berry in a caricature by French illustrator, Sem. He is shown at Charvet declaring “Look here! I want a Chinese neck-tie for my dog.” (see caricature above)

One can read about Chi-Chi’s the chow’s fashionable life by perusing his memoirs in this vintage publication

THE MEMOIRS OF CHI-CHI THE CHOW

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BELOW IS THE FULL CARTOON WHICH RESIDES IN A PARIS MUSEUM

Dogs in Clover by D.A. Ponsonby, published by Hutchinson and Co. London, has such a charming illustrated cover with an equally lovely story within its covers I find it so interesting that there are no other illustrations inside the book….it looks like the illustrator of the covers name is something like “Norrington”.

Below is a larger version of the forward which is part of the dust jacket pictured (my personal copy)

This novel about Chow breeding and dog shows is becoming a rare find .