{"product_id":"the-american-dog-at-home-the-dog-portraits-of-christine-merrill-9781851496419","title":"The American Dog at Home: The Dog Portraits of Christine Merrill","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhether highly bred canines or loveable mixed breeds  America has fallen in love with the dog  and who better than Christine Merrill  Americas premier pet portraitist  to chronicle this long term relationship. As best selling author Barbara Taylor Bradford exclaims  She has caught my Jemmy exactly; the portrait is perfect in every way. While grounded in the traditions of 18th and 19th century England  this Baltimore artist has over the past 20 years created a body of work  which depicts the American dog in its own especially American environment. Each chapter of this book features an American dog owner who has commissioned Merrill to capture their dog in oils  and answer the who  what  where and whys of each collectors story  and how they came to seek out Merrill to portray their dogs - members of the family whose portraits often supplant the portraits of their human relatives. Each chapter is lavishly illustrated  not only with Merrills paintings  but also with colour photographs of the pet owner with their American dog at home. Merrills paintings  executed in the centuries old style of the great English masters of animal painting  are timeless testaments to our love for the dog  and Americans all over the country have chosen her to create portraits in oil of their beloved pets. Merrill counts movie stars  authors  socialites and captains of industry among her clients  each with one thing in common: their love for their pets. This book provides a glimpse into these worlds  but more importantly something which each of the 40 million dog owners in America can identify with - their pets unconditional love. Some thirty-five different dog breeds are represented  from fifteen different states. The first part of the book includes 33 essays on Merrills clients  illustrated with her paintings  but also photographs of the collectors with their dogs  their collections and their homes  personally photographed by the author  William Secord. Each essay has six color photographs. It is exceptional in its access to the largely private lives of these collectors  providing a unique insight into Americans relationship with their dogs. The second part of the book traces Merrills career  with over 50 color illustrations of her paintings.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45279654117429,"sku":"ByrdShop_1851496416","price":49.45,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781851496419.jpg?v=1780604927","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-american-dog-at-home-the-dog-portraits-of-christine-merrill-9781851496419","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}