Who was Hodge? One of Dr Johnson’s favorite cats.
Who was “Dictionary Johnson”? Dr. Samuel
Johnson (1709-84) was "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in
English history” (according to a recent biographer called Pat Rogers) and the author
of the first English dictionary. He was much admired in his day and is very
famous today. People, especially Londoners, appreciate his genius and
character. His most memorable quote is: "If a man is tired of London, he is
tired of life".
When and where was the statue erected? In 1997,
in front of Samuel Johnson House (17 Gough Square, just off London's Fleet
Street, which is now a museum).
Who is the sculptor? John Bickley, a quite
well-known English animal sculptor (Hodge is his best-known sculpture).
Whose idea was it and who paid for it? Probably the idea came from the association
that runs the Samuel Johnson House and it is Londoners who paid for it. The inauguration
ceremony was attended by important people, including the Lord Mayor.
What is the statue like? It is made of metal (a
noble and expensive material, used only for important statues), life-size and life-like (showing a cat that looks real, doing a cat-like thing: eating
oysters! Note that oysters were not a luxury food in the 18th Century
so this is not actually a spoilt pet!). It is a delightful and unusual statue
which inspires the feelings some of us associate with cats. It is also very
appropriate because Dr Johnson was known, among much else, to be a protector of
animals (a rare thing in his day!)
Why was a statue erected to Hodge the cat?
- For practical reasons: there is not enough space in front of Samuel Johnson House to erect a statue to the man himself!
- To tell a story: this cat, because a statue has been erected to it, was obviously an important cat (for its owner, in front of whose house the statue has been placed). Also, the owner of the cat obviously loved cats and was therefore probably a nice, unpretentious, person (this is not a grandiose statue about a self-important man!).
- To honour Hodge (a cat famous because he was the cat of a famous man).
- To honour cats in general and to please cat lovers (many Londoners are daft about cats!); the statue evokes the affectionate and playful nature of our feline pets.
- To honour Dr Johnson, famous son of the city of London (the statue reflects the civic pride of Londoners), his genius and character, in an off-beat way (it is not an effigy of the man, but rather what he stood for).
- To honour Samuel Johnson’s work (cf. the dictionary on which the cat is sitting) in a playful (cf. the oyster shells), original, non-pompous way (in the spirit of the man himself).
- To “mark the spot”, i.e. to show visitors that 17 Gough Street is important in the collective memory of Londoners (that they value what the owner of the house stands for: genius and hard work, an affable if somewhat eccentric nature, strong convictions, etc.).
- It’s a “people’s” statue (particularly appealing to children), i.e. the City of London authorities wanted to show that London can be a friendly, “fun” and unpretentious place (note however that the statue is not “cheap” and it is a very good work of art).
