There are a number of sightings of Keeshond-like dogs in previous centuries, but most of them have not had the familiar grey colouring of today's British Keeshonds. Gainsborough (see "Perdita", c.1781, below) and others painted subjects with white spitz as companions.
Our Keeshonds today, whether in the US, Australia, Europe or Britain, can be traced back to a very few dogs from Germany and Holland at the turn of the 20th Century. Dogs such as Texel (whose father was a samoyed, and whose mother was called Mina), and Schie, Dirk, Edam and Fips Sauter formed the basis for the modern Keeshond.
Gainsborough depicted a dog similar to this one on at least one other occasion. Apparently, when painting a woman on her own, if he didn't find her personally attractive he would add a dog to the picture. He seems to have found the spitz more attractive than many women!
Above is Kees van Scheveningen, owned in the late 19th century by Heer Kuyl van Gijn of Scheveningen.
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Below is Lux, who was born in 1893 and became an international champion. He was owned by Herr Charles Kammerer of Germany. He was described as "full of quality, but light of bone and too long in muzzle"
see Alice Gatacre's "The Keeshond"
see Alice Gatacre's "The Keeshond"
Pre-1920's Keeshonds
Queen Victoria, who bred Pomeranians during the 1880's, was known to have had a wolf-sable (keeshond coloured) "overweight pomeranian" which featured on the front cover of the "British Fancier" in 1892.
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Kees (above) was exhibited by Miss Beverley in 1899. He had been given to Miss Beverley by friends in Nijmegen, as a special favour, as the Dutch were said to be very jealous of these dogs.The dog caused a stir because he was shown as a "Keeshond" in a class for foreign varieties, i.e. breeds not recognised by the Kennel Club. A member of the Dutch Embassy wrote to the secretary of the LKA saying that the Keeshond is the national dog of Holland. This claim was dismissed by an eminent authority on foreign dogs, Mr. H. C. Brooke, who claimed the dog was "merely a specimen of the common large Wolfspitz" and that if there had been a national dog of Holland it would have been heard of before.
taken from Mr G.M. Hicks book, "The Pomeranian"
Kees was compared by Mr Hicks with Ch. Ruffle, above, who was owned by Mrs. Barbett, and was said to have been bred from a yellow imported Volpino and a white German Spitz. He was being shown as a Pomeranian circa 1901.
Ch. Tilton Sable (above) was bred by Mrs. Morton (by Victorias Marquis of Anglesey - unregistered x Victorias Susindia - unregistered) and owned by Mrs. Liversidge.
1910 - wins at Birmingham and Westminster Pet Dog Show
1911 - CC at Cruft's under Mr Bowler
1912 - numerous wins from Edinburgh to Cruft's CC at Earls Court under Mr Norris
1913 - CC in June at Taunton under Miss Lee Roberts
He gained his Championship in 1914 at the age of six.
1910 - wins at Birmingham and Westminster Pet Dog Show
1911 - CC at Cruft's under Mr Bowler
1912 - numerous wins from Edinburgh to Cruft's CC at Earls Court under Mr Norris
1913 - CC in June at Taunton under Miss Lee Roberts
He gained his Championship in 1914 at the age of six.
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The Prince of Wales had a Keeshond, which was depicted in this wonderful painting by Gooch (thought to be Thomas Gooch, 1750 - 1802, who certainly had some very illustrious clients in the 1780's). The Prince gave the picture to the first Marchioness Conyngham, who was his last mistress. She lived at Slane Castle, Co. Meath in Ireland, where the painting is still owned by the descendants of the Marchioness.
The above picture is reproduced by kind permission of The Earl of Mount Charles, Slane Castle.
"Overweight Pomeranians", as the British Keeshond was called in the 19th and early 20th century, weighed generally about 16 - 20 pounds, so they were rather smaller than most of todays Keeshonds. They lost popularity in the early years of the 20th century, and Challenge Certificates were withdrawn by the Kennel Club in 1915.
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"Perdita" depicts Mrs. Mary Robinson, who had been the mistress of the Prince of Wales, later King George lV - hence the sad expression on her face, as the picture was commissioned by the Prince after Mrs. Robinson fell out of favour.