Blue Persians

In the developmental years of the late 1800's in England most blues carried ghost stripes and/or various degrees of white spotting. Therefore all blues were shown together in the AOC (Any Other Color) class regardless of pattern. These early solid blues were very dark in color and often referred to as London Smokes. Miss Frances Simpson is credited with exhibiting the first all blue kittens at the Crystal Palace. These kittens were reported to have come from brown tabby breeding. Solid (self) blues received their own color class in 1889 and enjoyed immediate popularity. The first time this new class was offered it drew 17 entries. A cat called Turco owned by Mr. A.A. Clarke (cat fancier and judge) was listed as the sire of several of these entries. Preceding shows at Westminster recorded 42 blue males and 48 blue females in competition! Even Queen Victoria was the proud owner of a pair of blue Persians. In the late 1800's blues had narrow skulls, long noses, and dark coat color. Many had orange to yellow eye color with green rims. Emphasis was placed from the beginning on creating a coat of a pale, even shade of lavender blue. In 1901 the Blue Persian Society was formed in Britain by Miss Simpson to emphasize this goal. One early cat that had a great effect on the blues was a cat called Darius who was noted as having outstanding shape and bone of head. At this same time Mrs. Locke imported two blues, Romaldkirk Lupin and Melrose Lassie. Kew Iris, a blue bred by Dr. Ottolengui (living in Saratoga, New York in 1902), won many prizes in England and America and was considered one of the best blues ever bred in the early 1900's. Dr. Ottolengui also purchased Lady Lola and Iris, both daughters of Mrs. Locke's Lupin x Lassie cross.
The first decades of the 1900's found marked improvement in head type and ear set but blues still lacked improvement in eye size and color, expression, and coat length and color. After World War I, CH Azure of Hadley was the only blue listed at stud in England. Great influence was exerted on the color class by a blue male, Milford O Mendip. Born in 1919 Mendip was said to have excelled in type with a fine head, neat ears, and large expressive eyes. He was described as carrying a great wealth of medium, blue coat with a lovely texture, which most of his offspring inherited. He became sire of much of the foundation stock of our present day blues. He sired Eros of Allington, Sweet September of Hawkhurst, Townfield Flyfast, and Sweet Lavender of Dunesk.
The years 1920 to 1930 were called the golden period of blues. Mr. Cyril Yeates, noted fancier of the era, promoted blue Persians and innovated many changes in show management. The 1935 Crystal Palace show boasted 1141 entries under his management. His wife, Gretta, is credited with showing a peke-face blue named Princess Myra. Photos of Princess Myra show her to have a soft expression though not at all extreme. Cats from the famous Dunesk, Pensford, and Allington catteries set the type for solid blues in England; and along with CH Foxburrow Frivolous (bred by Mr. P. Soderberg and owned by Grace Pond), influenced many early US pedigrees.
In 1923 Mrs. M. Brunton, breeder of the internationally famous Dunesk Persians, became interested in blues. A blue female kitten named Meadowsweet became the foundation of the Dunesk line, marking the line with her pale sound coat. Meadowsweet was a vigorous cat who lived to be 19, producing a kitten at the age of 14! Meadowsweet's progeny included Wanda of Dunesk, Rambler Rose, Sweet September, Wild Violet, and Dewdrop.
Another name synonymous with fine blues is Miss Evelyn Langston, Allington Cattery. Miss Langston's blue female, CH Mair of Allington, was one of the most influential on American lines. Mair had an extreme head and very round eyes. Her notable descendants include Rosita and Dylan, both of Allington Cattery, and three who went to Dunesk Cattery: Dear David, June Rose Bear, and Donald Duck. Mair's two litter sisters were exported to Mrs. Arvid G. Ohlin, of the famous Wimauma cattery. P.M. Soderberg, cat author, theorized that there was no gradual improvement of type. Rather, quite suddenly, there would appear a variation, creating one outstanding cat. During the next few years this cat's influence would be great. Then there would seem to be a period of little or no progress until another animal of unusual quality appeared. His theory could well be applied to Mair.
As for blues in America, Jeanie McPhee writes, "We are fortunate in having two pioneers of the blues (in America). These two stalwart breeders need little introduction, for Elsie Hydon and Annie Revington ARE the history of blues. What blue pedigree doesn t record a heritage of Lavender or Dixi-Land?" Miss Hydon started breeding in 1908 in Bogata, NJ. She acquired her first blue queen, Avril, in 1911. Miss Hydon began judging in 1919 and served as CFA President from 1933-1950. Her Lavender Liberty Beau was 1950 Cat of the Year. It is noted that she imported sixty cats during her career and exported her Lavender Persians worldwide. Mrs. Revington began breeding blue Persians in 1923 and her Dixi-Land cattery became internationally famous. Mrs. Revington, CFA judge and member of the Executive Board, was also an enthusiastic exhibitor. Her GC Dixi-Land Montpelier Victor was often cited as near perfection. CH Dixi-Land Wycliffe was famous as sire and grandsire of many of our best blues. Though he died at an early age his progeny were numerous.
In the year 1947 Mrs. Merald Hoag joined the fancy. Mrs. Hoag was strongly influenced by Annie Revington, and her first big winner was Dixi-Land's Felice of Nor-Mont, a blue, who was 1949 Cat of the Year. Mrs. Hoag celebrated another blue Cat of the Year in 1957 with Dixi-Land Sir Gai of Nor-Mont. She used in her breeding Wycliffe Chelsie of Nor-Mont, a blue described as so pale he was almost white. He sired CFA's 2nd blue-cream Grand Champion. In the 1960's Nor-Mont Blue Parader and Nor-Mont Confection became nationally known. During her forty-year career, Mrs. Hoag claimed six Cats of the Year, four Second Best Cats, seven Best Opposite Sex (BOX) cats and other wins too numerous to list...truly a record that will never be duplicated!
Several other breeders contributed to the blue fancy. Mrs. Eva Harris, Mrs. Ben Kendrick, and Mrs. F.L. Tebbetts (WindiBank cattery) were all early fanciers. In the 1930's Mrs. Foster Prather and Mrs. Ohlin (Wimauma) were attracted to the blues. Colorbred blue breeders excelled in the 1960's. Mrs. Vi Smail (Vi-Jon) and Mrs. Raymond Klotz (OL-Ray) were known for such outstanding blues as Vi-Jon Peachie's Girl of OL-Ray (1971 Cat of the Year), Vi-Jon Lisette of OL-Ray (1969 3rd Best Female), and Vi-Jon Miss April of Ben-Mar (1968 BOX Cat of the Year). The Lowlands blues of David Bandy were also successful on a national level. Mrs. Arvid Ohlin of Wimauma and Zoe McEachern of Zoda used to ship cats across the country to each other for breeding. A blue male, Wimauma Sweetaboy, became a very important cat for these two famous blue breeders. Sweetaboy was so extreme for his time that Mrs. Ohlin never showed him and always hid him when anyone came to look at her cats. Mrs. Ohlin kept one son of Sweetaboy for herself and sent a second son to Zoe, greatly influencing the looks of both the Wimauma and Zoda cats.