Cultural depictions of dogs extend back thousands of years to when dogs were portrayed on the walls of caves. Representations of dogs in art became more elaborate as individual breeds evolved and the relationships between human and canine developed. Hunting scenes were popular in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Dogs were depicted to symbolize guidance, protection, loyalty, fidelity, faithfulness, watchfulness, and love. As dogs became more domesticated, they were shown as companion animals, often painted sitting on a lady's lap. Throughout the art history there is an overwhelming presence of dogs as status symbols and pets in painting mainly in the Western art. The dogs were brought to houses and were allowed to live in the house and cherished as part of the family, and were regarded as mostly in the upper classes who used them for hunting and could afford to feed them. Hunting dogs were generally connected to the aristocracy. Only the nobility were allowed to keep hunting dogs, and this would signal status, and it was the signalment of a noble man. Dog portraits became increasingly popular in the 18th century, and the establishment of The Kennel Club in the UK in 1873 and the American Kennel Club in 1884 introduced breed standards or 'word pictures', which further encouraged the popularity of dog portraiture.
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