NYT photographs chronicle Westminster Kennel Club’s 150th anniversary

Photographers for The New York Times have for nearly a century documented the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, a three-day event the paper describes as part red carpet gala, part sporting event and part fashion show; this year marks the show’s 150th anniversary and, the Times reports, the event begins Saturday and is expected to draw around 50,000 attendees and be televised on Fox and Fox Sports.

The Westminster show began in 1877, and the Times notes there were two shows in 1884. The first show included more than 1,000 dogs, five Mastiffs who arrived by boat from England and a Skye terrier on an embroidered blue silk cushion; an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 spectators attended the first evening, according to the paper.

The role of the photographer at Westminster goes back to around the 1930s. John Ashbey, the show’s official photographer for 50 years, told the Times, “It’s a beauty contest,” and described how images should show specific breed characteristics — for example, a bulldog at a three-quarter view and a Borzoi from a straight side view.

Ashbey also described using carrot-shaped soft toys and squeak toys to gain a dog’s attention.

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