According the the AKC, the Irish water spaniel is the “clown of the spaniel family,” as they often “think of creative ways to accomplish even the slightest of tasks.” They are the tallest of the spaniels are are most recognizable for their dark brown curly fur and “rat tail.” From what I could see, the lovely curly locks that generally grow along their tails, are lopped off for show dogs – seems a shame considering how pretty their tails are.
This Irish water spaniel drawing is the work of the artist Friedrich Wilhelm Keyl (1823-1871) and was included in a text on dog training from 1865. Keyl was born in Germany but worked in London during the Victorian era. He was a student of Edwin Landseer, a much loved English artist known for his depictions of animals with human characteristics. The wonderful dog drawings that I’ve found in this book by Keyl do seem to show Landseer’s influence of really showing the personalities of the animals.
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.
