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Old Things

A Photographic History of the Day the “Greatest Dog in the World” Disappeared

An iconic celebrity dog was kidnapped from a posh poodles-only salon in New York City in 1953. But who took him? And why?

By Ariel Wodarcyk

March 27, 2020

masterpiece — CaptionLong before Grumpy Cat and Boo took the internet by storm, there was a silver-gray toy poodle named Masterpiece. He—with the help of his mysterious Russian owner—created a true poodle-mania across the globe, making the curly-haired breed the dog to own for mid-century high society types. On his path toward becoming the most valuable and highly paid dog in the world, Masterpiece walked Paris Fashion Week, traveled to Cuba as an ambassador of goodwill and served as mascot for his owner’s poodles-only boutique in Manhattan. But that was all before he was kidnapped in May of 1953.American Kennel Club

CaptionLong before Grumpy Cat and Boo took the internet by storm, there was a silver-gray toy poodle named Masterpiece. He—with the help of his mysterious Russian owner—created a true poodle-mania across the globe, making the curly-haired breed the dog to own for mid-century high society types. On his path toward becoming the most valuable and highly paid dog in the world, Masterpiece walked Paris Fashion Week, traveled to Cuba as an ambassador of goodwill and served as mascot for his owner’s poodles-only boutique in Manhattan. But that was all before he was kidnapped in May of 1953.American Kennel Club

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