Two cats on roof top. White cat at left with front paws crossed, white, grey, blue tinted cat to right playing instrument.
The phrase “Music Hath Charms” was coined by poet William Congreve, in The mourning bride, 1697: Musick has Charms to sooth a savage Breast, To soften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak. In the comic print, two cats sit on a roof in front of a chimney and sing, while one plays a mandolin. Currier & Ives may have been inspired by the loud crying that cats often make in the evening.
