Rudolph Tauskey is best known as an animal photographer of horses and dogs. As the official photographer for the American Kennel Club (1924-1942) and as a professional freelance photographer, he photographed most the country's top winning show dogs of all breeds for over five decades. He lived for nearly fifty years in Saddle River, New Jersey. Often called the "Dean of Dog Photography", he died in 1979 at the age of 91.
Perhaps the most widely recognizable of his Herding dog photos would be those from the Sunnybank Collies of Mr. Alfred Payson Terhune, the author of Lad, A Dog and other fictional books about Collies. Perhaps his most celebrated clients were the du Ponts, whose many horses he shot. His personal favorite of his many photos of horses was that of Mr. C. C. Stillman's Morgan horses. His photos of various breeds of dogs became household staples to animal-lover Americans when he contracted with Ken-L Ration Dog Foods for pictures of various breeds of dogs which were used on the labels of their canned dog food. Milo Denlinger, a mid-century American writer of books on various breeds of dogs, made heavy use of Tauskey photos to illustrate the ideal or correct type specific to the breed for his many books.
Even today, readers of canine publications can find examples of Tauskey's work throughout the literature. These examples serve as a continuing legacy of the art and craft of Tauskey's genius. Following his death, several articles have been written on Tauskey and his contribution to the breeding and showing of dogs. No one disputes Tauskey's unique talent of retouching his photos, his wide knowledge of the many breeds of dogs, or his definitive artistic style. But he remains for many canine photographers, breeders, judges and professional dog handlers, a controversial figure.
