What is the largest sharp print size for A Friend in Need (Dogs Playing Poker)?

At 300 dpi, this 3,500 × 2,509 px file prints up to 11.7 × 8.4 in with gallery-sharp detail. At 150 dpi the file reaches 23.3 × 16.7 in, which is poster-sharp quality.

Which standard frame sizes give gallery-sharp prints of A Friend in Need (Dogs Playing Poker)?

Gallery-sharp (300 dpi or above) frame sizes: 10 × 8 in. Sharp-to-poster-quality sizes also work: 14 × 11 in, 16 × 12 in, 20 × 16 in.

Does printing A Friend in Need (Dogs Playing Poker) require cropping the image?

Standard frame aspect ratios may not match this artwork exactly; depending on the size chosen, up to 10% of the image could be cropped. Most print-on-demand services let you adjust the crop position or add a white mat border instead.

A Friend in Need (Dogs Playing Poker) — Cassius Marcellus Coolidge | Free high-res download

A Friend in Need (Dogs Playing Poker)

Cassius Marcellus Coolidge · 1903 · Commissioned by Brown & Bigelow, St. Paul

Public domain · $0.003,500 × 2,509 px · 8.8 MP

Prints gallery-sharp up to11.7 × 8.4 inat 300 dpi, uncropped · poster-sharp to 23.3 × 16.7 in at 150 dpi

The download is the original scan on Wikimedia Commons. Big file — give it a minute.

Build the wall set

Art, frame, light and hanging gear, picked together. Choose a size and finish; the wall preview shows exactly what you're getting. One button sends the whole kit to your Amazon cart.

Amazon sells the physical items, sets their prices and availability, and may pay us a commission. The free museum file is separate. How we get paid →

How big can you print it?

Standard frame sizes, turned to match the artwork. "Crops" is how much of the picture you lose filling that frame edge to edge — or keep it all and let a mat take up the difference.

Frame	Effective dpi	Verdict	Crops
10 × 8 in	313	Gallery sharp	10%
14 × 11 in	228	Sharp up close	9%
16 × 12 in	209	Sharp up close	4%
20 × 16 in	156	Poster sharp	10%
24 × 18 in	139	Fine across a room	4%
36 × 24 in	97	Too soft	7%
40 × 30 in	83	Too soft	4%

Will it fit over your couch? Put this one on your wall, to scale — crop or mat, frame size, hang height and the order.

The ticket

A Friend in Need (Dogs Playing Poker) is a painting by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge (American, Antwerp, New York 1844–1934 New York), dated 1903. Oil on canvas. Held by Commissioned by Brown & Bigelow, St. Paul; the free scan comes from Wikimedia Commons.

Cassius Coolidge painted sixteen of these for the Brown & Bigelow advertising firm starting in 1903, and this is the best-known. A table of dogs plays cards, and one of them is passing an ace under it to the bulldog next to him. It has been hanging in basements, bars and dens for over a century, and it is still the correct answer to the question, what should I hang in the man cave. The image is in the public domain. Choose a heavy wood frame and a picture light and it looks like a joke that cost real money.

The work is in the public domain, which means no permission, no fee and no credit line required. That file is 3,500 × 2,509 pixels — 8.8 megapixels — good for a gallery-sharp print up to 11.7 × 8.4 in. Paintings reproduce best on matte paper. Gloss throws glare across exactly the brushwork you came for, and a picture light does more for a print than any upgrade in paper.

On the receipt

Artist: Cassius Marcellus Coolidge
Date: 1903
Medium: Oil on canvas
Held by: Commissioned by Brown & Bigelow, St. Paul
License: Public domain · Public Domain Mark
Source: Commons file page ↗