Central & Gus
Bailey & Sapphin Wicklow Cottontail Rabbit Portrait Study
Bailey & Sapphin Wicklow Cottontail Rabbit Portrait Study
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Every year, just as the wakerobins are pressing through the snow, Bailey and Sapphin Wicklow Eastern Cottontail Rabbit get to work. While some migrate, many hibernate; rabbits do neither and can measure the days of food stores to the ever-changing length of the season. Knowing many wouldn't have the provisions needed to make it through if there was one last squall - or worse, one after that - Bailey and Sapphin determined to do something about it.
Crafting treats so delectably knee-weakening that one needs to sit down to eat them, the duo's confections just as equally provide nourishment from the healthy fats, medicinal herbs, and nutrients they'd harvested during the fall. They press the ingredients into little egg-shaped moulds, then wrap the bonbons in pastel-hued foil. Eggs are the perfect conveyance, they thought; a symbol of spring, renewal, and healing.
Their Aunt Florence Williamena Snowshoe Hare, the town post-mistress was willing - under cover of the night as it was considered moonlighting - to deliver the bunnies' homemade gifts to the families in town. She leaves a little package at each doorstep and invariably, in her haste, scatters the contents across the snow.
The whole thing quickly became a game, with Florence becoming an unwitting urban legend. The kids of the community look so forward to waking from their long winter's nap to go hunt for the eggs, maybe catching a glimpse of a tail disappearing into the woods, or finding a footprint or two in the drifts. Bailey and Sapphin even created a rabbit-shaped locum to throw the youngsters off the trail. Of course, it has also developed into a wonderful tradition for the two. Happily tasting as they go, they are thankful that the sugar rush doesn't leave them with any ill effects...except that one rogue photo of them gleefully dancing the bunny hop with their confectionary doppelgangers.
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Portrait Study, 8x10”, 9x12”, or 11x14" in protective cello. Each Portrait Study is accompanied by a whimsical tale of the animal featured. Entirely collectible, the stories intertwine, creating a much-loved community of characters. We print on a luxurious 318 gsm, 100% cotton paper. Soft and durable, this paper showcases crisp detail and vibrant colour.
We donate a portion of gross sales to animal welfare.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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They are — and that's one of the things that makes Central & Gus so unique. Every character lives in the same universe. They know each other, reference each other, cross paths at the switchboard, in the woods, at the patisserie, on the road. Collecting them is a little like reading a novel one chapter at a time — except each chapter fits on your wall or popped in the post for a stamp to someone you love.
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We spent a long time on this. Every Central & Gus illustration is hand-drawn in pencil — and so we are eternally inspired by the classic #2, enrobed in that particular shade of yellow. For that, we call it Ticonderoga Harvest. Studies on colour and emotion find that people associate this shade with joy — which felt exactly right. It also nods, quietly, to our farm roots, everything that grows out of the land, and also to a less tangible but just as important creative harvest. The envelope is not an afterthought. It is part of the story.
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They are extraordinary gifts — and we say that not as a boast but as something we hear constantly from our retail partners and customers. A Central & Gus card is not a card you send and forget. It is a card the recipient reads, re-reads, frames, or keeps in a drawer to return to. The story on the back transforms it from a greeting into a small, meaningful object. We have heard from one customer who had special date-day trips with his young daughter, each time choosing one special card for her coveted collection. The goldenrod envelope alone tends to stop people in their tracks. Another, a fiance purchased the entire set for his partner, a reminder of a day they spotted them in a shop and giggled while reading the stories aloud. These are not cards. They are moments, saved.
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Wholeheartedly yes — and the characters seem to know instinctively which age they are speaking to. Children are drawn to the illustrations, the names, the animals. Adults read the stories and find themselves unexpectedly moved. We regularly hear from customers who frame them in nurseries and living rooms alike, who give them to grandparents and grandchildren in the same gesture. The world of Central & Gus does not have an age. It has a sensibility — and that sensibility tends to recognise itself across generations.
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Yes — and we love that you asked. We offer curated collections and themed bundles. Our Open Water & Coastal set, our Woodland & Hedgerow set, our Wetland & Waterway, or our Start Your Collection bundle are all wonderful entry points. And for those that just wantall of themat once, The Whole Gang brings every character home together at a saving. Bundles make particularly wonderful gifts — there is something about receiving a community of characters at once that feels genuinely special.
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We do — and this is at the heart of everything we do. A portion of every gross sale goes directly to animal welfare. The characters you collect are not just whimsical illustrations — they are advocates. Every purchase is a small act of care for the natural world and the creatures in it. We are deeply grateful for every order that makes this possible.