Once widely known throughout the United States for his extremely cute photographs of animals, Harry Whittier Frees began his career taking pictures for novelty postcards. By 1905 he was adding various props and clothing to the shots to give the animals a more human image. The photos lent themselves immediately to children’s books, and by 1915 Frees had published several.

In all his books, Frees reassured readers that these very cute photographs of kittens, puppies and bunnies were made possible ‘only by patient unfailing kindness on the part of the photographer at all times’. He used 1/5th of a second exposures and held the animals in position using stiff costuming, pins, and forks.
Today our concern for animal welfare is considerably stronger than it was when the photographs were originally taken even though at the time "No animal protection services accused him of cruelty to animals. Some even praised his work.”

“Rabbits are the easiest to photograph in costume, but incapable of taking many 'human' parts. Puppies are tractable when rightly understood, but the kitten is the most versatile animal actor, and possesses the greatest variety of appeal.”
- Harry Whittier Frees