Harry Frees' animal photos
Herding cats is hard enough, but posing them?
Alex Q. Arbuckle
c. 1914
From the early 1900s to 1950s, Harry Whittier Frees enjoyed a modicum of fame for his delightfully costumed and posed photographs of baby animals.Though he began photographing cute animals in 1902, he did not begin dressing them in tiny human costumes until 1905. As the story goes, his family was passing a paper hat around the table at a birthday party, and someone placed it on a cat’s head. Frees snapped a photo of the feline, and took it to a postcard maker, who demanded more.Borrowing his young models from neighbors, friends and local pet stores, Frees dressed them in costumes sewn by his mother and housekeeper, and delicately placed them in tiny tableaux. Getting puppies and kittens to hold poses for 1/5-second exposures was nerve-wracking and repetitive work, and took a toll on Frees — he would only shoot for three months out of the year, spending the rest of his time recuperating and coming up with new ideas.His photographs were widely reproduced in postcards, advertisements, magazines and children’s books, often accompanied by pleasant short stories written by Frees, with titles including The Puppy and Pussy Book, Snuggles, Yip and Yap and Whiskers.
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, 1929
Rags possesses an unusual intellect for a cat. He has been known to keep a pose for several minutes without as much as the flicker of a whisker. When the very limit of his endurance has been reached he will give a protesting little murmur. A short romp on the ground, together with a choice bit of meat as a reward, will at once restore him to his former amiability. - Harry Whittier Frees, 1925
The best period of young animal models is a short one, being when they are from six to ten weeks of age. An interesting fact is that a kitten's attention is best held through the sense of sight, while that of a puppy is most influenced by sound, and equally readily distracted by it. - Harry Whittier Frees, 1929
Despite his successful career, Frees never achieved wealth or financial stability. After the death of his parents, he lived an isolated life. In March 1953, despondent over a cancer diagnosis, he died by suicide.Commensurate with their value as precious national treasures, a collection of his photos are preserved in the archives of the Library of Congress.
