Harry Witter's retro cats and puppies that made a splash 100 years ago

Harry Witter was famous for photographing pets in costume from the early 1900s to the 1950s. He considered kittens to be the most capable models.

Harry Whittier Frees had been photographing animals since 1902, but began dressing them up in tiny costumes a few years later when a paper hat accidentally ended up on a cat's head at a family birthday dinner. Fries captured the animal and sold the photo to a postcard manufacturer, who ordered even more similar pictures.

The photographer borrowed young models from neighbors, friends and local pet stores. He dressed them up in costumes made by his mother and housekeeper, arranged them in planned poses and took photographs.

This activity was quite unnerving and monotonous, so Fries was engaged in filming for three months a year, and the rest of the time he rested and came up with new ideas.

His photographs have been widely reproduced in postcards, advertisements, magazines and children's books. Often the photographs were accompanied by short stories written by Fries himself.

Despite his successful career, Harry Witter Frees did not make a fortune. After the death of his parents, he lived in seclusion, and in March 1953, suffering from cancer, he committed suicide. His photographs are in the archives of the Library of Congress.

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