When photography started back in the 1800s, photographers were focused on strong and fierce animals. 

University of Toronto professor, Matthew Brower, who researched the long tradition of animal photography for his book, Developing Animals: Wildlife and Early American Photography, says it was more like sport hunting, capturing the image of a wild beast.

"Earlier iconography around animals, there's an emphasis on a kind of masculinity - virility of animals. One of the things that really drove photographic technology throughout the 19th century was the desire to photograph animals."

Listen to the podcast with Matthew Brower here.