A prolific American writer, Constance Cary Harrison's adaptation was one of three published versions in Charles Dodgson's lifetime. Originally growing out of a need to entertain hospitalized children, Harrison refined her manuscript and with Dodgson's permission published the play in 1890 in DeWitt's Acting Plays. It became a staple of theaters at the turn of the last century and was the basis for the 1931 film from Metropolitan Studio.