Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:10 pm
Do you believe in fairies?
In 1922, photographs of two girls and fairies went worldwide and for a time, everyone believed in fairies.
Almost everyone involved in mystery and cryptids has heard of this story but since an earlier post was done on Victorian fairies, it would be impossible not to include them.
https://www.smokehoax.com/2020/04/victorian-fairies/
It is listed as one of the most famous hoaxes of all time, but many do not view this as a deliberate hoax, but as a prank that got out of control.
Frances Griffith (age 9) came to Cottingley village with her mother. Her brother died and her father was fighting in the First World War. Mrs. Griffith was alone and was invited by her sister and her husband to spend time with them. Their daughter Elsie Wright (age 16 ) befriended the younger girl and they spent the summer out back playing in the creek.
They said they were playing with fairies and when teased took a camera from Elsie’s father and said they would get proof. And they did. With two photographs. Frances surrounded by dancing fairies and the older girl holding hands with a gnome.
The prank should have stopped there but Mrs. Griffiths, grieving the death of her son had joined a Spiritualist group. Taking the photos with her, the group was excited over these photos. They were featured at the Theosophical Society yearly conference. The photos were passed from person to person and found their way into the newspapers.
Victorian people were heavily into Spiritualism. Fairies featured quite often in the art and literature of that era.
Fairies were viewed as aligned with Nature and a higher sense of the spirit.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle loved the photos and published them in his magazine “The Strand.” That was the final proof that people felt they needed. Reporters and people wishing to see fairies descended on the quiet village of Cottingley.
The girls realized their prank was out of control. Confession was now impossible. So, they went for their only option. They claimed the fairies would not show themselves to strangers.
They were sent out with marked film and came back with three more photos.
The families moved out of England but the fairy photographs followed them. Elsie and Frances said they were older now and the fairies no longer came to them.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a book, The Coming Of The Fairies, published in 1922. He remained a firm believer in fairies up to his death in 1930. His belief in the fairies inspired others for decades to come. World acclaimed author of Sherlock Holmes, he was one of the most intelligent and most respected man of his time. But he was totally taken in by the fairy photos. They were the proof of the otherworld he so desperately wanted to believe.
Finally ,in 1985, Elsie and Frances confessed. It was so simple everyone overlooked it. They copied illustrations from Princess Mary’s Gift Book. This book was published in 1914 and illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
Elsie was very artistic and redrew them. The girls turned some dancing maidens into fairies , gave them butterfly wings, and stuck them into the ground with long hatpins.
How did they get away with it? People of that time were not stupid. The fairies were not fluttering their wings which would show blurry. Elsie’s hand in the gnome photo was weird. Closer study showed her hands were oddly positioned. Her fingers of both hands aligned to look like one long hand.
But fairy supporters fought back. The fairies were magical. They did not have to fly; they could have been floating. Elsie’s hand was explained as a psychic elongation in the presence of a highly magical creature.
Several factors had worked in the girls’ favor.
One-the innocence of the girls. They were from respectable families ,well behaved and trusted. No one had a reason to doubt their story or accuse them of lying.
Two-The camera was at that time a rather advanced piece of technical equipment. The girls did not know how to fake and develop film. The photographs were studied by Kodak experts and they said the films were genuine. They did not seem retouched or show any trickery.
Three- People were still in the Victorian age of Spiritualism. Ghost photography was very popular. If ghosts could be captured on film, why not fairies?
At the last and most important factor, people wanted to believe. The First World War was exhausting and costly in many ways .It lasted four grueling years. It was the first global conflict and cost close to 15 million lives. The Industrial Revolution was now a part of life and many citizens realized their lifestyles changed forever. Like Sir Doyle they felt weary and wanted proof that magic and wonder still existed in the world.
The girls insisted at one time the fairies were real and belief of the fairies continues.
The home of the Wrights is now owned by private property. The owner has numerous requests over the years to let people into the creek. Done by appointment , he views the visitors with good natured tolerance.
Many fairy fans have recreated their own Cottingley photographs.
The end of belief in fairies? Far from it.
As energy guides and aspects of nature and/or physical little beings, fairies still exist for many believers.
In 1997 , this movie came out. It was quite accurate to the story. The only adjustments were the two cousins were the same age and it showed the fairies actually existing outside the photographs.
One last treasure. A friend mentioned it and I found it. The genuine fairy photos made an appearance on Antiques Roadshow. This is the actual vid. It is several minutes long but fascinating and truly worth watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WX1BhKxSYQ
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https://britishfairies.wordpress.com/a-cottingley-gallery/
https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/cottingley-fairies.36197/page-5
https://blog.newspapers.com/arthur-conan-doyle-and-the-cottingley-fairies/
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki.php/Film/FairyTaleATrueStory
http://anomalyinfo.com/Stories/1917-july-cottingley-fairies
https://ohbythewayblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/victorian-ghost-photography.html