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Creatures, Myths & Legends

Cottingley fairies still intrigue 100 years on

By T.K. Randall
March 3, 2018 · Comment icon 52 comments

The girls always remained adamant that they had seen fairies. Image Credit: Elsie Wright / PD
In 1917, two English schoolgirls claimed to have photographed fairies at the bottom of their garden.
One of the most infamous hoaxes of the 20th century, the story of the Cottingley fairies came from the unlikeliest of sources - two young cousins, Elsie Wright and Frances Griffith, from Cottingley, England.

The pair, who would often play near a stream at the bottom of Elsie's mother's garden, claimed that there were fairies living there. To prove it, Elsie one day borrowed her father's camera and the girls spent 30 minutes taking pictures of them.

The photographs, which were considered highly convincing at the time, went public in mid-1919 and quickly become famous across the country. Many believed the fairies to be real, including author and spiritualist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who included the photos in a magazine article he'd written.
The mystery of the Cottingley fairies would go on to endure for over 60 years until finally, in 1983, the two cousins admitted that the photographs had been faked using cut-out illustrations from a book.

Both however remained adamant that they had genuinely seen fairies at the bottom of the garden.

"Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright created one of the biggest hoaxes in British history," said Dr Richard Sugg of Durham University. "It's up there with the faking of the Piltdown Man."

"The girls started by challenging themselves in order to fool their immediate circle. They ended up attempting to hoodwink the world."



Source: Yorkshire Post | Comments (52)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #43 Posted by I'mConvinced 6 years ago
Ok but what is your actual point? Are you trying to say the fifth photo, the one that looks identical to the other fakes, are actual fairies?  Do you really believe that they faked four but not the fifth? Why did only one sister claim it was real and not both?   
Comment icon #44 Posted by Merc14 6 years ago
Don't forget William Mumler and his Spirit photography in the mid 19th century.  Mary Tod Lincoln with Abe's ghost circa 1870  
Comment icon #45 Posted by South Alabam 6 years ago
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottingley_Fairies It would seem the fairies of that day, had the same hairdos as their human counter parts. That is why no matter how romantic or fanciful it would be, I don't think that photo is a picture of real fairies.
Comment icon #46 Posted by Orphalesion 6 years ago
I really don't get what you want to say with this? Whatever Frances or her daughter believe or claim to believe for whatever reason, doesn't change the fact that you have to be fairly gullible (or very determined to believe)  to be fooled by those paper cutouts. From what I have read they also contradicted each other on who took the fifth photo. Plus it looks like an accidental double exposure, which did occasionally happen even as late as the 80s, as photos taken by my family show, so that could have contributed to the confusion and to Frances' POV.  Elsie admitted they played along for a w... [More]
Comment icon #47 Posted by Dyna 6 years ago
I personally never saw this as anything, the cutouts are clearly just that.
Comment icon #48 Posted by Dumbarton'ite 6 years ago
Maybe it's just me, but I don't think it's right that verified fake stuff especially when the originators admit to it should be embraced on any mystery/monster/paranormal websites. There's plenty of fake stuff out there - should stick to the unverified and the genuine mysteries - just my opinion.
Comment icon #49 Posted by Black Monk 6 years ago
One of them insisted until she died in 1986 that at least one of the photos was real and the other insisted until the day she died in 1988 that they both genuinely saw fairies.
Comment icon #50 Posted by Dumbarton'ite 6 years ago
I thought I’d seen an interview where they admitted it was faked?
Comment icon #51 Posted by Nzo 6 years ago
I  am sure that if they were real the pesticides and herbicides have probably killed them off.
Comment icon #52 Posted by Merc14 6 years ago
They are magical beings so should be immune.  I'd ask papageorge as he would know or at least could ask his psychic guide, or whatever he calls the thing. re. their whereabouts.


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