How Two Girls Convinced The World That Fairies Are Real

Once upon a time, in a small village called Cottingley, England, two young girls managed to captivate the entire world with their extraordinary photographs of fairies. Frances Griffiths, aged 9, and her cousin, Elsie Wright, aged 16, claimed to have encountered and documented real fairies in their garden. Their story spread like wildfire, sparking a worldwide fascination with the supernatural.

The year was 1917, World War I was raging, and people yearned for a sense of magic and escape from the harsh realities of life. The Cottingley fairies became a beacon of hope and wonder amidst dark times, captivating the hearts and minds of believers and skeptics alike.

The Discovery

It all began when Elsie and Frances borrowed Elsie's father's camera to take pictures of fairies in the garden. The girls claimed that they often played with fairies by a nearby stream and believed that capturing their ethereal friends on camera would finally prove their existence.

Fairy Spell: How Two Girls Convinced the World That Fairies Are Real

by Marc Tyler Nobleman (Kindle Edition)

4.6 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	27601 KB
Print length	:	40 pages

FREE

The first few photographs they took depicted Frances with fairies floating around her, lending an air of credibility to their claims. These images quickly gained attention within their immediate circle, catching the eye of Elsie's father, Arthur Wright, who was an amateur photographer himself.

Initially, Arthur dismissed the images as a child's play, but as more photographs were taken and developed, he couldn't help but be intrigued by the apparent authenticity of the fairy presence. He decided to show the pictures to the members of the Theosophical Society, a group of spiritual thinkers, who were equally enthralled by what they saw.

The Sceptics and Believers

As news of the Cottingley fairies spread, the girls' photographs caught the attention of renowned mystic, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur believed in the supernatural and saw the potential for these photographs to be groundbreaking evidence for the existence of fairies.

The photographs were published in 1919 in Sir Arthur's article titled "The Coming of the Fairies" in the popular Strand Magazine. The article ignited a fierce debate between skeptics and believers. While many considered the photographs as nothing more than clever frauds or a product of double exposure, there were those who viewed them as remarkable evidence of an ancient magical world.

The Unveiling

For nearly six years, the Cottingley fairies held the world's fascination. However, as the girls grew older, their interest in fairy photography waned. In 1920, Elsie and Frances confessed that the fairies in the photographs were actually paper cutouts they had created and staged for the pictures.

Despite their admission, some believers refused to accept the truth, holding onto their dreams and enchantment. The Cottingley fairies continued to be a subject of intrigue, even inspiring books, movies, and countless artistic interpretations over the years.

Legacy and Lessons

The Cottingley fairy photographs remain a quintessential example of the power of imagination and the human yearning for the extraordinary. They remind us that even in the most unlikely circumstances, the magic of belief can briefly transcend reality.

Whether you choose to believe in the existence of fairies or dismiss them as mere figments of imagination, the Cottingley fairies' story continues to captivate us, encouraging us to explore the boundaries of our own perception and wonder.

So, the next time you wander through a garden or soak in the beauty of nature, keep your eyes open. Who knows, maybe you will stumble upon a magical realm hidden within the shadows, just like Frances and Elsie did all those years ago.

Fairy Spell: How Two Girls Convinced the World That Fairies Are Real

by Marc Tyler Nobleman (Kindle Edition)

4.6 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	27601 KB
Print length	:	40 pages

FREE

The true story of British cousins who fooled the world for more than 60 years with a remarkable hoax, photographs of “real” fairies. Exquisitely illustrated with art by Eliza Wheeler as well as the original photos taken by the girls.

In 1917, in Cottingley, England, a girl named Elsie took a picture of her younger cousin, Frances. Also in the photo was a group of fairies, fairies that the girls insisted were real. Through a remarkable set of circumstances, that photograph and the ones that followed came to be widely believed as evidence of real fairies. It was not until 1983 that the girls, then late in life, confessed that the Cottingley Fairies were a hoax. Their take is an extraordinary slice of history, from a time when anything in a photograph was assumed to be fact and it was possible to trick an eager public into believing something magical. Exquisitely illustrated with art and the original fairy photographs.