Elsie Wright (English, 1902–1988) and
Frances Griffiths (English, 1908–1986)
Alice and Leaping Fairy
INV-2096
Elsie Wright (English, 1902–1988) and
Frances Griffiths (English, 1908–1986)August 1920
Alice and Leaping Fairy
Elsie Wright (English, 1902–1988) and Frances Griffiths (English, 1908–1986) →photographphotography
Date
August 1920
Medium
Silver chloride print
Dimensions
Image/paper: 15.4 × 11.7 cm (6 1/8 × 4 5/8 in.); Mount: 20.4 × 15.2 cm (8 1/16 × 6 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Purchased with funds provided by Brenda Shapiro in honor of her granddaughter
The story of the Cottingley fairies is a legendary photographic hoax. In 1917, in the Yorkshire village of Cottingley, two girls decided to play a little trick on their parents, and created what they claimed was photographic evidence of fairies dancing. The pictures attracted the attention of Arthur Conan Doyle who, despite the scientific skepticism manifested in his Sherlock Holmes stories, was an ardent believer in spiritism. In the summer of 1920, at Doyle's request, the girls took—that is, made—three more photographs (this is the first). Doyle deemed them authentic, and published the photographs (calling Frances "Alice") to worldwide interest. Only decades later was the secret revealed: the girls had copied drawings from an illustrated children's book, cut out the pictures, and held them in place with hat pins. Although they now seem obvious fakes, a willing public believed in the inherent veracity of photography and its ability to see things that are beyond the scope of normal vision.