Alice and the Fairies
Artist
Elsie Wright(English, 1901–1988)English, 1901–1988
Artist
Frances Griffiths(English, 1907–1986)English, 1907–1986
CultureEnglish
Titles
- Alice and the Fairies
DateJuly 1917
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 6 × 7 15/16 in. (15.3 × 20.1 cm)
Sheet: 6 × 7 15/16 in. (15.3 × 20.1 cm)
Mount: 6 15/16 × 9 in. (17.6 × 22.8 cm)
Sheet: 6 × 7 15/16 in. (15.3 × 20.1 cm)
Mount: 6 15/16 × 9 in. (17.6 × 22.8 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the S. I. and Susie Morris Photography Endowment
Object number2019.423
Not on view
Explore Further
Department
PhotographyObject Type
In 1917, in one of the greatest photographic hoaxes of all time, 16-year-old Elsie Wright and her cousin, 9-year-old Frances Griffiths, claimed to have photographed the fairies who lived by a stream behind their home in the village of Cottingley, Yorkshire. Little did they know that their practical joke would stir enormous controversy and fool such eminent figures as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who defended the veracity of their photographs.
Provenance[Dominic Winter Auctioneers, 19th & 20th Century Photography, John Thomson, China & Hong Kong, Photobooks, Cameras & Accessories, October 3, 2019, Lot 241]; purchased by MFAH, 2019.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Printed in black, mount recto, bottom center below image: A. ALICE AND THE FAIRIES. // Copyright. Photograph taken July, 1917.
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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![[Frances and the Flying Fairy]](/internal/media/dispatcher/363147/thumbnail)
![[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with Fairies]](/internal/media/dispatcher/333586/thumbnail)
