The Cottingley Fairy Photographs – Continued Part 3

Taken from a book published by Edward L Gardner Entitled “Fairies”

In yesterday’s article we discussed these beautiful fairy photographs taken by two young ladies in 1917.

You know we continue today with the interview that took place:

Cottingley Glen

Following on from yesterday’s article we mention was made of further suggestions here are all of those further suggestions.

Could more photographs be taken?

One explanation, other than the motives of money and fame, was conceivable, however unlikely. This was assumed that the children had been the tool of someone skilled in photographic work who, in some way, had substituted a plate for the one that had been put in the Midg. This would mean that the girls had been party to a fraud and having started with falsehoods, did not like to withdraw and own up when seriously questioned. A farfetched suggestion perhaps, in the circumstances; later however, some critiques actually advance this theory that I then foresaw as just a possibility, a possibility which we should be wise to disprove if it could be done. Nothing it seemed to me, could be so conclusive as more photographs, with provision against such substitution.

The suggestion I made the four, was that Francis should come and stay at Cottingley during her August holidays and the girls, now 16 and 13 years old, should try for more. Mr. and Mrs. Griffiths had fortunately remained in England after the war and were within reach on the East Coast. Mr. and Mrs. Wright readily consented, and on arriving in London, are wrote to missus Griffiths and proposed running up to see them at Scarborough.

The two fairy photographs and the “Strand Magazine”

What’s the eve, almost, of so authors trip to Australia. He and I went over all the material I had to report and we agreed that the analysis of the photographs, coupled as it was now, with satisfactory testimony on the personal side, justified publishing the article and the pictures in The Strand. The contract therefore, was completed with the Strand editor and we both undertook to keep silence concerning the whole affair until after the magazine was on sale the following December’s. I promised of course, to send word to Sydney should we have any success with our new venture in the Cottingley Glen. This was early August 1920 and are arranged to go north again, as Mrs. Griffiths had written favourably of the suggestion that Francis should visit Cottingley later in the month.

Three more photographs two good quarter plate cameras were bought, one for each of the girls and then I went to Illingworth factory for the supply of two dozen plates. I saw the manager and explained that I wanted him to be able to check and verify the plates if I brought them back off to their use. How they were mocked only he and his workmen must know. This was promised and the following day I had the 24 plates all privately mocked and rewrapped.

The trip to Scarborough proved satisfactory. I interviewed Mrs. Griffiths and Francis, both been seen for the first time and a half I was talk with Francis explained a good deal. The girl, at that time 13 years old, was medium Mystic, which merely means that she had loosely knit ectoplasmic material in her body. The subtle ectoplasmic or etheric material of the body, which with most people is very closely interwoven with the denser frame, was in her case unlocked or, rather, loosened and on seeing her I had the first glimpse of how the nature sprites had densified their own normal bodies sufficiently to come into the field of the cameras range. This explanation emerged more fully later however. For the moment I was concerned wholly with the practical arrangements which would enable us to get, if possible, that further evidence which would this time, be unassailable. Francis was delighted with the invitation she had received from her aunt Mrs. Wright and in the middle of August she went off to Cottingley to spend the second fortnight of her school holidays there with Elsie.

I went off too, to Cottingley again, taking the two cameras and plates from London and met the family and explained to the two girls the simple working of the cameras, giving one to each to keep. The cameras were loaded and my final advice was that they needed to go up to the Glen only on fine days as they had been accustomed to do before and entice the fairies, as they’re called their way of attracting them and see what they could get. I suggested only the most obvious and easy precautions about lighting and distance, for I knew it was essential they should feel free and then hampered and with no burden of responsibility. If nothing came of it at all I told them they were not to mind a bit.

Often I have been asked why I didn’t stay with them and see the attempt through. The answer is unfortunately, not convincing to everybody, but those who have some knowledge of the habits of the nature sprites would admit its validity. Had I been present it is exceedingly unlikely that anything would have presented itself to be photographed. The fact is, as the girls themselves knew well, that the fairy life will not come out from the shrubs and plants around unless the human visitor is of a sympathetic quality. Such a visitor needs to be not merely sympathetic in mentality, for that is of little use; He must have a warm emotional sympathy, childlike in its innocence and simplicity. The girls thought I might get used to the fairies or rather, they to me, in a month or two, but I had my doubts whether I could cultivate the necessary quality even in that time. At any rate it was no good attempting it then.

But in goodbye, I returned home then during the second fortnight in August 1920, it rained almost continuously throughout the country. The papers reported the rain as general and I was much afraid that even a visit up to the Glen could not comfortably have been made, since the foliage was so thick. But just as the fortnight ended I had a letter from Elsie to say that Francis had gone back to Scarborough that day. There had been able to go up to the Glen only on two occasions when, in the afternoon of two days, the sun edge shone. On the first visit they had taken two snaps and on the second one only. The three negatives were sent with letter, which had added: afraid that or not varied but two are fairly clear. The two clear ones were of the fairy poised on the Bush leaves offering a posy to Elsie and the leaping ferry in front of Francis. The third had features that are could see would be very valuable for testing, as it was a dense mix up of grasses and hare-bells with intertwined figures and faces. The results of their two trips seem to promise exceeding their well.

With the three photographs are called at Illingworth and saw the manager. He took them into the factory to examine them and presently returned to say, yes, these three plates are from the parcel you had from us. The manager was particularly interested in the third negative. He would not commit himself to any opinion on the first two, but the third he described as an impossibility to fake. At least I had the proof that the three plates were from the number supplied to the girls.

These negatives were then subjected to the same rigorous analysis that the two earlier had survived. That also were greatly in lodged to check on system city in lighting; For any sign of the grain of paper, canvas or paint; And anything that could have been used to represent fairy figures. Also, concerning the leaping fairy, the search was exhaustive to find the thread supporting the figure. Nothing whatever came of all this that indicated anything amiss. One point made was that the figures themselves were rather stronger than the rest and I was reminded of author rights remark that the dog patches flashed up directly he put the plate in the developer. The explanation of this seems to be that the fairy bodies are slightly self luminous, affect supported in subsequent investigations.

Then I visited Cottingley and learnt all that Elsie had to tell of the fortnight with Francis, and this was mostly of her disappointment in not being able to get up to the Glen more often because of the weather. The afternoon that the first two photographs were taken the girls were gone about an hour and a half, Mrs Wright told me. Elsie was very matter of fact about them and described one or two features in answer to my questions. The leaping fairy she said, jumped up several times in front of Francis and then, when I took the snap, it jumped so near her face she tossed her head back and nearly spoiled it all. The third picture was quite a chance shot; it was taken among the grasses at the fringe of a pool near the beck. Their heads seemed some movements in the long grasses and one tallish figure and took a snap and hoped for the best. It was indeed fortunate that they did, for in this last photograph there are no less than eleven faces and figures that can be traced in the tangle. It was this one that intrigued the photographic experts so much. The cocoon in the middle, with the fairy seated in it, was new to the girl’s; They did not know what it was. It was not until my later interviews with fairy lovers in the New Forest that I had the explanation of this given to me, as a special restorative vessel used after lengthy spells of dull and misty weather, a fairy both, they called it.

When the photographic analysis and this further personal visit were completed, I wrote at length to Sir Arthur in Australia with a full account of the happenings. According to reply came in due course and this confirmed my suggestion that nothing should be told of this latest success till after the Christmas number of the Strand was out. It was arranged for the corroborative evidence, with copies of the new photographs, to be published in the Strand magazine for March 1921.