The renowned photos of Cottingley Fairies that fuelled the fantasies of many during the early 20th century, have been auctioned off for £2,600 in Louth, Lincolnshire. These photographs, originally clicked by Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright between 1917 and 1920 in Bradford, were brought to the auction through David Whittaker, the son of Frances’ close friend, Mary Anderson.
Whittaker expressed his satisfaction post-auction, stating, “I’m thrilled that we now have another custodian and the photographs aren’t confined to a drawer in our house.” The lot, which included the photographs and a range of related archival materials, managed to fetch nearly twice the anticipated price at John Taylors Auction Rooms. The lot garnered a lot of attention from collectors, including the successful London-based bidder.
These images, initially brought into worldwide focus following their publication by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1920, were presented by the likes of Doyle as bona fide proof of the existence of fairies. Despite later revelations that the images were fabricated, the fascination surrounding these photographs persists, striking a chord amongst individuals bewitched by stories of the supernatural.
This story is a revision of original reporting by www.bbc.com.
