A full collection of the celebrated Cottingley Fairies photographs are due to be auctioned at John Taylors Auction House in Louth, Lincolnshire. Famed author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, amongst many others, genuinely believed in their authenticity. The entire set of images, captured by Elsie Wright and her cousin Frances Griffiths from 1917 to 1920, is projected to attain approximately £3,000. The auction house’s James Laverack commented on their exclusive nature, owing to the fact that many of such prints have been lost over time. Frances Griffiths, despite confessing to forgery later, continued to assert the genuineness of one of the photographs, thus keeping the intrigue alive. The collection was assigned by a family from Devon, who realised their importance after featuring in an episode of the BBC Antiques Roadshow.
This story was developed by The Lincoln Post, based on original reporting by www.bbc.com
