The first of the five photographs, taken by Elsie Wright in 1917,
shows Frances Griffiths with the alleged fairies.
meant that it was possible that the next cycle of evolution was
underway.”
Initial examinations
When Gardner sent the prints along with the original glass-plate
negatives to Harold Snelling, a photography expert, the latter’s
opinion was that "the two negatives are entirely genuine, unfaked
photographs ... [with] no trace whatsoever of studio work
involving card or paper models".
Author and prominent spiritualist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle learned
about the photographs from the editor of the publication Light (a
magazine for spiritualists). During this period, Doyle had been
commissioned by The Strand Magazine to write an article on
fairies for their Christmas issue and the manifestation of the ‘fairy
photographs’ fitted in perfectly with his project. Doyle contacted
Gardner in June 1920 to determine the background to the
photographs, and wrote to Elsie and her father to request
permission from the latter to use the prints in his article. Arthur
Wright was "obviously impressed" that Doyle was involved, and
gave his permission for publication, but he refused payment on
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