#thecottinglyfairies appear in a series of five #photographs taken by Elsie Wright (1901–1988) and Frances Griffiths (1907–1986), two young cousins who lived in Cottingley, near Bradford in England. In 1917, when the first two photographs were taken, Elsie was 16 years old and Frances was 9. The pictures came to the attention of writer #sirarthurconandoyle who used them to #illustrate an article on #fairies he had been commissioned to write for the Christmas 1920 edition of The Strand Magazine. Doyle, as a #spiritualist, was enthusiastic about the photographs, and interpreted them as clear and visible evidence of #psychicphenomena 🧚Public reaction was mixed; some accepted the images as genuine, others believed that they had been faked. @damedarcy https://www.instagram.com/p/B7Qqk_5FRtN/?igshid=bvwh46bg9zf0