The Cottingley Fairies

This week we were to search our surrounding areas to discover stories and/or legends that have been told to collect information. Through research we were asked to develop new insights and understandings in order to develop this into a written article further on down the line.

Although there were many mysterious stories, most involving fictional characters and/or spirits, the one that was the most attention grabbing had to be the Cottingley Fairies.

This story began with two girls, Frances (9) and Elsie (16) pulling a playful prank on their family members but it quite quickly turned into information that shook their times society. Using hand drawn cut outs of fairies and hair pins, they had managed to create photographs that played on the idea of fairies existence – and as the 1920’s were already fixated on the idea of Spiritualism, once these photos were released to the public eye, this fantasy quickly caught fire and became a ‘truth’ to those that chose to accept it.

This is a story that has many depths and in order to investigate it to it’s fullest potential, I decided to look at it from two very different angels. One focusing solely on the act of photo manipulation, and the other on the ethos of Spiritualism.

Photomanipulation

https://embed.ted.com/talks/lang/en/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles

Photo manipulation is something we’ve become completely accustomed to over the years – and although we know the truth amongst the images, whether it be a snapchat filter or a manipulated body within a magazine, it’s still difficult to keep these perceptions separated from reality. As we edge closer into a digitilised world, we’re beginning to lose control on what we see daily, leaving us vulnerable to deception.

Using the Cottingley Fairies as a starting point, I’ll be looking through the progress of photo manipulation over the years to uncover the effects it has had upon society’s and use this to predict what it will become in years to come.

Spiritualism

Whether it was intentional or not, when the photographs of the Cottingley Fairies, taken by young Francis and Elsie, were revealed into the public eye they caused a huge social ripple, allowing for the already growing group of Spiritualists to rise. Although Spiritualism provided an accessible coping mechanism for those that had lost a loved ones surrounding the years of World War I, it also shed light on those that were vulnerable, leaving an opening for those that sought to take advantage for self-gain.

Through this article I’ll be looking to unravel the core of Spiritualism’s ethos to discover its origins – was it intended to be act of hope or greed?