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Preston museum fairy exhibition
Can Preston solve one of the most famous mysteries of all time?
In 1917, cousins Elsie Wright, 16, and Frances Griffiths, 10, snapped what were thought to be the first ever pictures of fairies in Cottingley, near Bradford.
Even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – the well-respected author of Sherlock Holmes – became involved with the fairy tale which has mesmerised generations.
Next month, the pictures will be on show at the Enchanted Worlds exhibition, at the Harris Museum, for Prestonians to explore a world of magic and mystery.
Dr Amanda Draper, keeper of fine art, said: "They took the first two in 1917. It was the first time that fairies had been photographed and it caused a bit of a sensation.
"There were tests and they were sent off to Kodak which couldn't tell either way.
"Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was very interested in ghostly phenomena and fairies and his father was a fairy illustrator.He was very taken by these photographs being proof of the existence of fairies."
From JM Barrie's Tinkerbell to the Fairy Godmother and the Tooth Fairy – the magical little people are still present in most childhoods.
Even today on the Isle of Man, people still greet the little people on the Fairy Bridge, fearing a puncture or worse if they don't!
The exhibition – which opens on Saturday June 13 – will feature the original prints and camera from the second batch of photographs and a copy set of all five.
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Weather for Preston
Wednesday 08 February 2012
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