Episode 006 - The Cottingley Fairies

Did Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths actually photograph fairies?

A handful of small details were not included in the presentation, but are worthy of note nonetheless:

At the time of the initial 1917 photos, Elsie worked part-time at a photography supply store, thus she would likely have a greater than average knowledge of the photographic arts and related hardware.

Also, Conan Doyle explicitly states in his book "The Coming of the Fairies" that Elsie's father owned only one camera, the Midg. This is a statement diametrically at odds with the fact that photo #2 did not use the correct sized plate for the Midg. It seems Conan Doyle was wrong.

And although William Spaulding's computer analysis definitely detected strings, Elsie emphatically claimed no strings were ever used. Since Elsie had absolutely no reason to lie about this seemingly inconsequential detail, this perhaps says something about placing too much faith in computer analysis.

Finally, a recent discovery of a contemporary reproduction of photo #1 has led to speculation that Elsie's father may have been in on the hoax as well. While an intriguing thought, we don't like to traffic in rumor and will simply leave that avenue of investigation for someone in the future.

For further reading, may we suggest the following:
https://www.amazon.com/Flim-Flam-Psychics-Unicorns-Other-Delusions/dp/0879751983/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1533754993&sr=8-2&keywords=flim+flam

In his book, James Randi is not kind to Conan Doyle (nor any of the other subjects covered), which is perhaps a bit unfair when we consider the author's state of mind at the time. On the whole, however, Randi's book is an entertaining read, particularly regarding an experiment he devised to test the veracity of dowsers.

https://www.amazon.com/Coming-Fairies-Cottingley-Incident/dp/1492325260/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1533755079&sr=1-4&keywords=cottingley+fairies&dpID=51%252B6gMZG4NL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

Check out some Cryptonarium elements (Merch): https://teespring.com/cryptonarium-me...

Music:

Water Prelude by Kevin MacLeod
Artist: https://incompetech.com/music/royalty...
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)

Come Play With Me by Kevin MacLeod
Artist: https://incompetech.com/music/royalty...
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)

African Drums (Opening Sting): by Twin Musicom
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: http://www.twinmusicom.org/