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Lot Essay
Photographs comprise: two copies of Frances and the Fairies (Elsie Wright, 7 or 14 July 1917) and one copy of Elsie and the Gnome (Frances Griffiths, September 1917). The letter from Edwin Gardner reads:
5 Craven Road, Harlesden, N.W.10.
8th April, 1920.
Dear Mrs. Wright,
With very many thanks indeed I am returning the two negatives Miss Elsie so kindly sent me. I have been greatly interested in seeing them and I think it might interest you and her to know that when I set about obtaining some prints from them I took them to one of the best experts in photography in London and without describing the negatives at all asked him if he would make me some prints.
He looked at the first negative (the one with several) and exclaimed and then carefully examined it further and then said "this is the most extraordinary photograph I have ever seen'" I wanted to hear exactly what he thought so simply asked him why. He said because there appear to be some dancing fairy figures on the plate and the photograph is a straightforward genuine one'" I then asked him bluntly whether the negative could have been built up by any faking involving double exposure, posed paper figures, or by any means he knew of, He laughed when he said that had the plate been a faked one it would not have interested him at all, he was accustomed to handling and making up faked photographs constantly but to him the amazing thing was that this plate was not faked, but was absolutely genuine.
I was myself convinced the photograph was quite genuine from the start, as I told you, but it was very interesting to have this testimony from an expert London Photographer accustomed to dealing with thousands of films of every sort in his business. So I though [sic] you and Miss Elsie would be interested too in this entirely independent opinion.
Please let me know if Miss Elsie can be persuaded to attempt to take some more. I shall be immensely indebted to her if she will and will despatch the camera and plates directly I hear. Pray tell her that she will be doing a real service in doing this if she will, more perhaps than she imagines. We want to learn something further about the fairy world and the very best way will be by photographs if only we can obtain them.
Yours sincerely yours,
(sgd) Edwin Gardner.
P.S. As I want to be specially careful in packing and sending the negatives back, I will await a P.C. from you to say if I shall send them straight to Miss Elsie or to you. By the way, if I come to Bradford in September should I be able to meet you and Miss Elsie Wright? (But I hope in meanwhile further photographs may be obtained).
P.P.S. I did not attempt to intensify the weaker plate for fear of spoiling it, so had prints taken by special process.
5 Craven Road, Harlesden, N.W.10.
8th April, 1920.
Dear Mrs. Wright,
With very many thanks indeed I am returning the two negatives Miss Elsie so kindly sent me. I have been greatly interested in seeing them and I think it might interest you and her to know that when I set about obtaining some prints from them I took them to one of the best experts in photography in London and without describing the negatives at all asked him if he would make me some prints.
He looked at the first negative (the one with several) and exclaimed and then carefully examined it further and then said "this is the most extraordinary photograph I have ever seen'" I wanted to hear exactly what he thought so simply asked him why. He said because there appear to be some dancing fairy figures on the plate and the photograph is a straightforward genuine one'" I then asked him bluntly whether the negative could have been built up by any faking involving double exposure, posed paper figures, or by any means he knew of, He laughed when he said that had the plate been a faked one it would not have interested him at all, he was accustomed to handling and making up faked photographs constantly but to him the amazing thing was that this plate was not faked, but was absolutely genuine.
I was myself convinced the photograph was quite genuine from the start, as I told you, but it was very interesting to have this testimony from an expert London Photographer accustomed to dealing with thousands of films of every sort in his business. So I though [sic] you and Miss Elsie would be interested too in this entirely independent opinion.
Please let me know if Miss Elsie can be persuaded to attempt to take some more. I shall be immensely indebted to her if she will and will despatch the camera and plates directly I hear. Pray tell her that she will be doing a real service in doing this if she will, more perhaps than she imagines. We want to learn something further about the fairy world and the very best way will be by photographs if only we can obtain them.
Yours sincerely yours,
(sgd) Edwin Gardner.
P.S. As I want to be specially careful in packing and sending the negatives back, I will await a P.C. from you to say if I shall send them straight to Miss Elsie or to you. By the way, if I come to Bradford in September should I be able to meet you and Miss Elsie Wright? (But I hope in meanwhile further photographs may be obtained).
P.P.S. I did not attempt to intensify the weaker plate for fear of spoiling it, so had prints taken by special process.