Beschreibung:

Iris and the Gnome, photograph of Elsie Wright (1901-1988), taken by Frances Griffiths, (1907-1986), September, 1917, sepia gelatin silver print, 15 x 11cm, original mount with printed caption beneath This photograph is the second in the 'Cottingley Fairies' series. Elsie sits in the garden as a gnome dances towards her. At the time, this photograph provoked a bizarre public discussion. If studied closely, the point of a hat pin in the gnome's stomach - used to keep the cut-out standing - can be seen. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, after examining the print, concluded that this pin point was a navel - sparking a discussion on methods of birth in the fairy kingdom. (1)