Comments on: Parting the Veil of Faery: The Colmore Fatagravures

Parting the Veil of Faery: The Colmore Fatagravures

mediareport — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:43:00 -0800

Parting the Veil of Faery: The Colmore Fatagravures, said to date from the 1890s. "A Scottish adventurer, inventor, and photographer named Neville Colmore claimed to have constructed a device capable of '...parting the veil of Faery...' The device, which he called the Spectobarathrum, along with all of the images he claimed to have made were believed destroyed in a fire. I believe some of these images and related artefacts may have survived." [via Apothecary's Drawer]

By: mediareport

mediareport — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:45:19 -0800

These astonishing images should not be confused with the later, more familiar, Cottingley garden fairy photos on which the 1998 film "Fairy Tale - A True Story" was based...The Cottingley girls had a literary champion in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and they were cute little English girls. He was a cantankerous Scots scientist with a thick Border accent and was consider quite mad by the majority of his peers in the United Kingdom. Colmore was very bitter about the attention they received. Battuil of Bogglecleugh #173 is my fave, I think.

By: dersins

dersins — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:15:28 -0800

This is a fairly (sic) entertaining construct, although it would be more convincing if there were internet references to Neville Colmore that DIDN'T reference this flickr set or include the exact phrase "A Scottish adventurer, inventor, and photographer named Neville Colmore claimed to have constructed a device capable of '...parting the veil of Faery...' ". Or if, say, wikipedia weren't uncharacteristically silent on the matter...

By: El Brendano

El Brendano — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 02:39:32 -0800

I don't buy it for a minute, but I have to say it's beautifully done; thanks for posting.

By: ewkpates

ewkpates — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 02:56:27 -0800

You don't buy the hoax itself, or the hoax of the hoax? Very nice posting... Mr. Swift would be proud, or tired...

By: louche mustachio

louche mustachio — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 04:18:24 -0800

A hoax of a hoax is an intriguing idea, and the images are more appealing than the Cottingly fairies. They're a bit too good for this to be entirely convincing.

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 05:00:46 -0800

Great photos.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 05:22:50 -0800

The real giveaway (I mean, aside from the fact that you have to believe in fairies) is that Coleman is a pal of explorer Walter E. Traprock. As Apothecary's Drawer points out, Traprock was a creation of 1920s architect/writer George S. Chappell; his parody travelogues include The Cruise of the Kawa: Wanderings in the South Seas, which has a description and photo of the famous square eggs of the Fatu-Liva bird, Sarah of the Sahara and Through the Alimentary Canal with Gun and Camera. dersins, there's nothing about Chappell/Traprock at Wikipedia either, but I promise you I've seen his books. :)

By: The Straightener

The Straightener — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 05:57:29 -0800

I love that first one, whatever it is.

By: kittyb

kittyb — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 06:54:58 -0800

Wow... full disclosure -- I've known Colmore for something like a decade. Aren't these beautiful? He's really stumbled upon the most magical -- and disturbing -- things. Dr. Traprock has been a huge influence has been a huge influence on Neville's adventurousness. Mediareport, are you implying that the Fatu-Liva bird does not exist?! You've not properly lived until you've had a square-egg omelette on one of those glorious Filbert Island mornings.

By: kittyb

kittyb — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 06:56:43 -0800

and, of course, Traprock has indeed been a doubly huge influence!

By: LeeJay

LeeJay — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:46:44 -0800

What a lovely post. These are gorgeous!

By: deborah

deborah — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 13:02:10 -0800

What? Y'all don't believe in faeries?! *claps hands*

By: homunculus

homunculus — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 14:20:02 -0800

Great post. Thanks, mediareport. *dances with joy*

By: homunculus

homunculus — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 14:22:01 -0800

Invitation to Elfland

By: exlotuseater

exlotuseater — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 16:21:16 -0800

love this.

By: Parannoyed

Parannoyed — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 09:27:41 -0800

Shenanigans!