I read the book about this called "The Case of the Cottingley Faires". The last surviving sister confessed on her deathbed that they had faked those pics and was amazed how people could have believed that they were real photos of faires. Though she hints that they had indeed seen real faires in the woods even though the pics were fake.

I had an art teacher in the 1960's who swore she had fairies at the bottom of her garden! The story of the Cottingley fairies appealed to the innocent in me...the child within.