In the world of fairy art there are so many images from history we are familiar with, from sweet flower fairies to darker images of elemental beings that are almost nightmarish to the imagination. One of the most popular Victorian fairy painters, one of my personal favorites, and one who blended stunning natural history art with the otherworldly ‘unnatural’ history was the self-taught artist John Anster Fitzgerald, so associated with Victorian fairy art that his nickname was “Fairy Fitzgerald”.
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The artworks can be both captivating and inspirational and juxtaposed with a sinister atmosphere. These small beings are alive in our human landscapes, or peeking through our windows… and yet we cannot see them ourselves in their or our reality.
There is a peculiar postscript to the story of the art of Anster Fitzgerald. In the late 20th century a fascinating case came to light of a self-taught painter who had created forgeries of Anster Fitzgerald’s art. Robert Thwaites, who specialized in Victorian-era forgeries, forged Fitzgerald’s work as part of his wider crimes. One, ‘The Miser’, sold for £20,000. Another, ‘Going to the Masked Ball’, was sold to a major London gallery owner and collector for over £100,000 although suspicion was already aroused regarding this painting. On the 3rd attempt to sell a Fitzgerald forgery, ‘Poppy with Imps and Fairies’, the collector became suspicious and both Thwaites and his brother were arrested and charged, along with a friend who had aided and abetted in the crimes. In court, Thwaites claimed his failing eyesight had forced him to resort to a life of art forgery to pay his debts and son’s private school fees. On investigation experts in Victorian era painting had noticed the pigments used were modern and the brush strokes incorrect for the artwork of Fitzgerald. Although found guilty and sentenced even the judge acknowledged Thwaite’s talent as an artist. During the initial police search of Thwaites’s home during an investigation a book was found…. the title… The Art Forger’s Handbook!Who knows what Anster Fitzgerald would have made of this strange epitaph to his story, but one thing we do know is that in the world of fantasy artwork, he is still to this day a huge inspiration to those who create work in the Fairy genre.
There is a peculiar postscript to the story of the art of Anster Fitzgerald. In the late 20th century a fascinating case came to light of a self-taught painter who had created forgeries of Anster Fitzgerald’s art. Robert Thwaites, who specialized in Victorian-era forgeries, forged Fitzgerald’s work as part of his wider crimes. One, ‘The Miser’, sold for £20,000. Another, ‘Going to the Masked Ball’, was sold to a major London gallery owner and collector for over £100,000 although suspicion was already aroused regarding this painting. On the 3rd attempt to sell a Fitzgerald forgery, ‘Poppy with Imps and Fairies’, the collector became suspicious and both Thwaites and his brother were arrested and charged, along with a friend who had aided and abetted in the crimes. In court, Thwaites claimed his failing eyesight had forced him to resort to a life of art forgery to pay his debts and son’s private school fees. On investigation experts in Victorian era painting had noticed the pigments used were modern and the brush strokes incorrect for the artwork of Fitzgerald. Although found guilty and sentenced even the judge acknowledged Thwaite’s talent as an artist. During the initial police search of Thwaites’s home during an investigation a book was found…. the title… The Art Forger’s Handbook!
Who knows what Anster Fitzgerald would have made of this strange epitaph to his story, but one thing we do know is that in the world of fantasy artwork, he is still to this day a huge inspiration to those who create work in the Fairy genre.
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