Fairies in America During the Nineteenth Century

 

Figure 1.  Child Virginia Caldwell in Fairy Costume.  From my personal collection.

Fairies were not only popular in Victorian England, but also in America.  It is important to note that America during this time consisted of mostly European immigrants and their descendants, people highly influenced by British culture. 

Figure 2.  Sheet music cover for C. Kinkel's Fairy Footsteps Mazurka Elegante, 1863, StreetSwing, 2019.

Fairies were especially a popular topic for American music.  Charles Kinkel's Fairy Footsteps Mazurka Elegante (1863) is one such example.

Another similarly named American musical composition involving fairies is S. Palmer's Fairy Footsteps Waltz (1881). 

Figure 3.  Sheet music for S. Palmer's Fairy Footstep

 

 

Waltz, 1881, Library of Congress, 2019.

But, Britain's influence cannot be given exclusive credit for fairy popularity in America.  During the nineteenth century, even born Americans would have heard fairy tales from their immigrant parents or grandparents.  As a result, fairies in American folklore followed traditions of places like Scotland, Ireland, Britain and Wales, as well as Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and many more.