Categories: History

The Mermaid Hoax: A Century-Old Mystery Unveiled

MERMAID BY JHON WILLIAM ART UK

In the late 19th century, when the world was still enchanted by myths of the sea, a photojournalist named Edward Drancard claimed to have captured the most extraordinary discovery of his career—a mermaid washed ashore. His dramatic photographs, published in a leading daily, created a sensation across Europe and America. Readers were captivated by the haunting image of a half-woman, half-fish being cradled by fishermen. The tale was reported as fact, and for decades, the “Drancard Mermaid” remained one of the most enduring enigmas of maritime folklore.

The story followed Edward wherever he went. Though skeptics whispered of trickery and staged photography, the sheer authenticity of the images silenced most critics. To a society still divided between science and superstition, the mermaid embodied the possibility of wonders that lay hidden in the ocean’s depths.

For over a century, the photographs remained in circulation, reprinted in magazines, folklore books, and even displayed in museums of curiosities. Generations grew up believing that Edward Drancard had, indeed, documented a mythical creature.

But history had its own way of correcting myths. Nearly one hundred years later, Edward’s son, Charles Drancard, revealed a long-guarded family secret. Among his father’s private letters and negatives, Charles discovered proof of the hoax. The so-called mermaid was nothing more than a carefully constructed prop—a combination of a dried monkey torso stitched onto a fish’s tail, enhanced with clever staging and early photographic techniques.

Edward, it turned out, had not set out to deceive maliciously. Instead, he was a man of his age, fascinated by the blurred line between myth and reality. His work was meant to be an experiment in how people react to the impossible—yet once the photographs were published, the story took on a life of its own, far beyond his control.

When Charles finally published the truth in a small historical journal, the revelation shook both historians and folklore enthusiasts. The mermaid of Drancard became not a tale of discovery, but a cautionary legend about journalism, belief, and the hunger for wonder.

Even today, the photographs resurface online, often without context, reigniting debates. To some, they remain a beautiful symbol of mystery; to others, a reminder of how easily hope and imagination can blur the boundaries of truth.