21 April: Anniversary of the Loch Ness Monster’s most famous photograph

OV Digital Desk
2 Min Read
Loch Ness Monster's most famous photograph

Image Courtesy: BBC

The most famous photograph associated with the Loch Ness Monster is known as the “Surgeon’s Photograph.” It was taken in 1934 by Robert Kenneth Wilson, a London physician, and was published in the Daily Mail, a British newspaper, on 21 April 1934. The photograph purportedly shows a long, serpentine neck and a small head emerging from the water, resembling the neck and head of a plesiosaur, which is a type of marine reptile that lived millions of years ago.

The Surgeon’s Photograph quickly gained widespread attention and became one of the most iconic images associated with the Loch Ness Monster. It fueled speculation and interest in the creature, leading to extensive investigations and searches for Nessie in the years that followed. The photograph was considered by many as one of the strongest pieces of evidence supporting the existence of the Loch Ness Monster.

However, in the 1990s, the Surgeon’s Photograph was revealed to be a hoax. It was later confirmed that the photograph was a hoax created by using a toy submarine fitted with a model of a neck and head of a creature, which was then photographed to give the appearance of a “monster” in the water. The hoax was perpetrated by a man named Christian Spurling, who had been hired by Marmaduke Wetherell, a big-game hunter, to create a photograph of the Loch Ness Monster to generate publicity. Wetherell had previously been involved in a failed expedition to find Nessie and was seeking to redeem his reputation.

Despite being exposed as a hoax, the Surgeon’s Photograph remains one of the most famous and enduring images associated with the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. It serves as a reminder of the mystery, intrigue, and controversy that surrounds the legend of Nessie to this day.

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