Hey everyone! It’s fall and I’m in the mood for something spooky! To me, Halloween starts as soon as September hits; I crave sweaters and hot seasonal fall beverages while I binge watch ghost hunting shows. Which, thankfully, is perfect for this month! Did you know the last Saturday of September is National Ghost Hunting Day? We won’t be ghost hunting, but I thought spirit photography would be fun to blog about!
Back in the 19th century, photographers began to experiment with new techniques like double exposure and stereoscopic images. Some photographers sensed that utilizing these techniques could increase their profits and began offering “ghost” photos. One of the first of these photographers was a man named William Mumler, who “captured” the spirit of his deceased cousin on film. His knack for capturing the dead made him a very popular professional ghost photographer, which was increasingly lucrative due to the Civil War. Mumler even took a famous photograph of Mary Todd Lincoln with Abraham Lincoln’s spirit standing behind her. However, things went downhill after he was accused of fraud by P.T. Barnum, who produced his own ghost photos to show the court how easy they were to make. Mumler was acquitted, but the damage was done; his time as a spirit photographer was officially over.
But why were people so enthralled by these photographs in the first place? It all has to do with a little thing called Spiritualism. After the Civil War, Spiritualism became a way for grieving people to have hope that there was another side and that communication with deceased loved ones was possible. During this time, seances became popular and the number of believers matched the non-believers. Like any religious movement, there were die-hard followers and sceptics, the most notable one being Harry Houdini.
Houdini spent much of his time disproving mediums and demonstrating how knocking sounds and moving tables could easily be faked. This was only solidified when in a desperate attempt to contact his mother from beyond the grave took a horrible turn. Houdini was good friends with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (a staunch believer in Spiritualism), his wife, and proclaimed medium Cecilia Doyle. Cecilia claimed she could contact Houdini’s mother, and in desperation he agreed to try. Cecilia began “writing” a letter from Houdini’s mother, but it was quickly seen as a complete hoax. Houdini claimed that his mother only knew Hungarian and could not speak or write in English, which was the language Cecilia had written in during the session. Disgusted by this turn of events, the friends drifted apart, and Houdini made it his personal mission to make sure no one was ever fooled like he was.
Hope you enjoyed this brief history of spirit photography and spiritualism, and that images of the dead weren’t too spooky for you… and definitely watch for more occult like things from me this fall season!
