victorian photograpy and spiritualism

This is well worth a look a very interesting site

http://victorianphotographyandspiritualism.wordpress.com/

It's probably not coincidental that popular interest in Spiritualism coincided with the rise of photography, the telegraph, and later radio and the telephone. These material inventions must have seemed other-worldly themeselves, to the people of the middle of the 19th century.

I'd love to own a few of those old books! I have the whole collection of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books in hard back. I'd never read his works before, but bought a whole collection at an estate sale. Now, I need to find some of Mr. Doyle's writings on Spiritualism.
I love those old books!

You can get some online Mike. I've Conan Doyle's HoS on Kindle and it could be free elsewhere. That said I don't especially like reading books on Kindle. Much prefer proper books.
When you think of it the telegraph then was cutting edge technology and so we got the spiritual telegraph 'label' then used to describe how our founders communicated with spirits. Spiritualism was seen as cutting edge modern and bang up to date. Odd because these days we're looked on by many as an odd sort of VIctorian style heritage movement all Madame Arcati-like and very old fashioned.
We know we're not really like that, but in the public mind what a shift from how our pioneers were perceived.
I think the stage mediums do a good job these days in demonstrating mediumship in an attractive vibrant manner that brings folk in who might not set foot in a Spiritualst church as an introduction to what goes on. Tony Stockwell, Colin Fry, Nici Alan and other big names are amongst Spiritualism's best ambassadors working today I would venture.

I have a Kindle and have never even used it. I prefer reading a book made from paper.
I'll check abebooks.com and see if I can get some of Doyle's books on Spiritualism. I need some new reading material.
I recently read a book called CONAN DOYLE'S WALLET by a Patrick McNamara. It was interesting. Not the best written book, but interesting.

KatyKing wrote:You can get some online Mike. I've Conan Doyle's HoS on Kindle and it could be free elsewhere. That said I don't especially like reading books on Kindle. Much prefer proper books.
When you think of it the telegraph then was cutting edge technology and so we got the spiritual telegraph 'label' then used to describe how our founders communicated with spirits. Spiritualism was seen as cutting edge modern and bang up to date. Odd because these days we're looked on by many as an odd sort of VIctorian style heritage movement all Madame Arcati-like and very old fashioned.
We know we're not really like that, but in the public mind what a shift from how our pioneers were perceived.
I think the stage mediums do a good job these days in demonstrating mediumship in an attractive vibrant manner that brings folk in who might not set foot in a Spiritualst church as an introduction to what goes on. Tony Stockwell, Colin Fry, Nici Alan and other big names are amongst Spiritualism's best ambassadors working today I would venture.

There is something special about Victorian Photography that fascinates me.
Not only their spirit photos but the very art of their way of posing the figure to be photographed.
No matter who they were the Victorians had a elegant knack for making that person look 'royal'.

Very formal and elegant. There was a chap up on the Great Orme above Llandudno did old style photos using original kit and there was a dressing up wardrobe mainly cowboy or saloon gal type duds. Some of our church had 'em done when we had a jolly there. No extras recognizable as spirit folk but two got orbs in their pics.

I have a photo like that of Ken and I.
He dressed as a Navy Captain arm aross his chest and strict look on his face,and myself in Victorian clothing and big floppy hat with a feather in it....

I was prevailed on not to sit for photo. Something about breaking the camera.
I wonder if those vintage photographers are still going. Maybe it was a seaside thing. There was one on Blackpool's Golden Mile I remember. Llandudno jolly would have been around late nineties.

KatyKing wrote:I was prevailed on not to sit for photo. Something about breaking the camera.
I wonder if those vintage photographers are still going. Maybe it was a seaside thing. There was one on Blackpool's Golden Mile I remember. Llandudno jolly would have been around late nineties.

Must admit,KK after showing the Victorian photo around to a few friends,without informing them of who the subjects were in the picture,we were asked if they were relatives....

There could be a nice little earner to be had by someone schlepping round Spiritualist churches with antique photo kit seeing if any extras turn up. Evrybody likes a retro photo and a spirit extra would be a bonus.
We had a lass came to ours with a Kirlian photo set up. She just booked the space. Bit too pricey so not many turned up but say one of those and a retro photo and change out of a tenner. You'd be fighting em off.

eirefox wrote:I'd love to own a few of those old books! I have the whole collection of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books in hard back. I'd never read his works before, but bought a whole collection at an estate sale. Now, I need to find some of Mr. Doyle's writings on Spiritualism.
I love those old books!

I do too!

The State and County Fairs around here usually have those Old Time Photo Booths set up. They must do well, as they show up at most every fair, every year.
Old time photos are quite dear, and one can fetch a pretty penney for them now-a-days.
What horrifies me are the 'death photos.' We still take a picture of our loved ones after they've gone, but the Victorian photos were posed, and they attempted to make them look as if they were still living. Very eerie, to say the least.

KatyKing wrote:I was prevailed on not to sit for photo. Something about breaking the camera.
I wonder if those vintage photographers are still going. Maybe it was a seaside thing. There was one on Blackpool's Golden Mile I remember. Llandudno jolly would have been around late nineties.

That's something that never caught on here death photos not many of those done even in the old days. Deathbed pics sometimes but few after they'd actually passed over.
I do like a good spirit photo. Florrie Cook my namesake's medium was a great one for having her spirit guide Katie King's photo taken. Katie does look remarkably similar to Florrie in some of 'em. She was a bonny lass in her youth was Florrie.
Not wishing to sound sexist but there was a correlation between bonny and photo numbers. The bonnier the medium the more photos there are of them. Cora LV-etc was an absolute stunner and she was certainly well photographed.

Hi Eirefox, I do not doubt that Spirit Photography grew out of the Victorian postmortem fad.

Yes K you touch on teh era of the pretty girl mediums much loved by the modern female phd students with their rather interesting views of the inherently prurient nature of men in dark seances with pretty young girls. Interesting though that those good old young female materialisation mediums would allow photographs of ectoplasm by magnesium flare whilst the modern lot wimp out at the sight of a even very harmless thermography.

Jogged my memory.
Going back a few years I remember being given a book on spiritualism showning photos of young children laid out in death in coffins.
I was quite shocked at that time.
Beautiful young children from babies to about teens.

Has anyone visited the catacombes in Palermo,Scicily. (sorry spelling,not awake yet).
Such a peaceful place but so sad to visit.
Especially the part devoted to the young girls.
So pleased we do not carry that custom here in the uk.
Joan

Me too.