"All photographs are accurate, none of them are truth"
- Richard Avedon 1984
Spirit photography: Beginning around the time of the Civil War, photographers such as William Mumler and E. Buguet created images revealing supposed paranormal activity. As a sitter has their portrait taken, long dead relatives can be seen floating behind them, objects levitate, and mysterious forms appear without physical explanation. Spiritualism proposed that the spirits of the dead could co-exist and communicate with the living. The photographers who participated played on the emotions of those mourning the dead. These images document a time when the objective truth of a photograph was not questioned.
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| Mary Todd Lincoln with the "ghost" of her husband, in an image taken by spirit photographer William H. Mumler. |
This material relates to Jurgenson pg. 94-112 to be referenced in your blog post due May 23.
