Faking the Dead

Spirit photographs in the collections of Brighton and Hove Museums

Regent Iron Foundry, North Road, 1860s

From Harper’s Weekly, May 8 1869.

William H Mumler

Courtesy of William B Becker / American Museum of Photography

Unidentified man, c1870 Moses A Dow with the spirit of Mabel Warren, c1871

Courtesy of William B Becker / American Museum of Photography

Mary Todd Lincoln, c1869

Copyright reserved

Monsieur Leymarie and Mons. C with the spirit of Eduard Poiret, c1874

Eduard Isidore Buguet

Courtesy of William B Becker / American Museum of Photography

Mr Raby, with the spirits of ‘Countess’, ‘James Lombard’, ‘Tommy’ and ‘Mr Wootton’s Mother’, c1875

Frederick Hudson

Courtesy of William B Becker / American Museum of Photography

Lady Helena Newnham and the spirit of her daughter, 1872

Courtesy of William B Becker / American Museum of Photography

Couple with the spirit of an old family doctor who died around 1880, 1893

Robert Boursnell

Courtesy of William B Becker / American Museum of Photography

Self-portrait with spirits, 1902

Courtesy of William B Becker / American Museum of Photography

Rev Charles L Tweedale and Mrs Tweedale with the spirit form of the late F Burnett, 1919

William Hope

Courtesy of William B Becker / American Museum of Photography

Ada Emma Deane

First World War dead gathered on Armistice Day, 1920s

Copyright reserved

‘double exposure: spirits mounted on drawing paper & crayoned(?) above’

‘Single exposure: spirit steps out after short exposure time’

‘Double exposure’

‘Taken by W Eglinton in his study and developed immediately afterwards in my presence. Nov 3rd 1886. Mary Burchett. (much overexposed)’

‘Taken and developed by me in my own room, when quite alone on Oct 27th 1886. Mary Burchett.

I took my own photograph with the aid of the automatic tube. Of course the spirit hand which appears in front of me was not visible to me. MB’

‘”Joey” Taken by M.B. Jan 7th 1887’

‘L’Apparition Mediunimique’ by James Tissot. In rememberance of W.E.’

‘Ernest’. ‘This is not a transcendental photograph but one of a materialisation in the presence of W. E.

MB.’

‘Taken in my room with my own camera and plates by Mr. Eglinton and developed directly afterward in my presence Dec. 9th 1886. Mary Burchett.’

‘I believe this to be a likeness of my old school master Mr. Wyand.’

Courtesy of William B Becker / American Museum of Photography

5 July 1886 12 July 1886

19 July 1886 26 July 1886

Illustration from John S Farmer’s ‘Twixt Two Worlds’, 1886