Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library's
Victoria College Material Culture Internship Project by Sophia Arts
Spiritualism
Ghosts, Mediums and Psychical Research
In 1848, the two sisters in New York claimed to be communicating with a spirit in their home through “rapping” on furniture. The Fox sister’s story became a media sensation and there was an increase in interest in spiritual endeavors like hypnotism and clairvoyants. Ideas of Mesmerism in Europe and Spiritualism in North America combined to make the stereotypical medium today, a young woman who could go into a trance and channel or be possessed by a spirit who would communicate through her and move furniture. As time went on, the phenomena became more fantastic with many mediums claiming to produce full body apparitions.
The trend came to a head in 1882 with the creation of the Society of Psychical Research in England whose aim was to prove the scientific existence of ghosts. Their ranks included chemists, physicists, doctors, authors, psychologists, philosophers, and historians. The society collected accounts of spiritual encounters from the public, conducted experiments on mediums and published many volumes of their research.
The Fox sisters: Kate (1838–92), Leah (1814–90) and Margaret (or Maggie) (1836–93). Lithograph after a daguerreotype by Appleby. Published by N. Currier, New York, 1852. Library of Congress.
It is a wide misconception that the Victorian public was prudish and conservative. While there were explicit and extensive rules of social decorum, the Victorians were fascinated by mystery, sex, death, any thingy otherworldly, especially behind closed doors. Séances became immensely popular as a place to explore these ideas away from social prejudices. Women especially found a degree of independence as mediums, as they were able to make an income for themselves and behave in ways not normally allowed. Seances involved physical intimacy with guests that would have been scandalous in any other context. Female mediums could also discuss controversial topics like politics, religions, and culture under the guise of channeling a spirit.
Since spiritualism was entirely up to personal interpretation, people were able to pick and choose what they wanted from the movement and how heavily they wanted to be involved. For most, it was another form of entertainment that emerged when the public gained more leisure time. Spiritualism also had a recursive relationship with popular fiction, where serious works dedicated to the existence of ghosts would influence fictional ghost stories and vice versa. Women also found successes writing both spiritualist theory and supernatural fiction.
Painting depicting a ghostly woman playing the piano while a man looks on astonished. George Roux, Spirite, 1885. Oil on canvas. 108 x 79 cm. Private Collection.
By the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, the artistic and intellectual elite became attracted to Western and Eastern esoteric traditions with the establishment of organizations like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Theosophy. The public began to lose interest in spiritualism as these societies became more secretive and exclusionary, along with the fact the Society for Psychical Research was unable to provide any physical evidence for the existence of spiritual phenomenon. If anything, they had actually discouraged people's beliefs by debunking the tricks of popular mediums.
However, a core group of believers still continued researching and promoting the existence of physical phenomenon despite Spiritualism’s move away from the mainstream. While their work became a niche part of culture, the growing field of psychology latched onto the earlier ideas of Mesmerism and hypnotism. Animal magnetism was one of the first fully developed theories of a mind existing outside of the body, which influenced Sigmund Freud’s (1856–1939) ideas about the unconsciousness. If anything, Spiritualism still exists in our popular imagination of the Victorian ghost story and séance, and as a form of entertainment like ghost hunting media and magic tricks.
From the Eugène Rochas Papers held at the American Philosophical Society Library, Public Domain.
Stereograph, Melander and Bro, 1889. Posed studio photo of a ghost scaring a man and a boy.
Illustration from The Davenport Brothers, Ira and William Davenport, 1869. W. White and company, Boston. Library of Congress.
From the Eugène Rochas Papers held at the American Philosophical Society Library, Public Domain.