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| William H. Mumler's self portrait containing the silhouette of his deceased cousin. |
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| William H. Mumler's portrait of Mrs. Mary Todd Lincoln. |
Essay Question:
“How do metaphors of ghosts, spirits, phantoms and other otherworldly figures facilitate critical analysis of photography, film or video as mediums?”
“The single, indisputable truth about any photograph is not its meaning or veracity but its testimony about time.”[1]
Photography creates an insight into the past through its use as a tool to document, usually incorporating an element of truth relating to the subject matter. However, when relating specifically to the subject of spirit photography, those lines are somewhat blurred, questioning the existence of the paranormal and what can and cannot be captured through the eye of a lens. Using this medium, a sense of honesty was presumed within this body of work, which questioned the visual certainty of the medium and how these images were produced.
The controversy that surrounds spirit photography refers to the practice in which the images were created, and the stories that helped build these photographs. Although, technically these images were fraudulent in their construction, just by studying the various aspects within spirit photography have given it new meaning and another sense of truth in relation to its social and historical content. “Photographs are never just simple images of reality; they are also ideas and interpretations.”[2]
Spirit photography was evidently founded during the mid 1800’s during the rise of the machine. With these advances in technology, inventions such as photography and the radio had the ability to capture something beyond the material realm. Spirit photography contained what radio couldn’t hold, and vice versa. Having this option gave belief in something beyond the visual and the everyday. This embarked on a different understanding to the world around us, stretching the boundaries of time and space. “It is another way of articulating photography’s ability to see the invisible and reveal truths beyond the powers of the naked eye.”[3]
Because of this excel in photography, séances and paranormal based activities started to be documented via these outlets, giving visible form to the disembodied sprits, and existence of invisible realities. These photographs recorded manifestations visible to the naked eye, capturing what an observer at the scene might have witnessed during séances, experiments with telekinesis, levitation and the production of ectoplasm. “Technology such as photography, electricity and telegraphy were pushing back the boundaries of human perception and experiences in all directions.”[4]
“The photograph helped to turn grief into belief, and enabled the bereaved not only to come to terms with their loss but also to know with certainty that the great divide that separated them from the departed could be bridged.”[5] With its origins set against the backgrounds of life (and death) during the American Civil War (1861-65), the business of spirit photography was evidently popular throughout this period, also referencing to the amount of casualties caused by the war. Giving an extra process to the ability to mourn and grieve over lost loved ones, spirit photography is embedded with metaphors, speaking strongly of faith, desire, loss and love rather than gullibility. “In their time of loss, friends and relatives desperately need these spirit pictures, and they see in them what they want to see in them.” [6] Spirit photography opens up the “cameras indifferent eye and unerring ability to arrest the truth”,[7] not necessarily taking form of truth in regards to how these images were constructed, but the truth in which lies behind the imagery, and the historical context of the era that made spirit photography so successful. “A photograph is not only an image, an interpretation of the real; it is also a trace, something directly stencilled from the real, like a footprint or a death mask.” [8]
The ‘discovery’ of spirit photography in 1861 by the Boston engraver, William H. Mumler, saw the beginning of one of the most fascinating genres in the history of photography. Whilst attempting a self-portrait alone in his studio, Mumler claimed to have discovered a second, transparent figure on the developed plate, standing beside him. Mumler claimed that this figure was that of his cousin, who passed away twelve years prior to the image (See image at top of screen). Such figures would come to be known as ‘spirit extras’, as they continued to appear in the multitudes of studio portraits Mumler produced over a period of almost twenty years.
Being a photographer, Mumler’s image not only translated the familiar metaphors of loss and grief related to spirit photography that we know of now, but cleverly marketed his business. It is argued whether he took advantage of those in turmoil at the time to benefit himself; however, he gave those in need another way to grieve over their loved ones through an alternative way of mourning. “Photography stops an image of a living person dead in its tracks, and peels that frozen image away from them. In this sense, all portrait photographs are spirit photographs because they allow us to see, and almost touch, people as they lived in the past. The people in these images, once so desperate for an image of their deceased loved ones, are now themselves all dead also, but ironically revenant in their portraits.”[9]
What was most likely an accidental double exposure coupled with an innocent over-interpretation gave birth to a phenomenon that would capture the imaginations of countless Americans. Within ten years, spirit photography had traveled to the United Kingdom and Europe where numerous photographic studios appeared to cater for the sudden public demand for images of the dead.
William H. Mumler had the opportunity to photograph a number of faces, consisting of one of the most historically recognised faces through all of American history. A perfect example of an image which not only refers to the social, emotional but political values of spirit photography is Mumler’s portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln (See image at top of screen). This image was taken months after her husband; Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 15th, 1865. After various séances that had taken place after her husband’s death, Mary invested in spirit photography to not only interact with her husband, but gain closure from his untimely passing. Having this photograph taken gave Mary great comfort in the thought that Abraham was still with her.
The image of Mrs. Lincoln not only acts as a consultation for grief, but is heavily embedded with an American ideological and spiritual context. Using a famous historical figure within this image can not only embark on nationalism and political propaganda, but also humanised Lincoln, allowing the viewer to see him as an ordinary family orientated being. “Looking into a photograph allows us to believe that we can see and feel the presence of someone sundered from us by the passage of time, or by death itself.”[10]
Photography as a medium can translate and express a certain concept or message to an audience. Whether any of these figures were really present within these images can be interpreted by the viewer; either believing that these otherworldly figures were of the physical sense, or just a representation of a ghost. However, the physical form of these phantoms isn’t necessarily the most important part of the image, but what lies beneath the meaning of the photograph itself. These images tell us the history of photography at the time and the specific use of photography during a particular period. While doing this, these images also inform us about human nature in relation to technology, its valorising strategies, its hopes and beliefs. “They reveal the work of the imagination, or errors of judgement. All in all, they allow us to investigate the history of human beings through the images they have made.” [11]
[1] Baer, U 2002, Spectral Evidence: the photography of trauma, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States of America, p.7.
[2] Jolly, M 2006, Faces of the living dead: the belief in spirit photography, Melbourne University Publishing Limited, Carlton, Victoria, p.145.
[3] Kaplan, L 2003, ‘Where the paranoid meet the paranormal: speculations on spirit photography’, Art Journal, vol.62, no.3, pp.18-30, viewed 17 April 2011, ProQuest Full Text.
[4] Martyn J, 2006, Faces of the living dead, Melbourne University Publishing Limited, Carlton, Victoria, p.20.
[5] Harvey, J 2007, Photography and spirit, Reaktion Books Ltd, London, p.58.
[6] Kaplan, L 2003, ‘Where the paranoid meet the paranormal: speculations on spirit photography’, Art Journal, vol.62, no.3, pp.18-30, viewed 17 April 2011, ProQuest Full Text.
[7] Harvey, J 2007, Photography and spirit, Reaktion Books Ltd, London, p.176.
[8] Sontag, S 2008, On photography, Penguin Books, London, p.154.
[9] Martyn J, 2006, Faces of the living dead, Melbourne University Publishing Limited, Carlton, Victoria, p.9.
[10] Martyn J, 2006, Faces of the living dead, Melbourne University Publishing Limited, Carlton, Victoria, p.9.
[11] Cheroux, C, Fischer, A, Apaxine P, Canguilhem, D & Schmit, S 2004, The perfect medium: photography and the occult, Editions Gallinmard, Paris, p.14.
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