box of shiny

Houdini and the ghost of Abraham Lincoln.  From the Library of Congress’s Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment, 1870-1920 digital collection.

From the bibliographic notes: “Was that a spirit or a double exposure? Harry Price was a member of the Society for Psychical Research, Librarian of the Magicians’ Club of London and a member of the Society of American Magicians when, in 1922, his article “Cold Light on Spiritualistic Phenomena” was published in the “Journal of the Society for Psychical Research.” Houdini valued this expose of how a photographer could produce fraudulent “spirit photographs” that purportedly documented the apparition and social interaction of figures from beyond. Demonstrating the company he could keep if the right technique were employed, Houdini had himself photographed with the ghost of Abraham Lincoln.”

1 year ago

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