Mumler's Spirit Photography
William H. Mumler was born in 1832 in the Upper East Side of Massachusetts. Mumler had a few other jobs before becoming the well-known spirit photographer that he is today. He was a jeweler and an engraver before he dabbled in the photography arts. What was once a hobby for Mumler quickly became a business that received both praise and criticism on whether or not Mumler's business was one of deception or truth.
William Mumler and the "Discovery" of Spirit Photography
Spirit photography is an emotional coping mechanism for those grieving over lost loved ones. Mourners would seek out Mumler to receive a portrait in the hopes their lost loved one would also make an appearance. In return, Mumler would give the mourners a physical object that connects them to their lost family member or friend. Such an object could be looked to in times of overwhelming emotional stress. The portrait would give them comfort in their grief and allow them to have some peace that their loved one was still with them. This emotional comfort that Mumler provides his customers with shows the business in a nondeceptive light, but rather one of benefit for the public. Without Mumler's Spirit Photography, people of the public would continue to struggle with grief. Mumler aids mourners, his photography; whether it’s real or fake, provides them with a kind of comfort they would not have been able to attain otherwis
Mumler "discovered" Spirit Photography on accident. In the process of developing some photos, Mumler accidentally overlaid two photos. When he pulled them apart, he discovered that when the two negatives were overlaid, a ghostly image would appear, giving the impression that a ghost or spirit was inhabiting the photo. Upon realizing what he had discovered, Mumler stated, "This photograph was taken of myself, by myself, on Sunday, when there was not a living soul in the room beside me--- ‘so to speak.’ The form on my right I recognize as my cousin who passed away about twelve years since" (35-36 Kaplan). This quote shows that even upon discovery, Mumler believed that his photo was real and his cousin had truly visited him, at least until he realized how to replicate this process.
Benefits of Spirit Photography
William H. Mumler is a prominent figure in the controversy surrounding the validity of his Spirit Photography and the advancement of photography. Mumler is the creator of Spirit Photography and created a business with it by providing portraits of customers and their lost loved ones in spirit form.
While his business of Spirit Photography gave mourners a memento of their lost loved ones to aid them in the grieving process, others, like P.T. Barnum, thought Mumler's business was founded on the abuse of the public's emotions and a deception gone wrong. Spirit photography ultimately challenges the viewer to think critically of what they are seeing in the photo and out in the world. Is the spirit real? Is it fake? Did this practice help more than it harmed? There is no one answers when it comes to Spirit Photography; it is all up to the viewer.
While spirit photos gave emotional comfort, there were skeptics due to the little to no information to his customers about the process their photos went through to achieve the spiritual look and the financial benefit that Mumler receives in this business of death. First, Mumler always had witnesses present each time a customer sat for a portrait in an attempt to dispel the possibility that any of the photos or processes were being tampered with. Such an act raises questions around the validity of the photos and business occurring if witnesses had to be present. Second, Mumler offered no information to his customers about the process their photos went through. He never told his customers how he would over lay two film negatives to achieve the spirit that hovers over the customer. He never told them that the process in which he extracts information about the lost loved one from the customer was to better pick out which film negative looked most like the deceased person the customer described. For example, notice how the spirit in the photo is a male, judging by the height and the somewhat visible facial hair.
Mumler used the information the woman in the photo provided about her lost male counterpart and used it to pick out the right version for her portrait. Notice how the male's face is just blurry enough to not make out any real distinction, another trick of Mumler's. Mumler's business held a lot of secretiveness in his relationship with his customers. And such secretiveness does not help the validity of Mumler's photos whatsoever.
Inconveniences of Spirit Photography
P.T. Barnum vs. Mumler
Upon first glance at one of these Spirit Photos, Barnum, a world famous master of hoaxes, could sense deception. Barnum stated, "But when they pretend to give me communications from departed spirits, to tie or untie ropes---to read sealed letters, or to answer test questions through spiritual agencies, I pronounce all such pretensions ridiculous impositions" (Kaplan 61). Barnum believed that because of the secrecy in Mumler's business and their ability "to tie or untie ropes" with no willingness to prove how such a thing was accomplished to the public was a deception that harmed more than it helped.
With Barnum's own deceptions, he would willingly, at some point, tell a viewer of the potential fakeness of this exhibits, he never hid anything from his customers, all the signs of deception were laid out in front of them, and it was up to them if they choose to believe it or not. For example, any of Barnum's customers could see that his exhibit like the Feejee Mermaid or Joyce Heth were fake, that one was simply a monkey and a fish sewn together and the other was simply a much older woman.
Barnum's deceptions were about fun and the magic that exists in being tricked for a moment, not an abuse of the public's emotions for profit. Barnum also believed that because things like spirits or life after death was something not concrete, it shouldn't be used as a mechanism for deception. Barnum saw Mumlers Spirit Photos as nonconcrete and an abuse of the customers’ emotions for profitable gain, something Barnum was strongly against. Mumler was even taken to court at a point over the potential falsehood of his photos and business and Barnum testified against him. Mumler's case was eventually dropped, but the tension between the two illusionists stayed.
Spirit Photography: Real or Fake?
While Mumler's Spirit Photography offered adavancements in the field, his business was a source of conflict. While did provide his customers with a protrait that aided them in their grief process, the way he went about his busienss was hidden and suspicous. Whether or not the spirit in the photo is real or fake is left up to the viewer to decide.
--Taylor Dellinger
Sources: Kaplan, Louis. The Strange Case of William Mumler Spirit Photographer. Minneapolis: University of Michigan Press, 2008. 35-61. Print.
All images found through Google images.
In addition to the secretiveness is the possible abuse of the public's emotions for financial gain. Mumler's business could be seen as one that profited off the emotional grief that his customers were experiencing. Mumler could have offered to do these portraits for cheap or even for free just to aid these mourners, but Mumler saw his business as one In addition to the secretiveness is the possible abuse of the public's emotions for financial gain. Mumler's business could be seen as one that profited off the emotional grief that his customers were experiencing. Mumler could have offered to do these portraits for cheap or even for free just to aid these mourners, but Mumler saw his business as one that would constantly be booming due to the number of deaths that happened every day and choose to charge his customers quite a bit of money just to receive a memento that would help them with their grief. All of these aspects do nothing for the validity of Mumler's business or his product of Spirit Photos. would constantly be booming due to the number of deaths that happened everyday and choose to charge his customers quite a bit of money just to recieve a memento that would help them with their grief. All of these aspects do nothing for the validity of Mumler's business nor his product of Spirit Photos.