Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic, and Mediums

Posters, photography, and objects from the height of Spiritualism and the history of magic gain renewed power when seen through today’s lens.

The human desire to connect with the dead since the mid-19th century gave rise to a fascination with the supernatural and the magical. Mediums and magicians from Harry Houdini, Margery the Medium, Howard Thurston, and the Fox Sisters offered “communication” with the departed at séances and magic shows, two interrelated forms of popular culture that relied heavily on illusions and stagecraft.

This is the first illustrated volume to gather the art and objects that made medium and magician performances iconic during the Spiritualism movement and beyond, a time when people actively debated and wondered, "can spirits return?" An international selection of paintings, photographs, posters, stage apparatuses, film, publications, and other objects reveal how audiences were entranced and mystified by these experiential performances, captivating willing believers and garnering skeptics as they navigated the intersecting realms of science and spirituality. From the origins of the iconic Oujia board to spirit photography, this book is a treasure trove.

George H. Schwartz is Curator-at-Large and Tedi Asher is a Neuroscience Researcher at the Peabody Essex Museum. Christopher Jones is Stanton B. and Nancy W. Kaplan Curator of Photography and Media Art at The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Lan Morgan is Assistant Curator at the Peabody Essex Museum. Tony Oursler is an internationally renowned video and multimedia installation artist. Jennifer Lemmer Posey is Tibbals Curator of Circus at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Mark Schwartz is Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Michigan.