
A photograph of a clergyman, taken by William Hope on 5 April, 1920.
The clergyman and his wife had attended a seance at which a voice was heard, claiming to be their stillborn daughter - whom the 'spirit people' had named Rose. The voice asked them to sit for a psychic photograph, telling them she would try to appear in it.
'Rose' is not clearly apparent in the image. The image of the man was identified as the long-deceased father of the clergyman. William Hope's spirit album photographs use double and triple exposure techniques to render the appearance of ghostly apparitions around the sitter.
Hope's work gained momentum in the aftermath of World War One, a time when many bereaved people were desperate to find evidence of loved ones living beyond the grave. Although his deception was publicly exposed by a private investigator, Harry Price (1881-1948), in 1922, Hope continued to practice.
Details
- Category:
- Photographs
- Object Number:
- 2002-5054/7
- type:
- photograph
- taxonomy:
-
- visual and verbal communication
- credit:
- The National Media Museum, Bradford
- copyright:
- National Science and Media Museum
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