Victorian Spirit Photography

It's that time of the year...

As you probably know by now, I'm into all things spooky, and old. So, finding these amazing Victorian Spirit Photos is a truly awesome thing. It gets me in the Halloween mood and I thought I would share some of the favorite photos I found.

I really love these things. There is something so sweet and innocent about them. Maybe it was just a trick done by the photographer on a naive sitter wanting to connect to their loved ones. Or maybe it is something else. Maybe something we want to believe. Everyone wants to believe that we have someone watching over us, someone protecting us. No one wants to be alone. These spirit photographs might just have given these Victorians a little bit of hope that they were indeed not alone.

Spirit Photo via Vintag.es
The Ghost in the Stereoscope, photographer Unknown, c. 1856
Lady Helena Newenham and the Spirit of Her Daughter via Photography Museum
Portrait of Prince Arthur, 1854, Roger Fenton, The Royal Photographic Society Collection, National Media Museum
Mrs. Bentley and the Spirit of her Deceased Sister via National Media Museum
Ghost Stories, via Blenders
Photographer Unknown, Woman with Daisies and Spirit, 1875 via American Museum of Photography







Want to see some more? Here's a wonderful post from the American Museum of Photography.

This also fascinates me....

Here's Medium Stanislawa with her Ectoplasm from 1913
 What's Ectoplasm? A lovely post from Cabinet Magazine.

Pretty amazing stuff, don't you think? Although I am way too cynical to believe 100% in any of this stuff. I do enjoy letting myself imagine myself in a time where anything spiritual was possible.

Do you believe in Ghosts?


Here's a post on Victorian Spirit Photography I did a few years ago.

Spooky Victorian Spirit Photography...

I can't think of a better way to start off my Halloween Season than having a showcase of Victorian Spirit photography. I love these things. Generally, I think most of these photographs are pretty hilarious but there are a few are downright creepy...

I suppose the awful truth about these photographs is the fact there was so much death surrounding the lives of the Victorians. In some way, maybe these photographers helped the subjects cope with the loss of their loved ones. With the invention of this new technology and a little bit of trickery, the photographers were able to create things never seen before. Perhaps these photographers could now capture something that only existed in one's own mind. Maybe that is why I am so attracted to them.

Get ready for some spookiness...

Man Reading with Female Spirit Behind by Phillip Bros...via photographymuseum

Spirit photo by William Hope via moolf
"Woman with Two Boys"...and a ghost by Willian Hope via GuardianUK


Spirit and Medium by Frederick Hudson
A Medium and the Emission by Albert Von Schrenck-Notzing

"The Ghost of Bernadette Soubirous", by Anonymous via...dieselpunks
"11", by Reeves, 1872
Seance by John Beattie via Dark in the dark
Mrs. French of Boston with her Spirit Son, by William Mumler circa 1868 via Photography Museum
Eugene Thiebault, "Publicity Photograph: Henri Robin and a Specter" 1863
If you are interested, here is a wonderful post I found from the blog,  "The Haunted Museum".  It will give you a really  good history of Victorian Spirit Photography and some more wonderful photographs, as well. Enjoy!

Have  spooky evening, Everyone...