The Case Against Spirit PhotographsPatrick, C. Vincent
History
The Case Against Spirit Photographs
Patrick, C. Vincent
Parapsychology; Spirit photography; Spiritualism
Probably most people have heard, but seldom at first hand, of
unexpected ghosts appearing on plates or films exposed by amateur
photographers. On the rare occasions when such accounts can be traced
to their source, one usually finds that there is some simple and
evident explanation. Streaks and splashes of light on the plates are
comparatively common, and are usually the result of the camera, slides,
or dark-room not being light-tight; very strange results are sometimes
produced in this way. I was once puzzled by a photograph which showed
an arch, like a rainbow, across the sky, when it was quite certain that
there had been no rainbow in the sky when the photograph was taken.
When the result was repeated a few days later, the camera quickly came
under suspicion, and was found to have developed a minute pinhole in
the bellows. This was sealed up, and the rainbow did not reappear. Many
unexplained markings on plates are certainly caused in this or similar
ways; but only under very favourable circumstances could an extra face
on the plate be so produced. Sometimes unexpected results are caused
by an accidental second exposure; but the nature of such a photograph
will quickly be apparent. The use of old glass plates may sometimes be
responsible for similar results, as has been already explained. But
authenticated cases of the appearance of unseen faces in photographs
taken in the absence of a professional medium, and which do not show an
obvious explanation, are few and far between. The classical example is
that of the Combermere photograph, which was published in the _Journal
of the S.P.R._, and aroused much discussion and criticism.
A Miss Corbet took a photograph of the library of Combermere Abbey,
Cheshire, on December 5th, 1891. She was alone at the time, and left
the camera during the exposure, as it was a long one. She kept a
note-book with records of her photographs, which afterwards showed
that an exposure of one hour had been given, namely from 2 to 3 p.m.
Unfortunately she did not develop the photograph till eight months
later, and was then amazed to find a figure occupying a chair in
a prominent position in the photograph. The figure was faint and
transparent, the legs being quite invisible; the features were not
recognisable; but the presence of a head, shoulders and arm was fairly
plain. Inquiries were made, and it was found that not only was the
chair in question the one Lord Combermere had been wont to occupy, but
that he had died a few days before the photograph was taken, and was
actually being buried some two miles from the Abbey at the hour at
which the photograph was taken. The photograph was naturally shown to
the dead nobleman’s relatives, some of whom professed to recognise it
as Lord Combermere. It was further pointed out that he had lost the use
of his legs in an accident some three weeks before his death, and that
the spirit figure was correspondingly legless!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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