The Case for Spirit Photography: With corroborative evidence by experienced researchers and photographersDoyle, Arthur Conan
Religion
The Case for Spirit Photography: With corroborative evidence by experienced researchers and photographers
Doyle, Arthur Conan
Spirit photography; Spiritualism
Though I am unable to reproduce this photograph, I have been able, by
the kindness of Miss Scatcherd, to reproduce (Figure 7) the preliminary
experimental photograph got in Sir William’s laboratory, which induced
him to take the Crewe Circle seriously. Only Mr. Hope and Miss Scatcherd
were present on this occasion. It was taken, says the latter, “under the
strictest conditions that the genius of Sir William Crookes, backed by
his unusual common sense, could suggest.” The face here is not that of
Lady Crookes, and was not recognised. But surely such a result must show
the public how superficial is the view which on the strength of a single
experiment endeavours to discredit the whole life’s work of Mr. Hope.
Several examples of Crewe photographs are reproduced (Figures 8, 9, 10)
which show the similarity to the living man, and yet are declared by
the relatives to be unlike any existing picture. That which is shown on
Figure 8 is the result obtained by that brave psychic pioneer, the Rev.
Charles Tweedale, who from his little Yorkshire vicarage beckons the
Church on the road that it should go. In this case Mr. Tweedale called
upon Hope without any appointment and obtained, as has several times
been obtained on surprise visits, an excellent result. The psychic face
is that of his wife’s father, whose features in life, for purposes of
comparison, are shown by Figure 9. The picture is unlike any in existence.
I have said that the psychic faces are sometimes more animated and
life-like than the original photographs taken in life. In support of this
assertion I would point to Figure 10. The old man who smiles so happily
is Mrs. Buxton’s own father, then very recently dead. I do not think that
the most cynical of my readers will contend that a daughter is likely to
make a blasphemous faked picture of her own father, even if it had been
possible to produce so vital an effect.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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