The Veil Lifted: Modern Developments of Spirit Photography — John Shaqi
The Veil Lifted: Modern Developments of Spirit Photography
Religion
The Veil Lifted: Modern Developments of Spirit Photography
Spirit photography; Spiritualism
“Five correspondents write on this head; but they only bring forward
experiences of many years ago, references to the _News_ and _Journal_
of old dates, and similar evidence. The letters are interesting, but we
cannot find room for a correspondence on the subject. Of testimony there
is more than enough. Those who can be convinced by testimony are probably
convinced already, if they have examined the subject. If the matter is
to be advanced further, it must be by careful experiments under test
conditions, and such experiments will not satisfy the active objectors
unless they can be repeated to order, and, so far as we know, no one has
claimed to be able to do this. Only new tests, well authenticated, are of
use in our columns at present. Any such we are prepared to publish, with
reproduction of the alleged psychic photographs if desired.”
_THE REVIEW OF REVIEWS, April, 1893._
In the _Review of Reviews_[8] for April, there is a reproduction of one
of the spirit photographs taken by Mr. Traill Taylor, and also of the
portrait obtained by Mr. Glendinning and Mr. Duguid, without the use of
a camera, and without exposing the prepared dry plate to light until
after it was developed and fixed. Mr. Stead refers to Mr. Taylor as a
well-known photographic journalist, of unquestionable good faith, and
prints the details of the experiments as given in Mr. Taylor’s paper.
Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace, F.R.S., who has had much experience in this
subject, and possesses a large collection of spirit photographs, thinks
the most interesting results of the recent experiments are those in which
the form of one of the sitters is blended with the form of the psychic
portrait; but Mr. Stead thinks the portrait obtained without the camera
the most interesting. He concludes his article thus:—
“Mr. Glendinning assures me most positively that the plate had not been
tampered with. If so, it is to be hoped Mr. Duguid will repeat the last
experiment under test conditions. It is much the most interesting of the
lot.[9]
“The illustrations are badly developed, but they suffice to show that the
plate was sensitive to the presence of entities invisible to the human
eye. Everything, of course, depends upon the accuracy and honesty of the
photographer; and the reputation of Mr. Taylor and Mr. Glendinning is
above reproach.”
_From THE MORNING, April 4th, 1893._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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