Spiritual Developments

One Sunday afternoon, a man named William Mumler decided to take a
self portrait. He said he was alone in the photography studio, but
as the photograph developed he saw something very strange—the image
of someone else, sitting beside him. Mumler’s “spirit
photograph” was championed by advocates of Spiritualism, who saw it
as evidence that the living could communicate with the dead. Mumler
began to host portrait sessions in his studio, for a hefty
fee. Abraham Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, visited Mumler
to have her portrait taken with the hope of contacting her late
son.  Louis Kaplan’s book is The Strange Case of William
Mumler, Spirit Photographer. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and
Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice.
Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts:
iTunes.com/CriminalShow. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads
a Mystery. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online
shop.  Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn
more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices