19th-Century "Spirit Photographer" and His Photo with Mrs. Lincoln

In the 1860s, shortly after the American Civil War ended, more than six hundred thousand people had died, and almost every family had someone who never came home. Many people wondered how their loved ones were doing on the other side. At this time, a photographer appeared in Boston named William Mumler. He claimed that when he took photographs, he could capture the souls of the dead.

It started in 1861. He said he took a self-portrait in his darkroom, and after developing it, he discovered a blurry little girl behind him, whom he said was his deceased cousin. After this photo spread, more and more people came to him to have their pictures taken.

In the photos he produced, a living person sat in the front, while a translucent shadow floated behind them—sometimes an old man, sometimes a young soldier, sometimes a child, with one hand resting on the living person's shoulder. Many who saw them recognized the figure as their deceased child, husband, or father, and cried on the spot, buying the photo on the spot for about ten dollars.

The most famous one was of Mrs. Lincoln. In 1872, she wore a black veil and visited Mumler's studio under a pseudonym, saying her surname was "Lindall." When the photo was developed, a tall figure stood behind her with both hands on her shoulders. Mumler said it was President Lincoln.

Someone saw through it. A fellow photographer in Boston discovered that some of the "spirits" in the photos were living people Mumler had photographed before, and a few of them were still living well in Boston. His method was to stack several negatives together during exposure, creating a superimposed shadow.

In 1869, he moved to New York and was arrested on charges of fraud. During the trial, circus owner P. T. Barnum testified in court that the photos were fake, and he himself had someone make a similar "spirit photograph" to show the court. However, the court ultimately could not find conclusive evidence that he had intentionally deceived people, and he was found not guilty.

After the lawsuit, his business went downhill. He died in poverty in 1884.

The photos he left behind are still collected by some people today. Many show a person sitting in a chair with a white shadow standing behind them, a hand resting on their shoulder.

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