The Reluctant Spiritualist by Nancy Rubin Stuart

READ MORE: 8 Famous Figures Who Believed in Communicating with the Dead Queen Victoria, pictured wearing mourning jewelry including a bracelet depicting an image of Prince Albert, c. READ MORE: When a 19th-Century ‘Spirit Photographer’ Claimed to Capture Ghosts Through His Lens The Lure of Spiritualism Despite these exposures, spiritualism remained extremely popular throughout the 19th century. Many stage magicians differentiated themselves from spiritualists like the Davenport brothers by exposing what spiritualists did as a hoax (something for which illusionist Harry Houdini later became famous). In the 1850s, Ira and William Davenport became famous for what was essentially a magic show whose tricks they attributed to spiritual intervention. The Fox sisters became celebrities, and so too did other self-proclaimed mediums.

People in the business of spiritualism gave paid theatrical performances featuring elaborate lighting, music and table-tipping séances. One of the key aspects that differentiated the spiritualism craze from religious and spiritual beliefs that came before it was its connection to the growing media and entertainment industries in the United States and Europe. The Fox sisters, Leah, Kate and Margaretta (Maggie), who played a part in the birth of spiritualism.

The Reluctant Spiritualist by Nancy Rubin Stuart