William H. Mumler Spirit Photographer
William H. Mumler worked as a jewelry engraver in Boston and enjoyed photography as a hobby. In the early 1860s, he was surprised when he developed a self-portrait in which the “ghost” of his cousin, who had died 12 years before, was in the photo. This is credited as the first spirit photograph—a photograph of a living subject featuring the likeness of a deceased person (often a relative) imprinted by the spirit of the deceased.
Mumler then became a full-time spirit photographer, continuing to work in Boston but eventually moving to New York City. Spirit photography was a lucrative business thanks to the enormous death tolls that resulted from the American Civil War, and the thousands of families who sought reassurance that their loved ones live on after death.
Mumler's wife, Hannah Mumler, was also a famous healing medium, and conducted her own spiritual business in addition to the business of assisting her husband.
This is thought to be Mumler's first Spirit photograph of himself and his deceased cousin.
Mumler Sued as a Fraud
Critics of Mumler's work included P. T. Barnum, who claimed that Mumler was taking advantage of people who were grief-stricken.
Barnum accused Mumler of “staging” ghosts of people who were still living,
]Mumler was eventually brought to trial for fraud in April 1869. Barnum testified against him, having hired Abraham Bogardus to create a picture that appeared to show Barnum with the ghost of Abraham Lincoln to demonstrate the ease with which such spirit photographs could be created. Eventually, Mumler was acquitted because the prosecution could not prove beyond all doubt that he was fabricating the photographs.
