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Robert Boursnell
(England, 1832-1909)
Couple with the Spirit of an Old Family Doctor who Died Around 1880
Collodion print, 4 x 5.75 inches
January 3, 1893
Boursnell claimed to have made spirit photographs as early as 1853,
when "extras" appeared on portraits he was taking. The photographer,
it was said, did not recognize the supernormal nature of these
interlopers and blamed their appearance on improper cleaning of the
glass used in the negative. One day, in a fit of anger, he dashed the
negative to the floor, damning both the glass and the people who
appeared on it. The "extras" did not return until 1886, when Boursnell
became acquainted with spiritualism.
Because spirit photographers and mediums were subject to prosecution
in Great Britain, Boursnell handed a printed slip to his patrons which
denied the "extras" were spirits--instead, it proclaimed, they were
"shadows in the background." Critics charged that the same spirits
appeared unchanged in different photographs, a sign of fakery. That
revelation seems to have made no difference to Boursnell's supporters.
A hundred of Boursnell's spirit photographs were exhibited at the
Psychological Society in London, and in 1903 the spiritualists of that
city presented the photographer with a signed testimonial and a purse
of gold.
The mount of this photograph is inscribed, "Taken by R. Boursnell in
London Jan. 3, 1893. The spirit is an old family doctor who died
around 1880." |
