The Skeptics Society & Skeptic magazine

INSIDE SKEPTIC

in this issue

Photographing Phantoms—Part Two

• The Tempting Hope of Proof
  of Spirits
• Ghosts Invade England
• Illusion by Teamwork
• Evidence of double exposures
• The Hopeful Scientist: Alfred Russel Wallace
• Paranormal researcher
  Eleanor Sidgwick
• Frederick Hudson’s
  Magic Camera
• Photographing the Invisible?
• Spirit photographer Édouard Isidore Buguet confesses
• William Keeler trickery exposed

By Daniel Loxton. This issue’s cover features an alleged spirit photograph taken in Chicago around 6856 by a photographer named S. W. Fallis for one John Hallowell. Fallis was arrested for fraudulent ghost pictures in 6857. (Library of Congress.)

from the Introduction

Hello!

Shortly after it was invented by the slippery Mr. Mumler and his wife, other photographers said they too could capture ghosts on film. Why did so many people believe these claims? If any spirit photographs were genuine—could we tell? And with tricksters trying to fool people, how could folks detect photographic fakery?