Spiritualism was a religious movement that gained momentum in America during the mid-1800s. The movement essentially held that people could communicate with people have died – and enabled people to do that through mediums. Angie Grandstaff explains.
The Fox sisters.
Spiritualists didn’t build churches or have preachers. They believed we could communicate with those who have died. Spiritualists would hold meetings in homes or community buildings where lectures would be given or séances would be conducted so people could speak to their dead loved ones. There were demonstrations by mediums and other sensitive individuals who would bring forth the dead, who would communicate via knocks on the walls or floors.
Spiritualism may conjure up many skeptical thoughts for us today, but this was a real movement that millions of people wholeheartedly believed and participated in. Spiritualism has been considered a religion, a fad, a hoax but whatever our thoughts it was a national phenomenon during the mid-1800s.
Why Spiritualism?
Why did Spiritualism become such a phenomenon during the mid-1800s? First, we need to look at the two previous centuries. The 16th and 17th centuries in America were dominated by a very puritanical form of Christianity. Anyone who practiced anything like Spiritualism during that time would have been risking their life. It is estimated that thousands of people were executed for witchcraft in Europe and America during those centuries. Life was very rural, harsh, and rigid and people were held to very strict mores. It was a matter of life or death.
America was drastically changing in the mid-1800s. There was more industrialization and urbanization, which meant cities were growing and work was evolving. Inventions and science were transforming how people looked at the world around them. Immigrants were bringing in new religious practices and beliefs into American towns. There was literature and scientific discoveries that challenged religious beliefs and the Bible. America was on the verge of a Civil War and tensions were high. People were looking for assurance because life seemed uncertain.
Another big factor for the rise of Spiritualism was that people were not as comforted by traditional Christian beliefs when loved ones died. The death of children especially led parents to seek comfort in other places besides their community church. Spiritualism offered grieving people solace while coping with their loss. All these factors helped create an opening for Spiritualism to rise.
Ghostly Images
Invention and science were factors in the popularity of Spiritualism in the mid-1800s. Some even saw Spiritualism as a scientific religion. The invention of photography played into Spiritualism beautifully. This brand-new technology fascinated and terrified at the same time. Photography allowed us to see the unseen or what we are unable to see from our perspective. Photographs taken from hot air balloons gave people their first aerial images of towns and cities. Civil War photographs showed death and destruction on a scale that few had ever seen.
There were plenty of photographs that were produced during this time that made it look like spirits were revealed through this scientific process of capturing images on paper. William H. Mumler was a well-known spirit photographer during the mid-1800s. He produced portraits that had ghostly images in the background or near the person being photographed. Former First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln was one of Mumler’s clients. She visited him after her husband’s murder. His photograph of her had an image of Abraham Lincoln behind her with his hands on her shoulders. Whether this was a scam or not, it gave many comfort to think their dead loved ones were near even if they couldn’t see them. These pictures were published in newspapers and Spiritualism benefited despite critics and proof that some of these pictures were manipulated.
The Impact of the Civil War
Prior to the Civil War, when a loved one died the family handled the process at home. The dying would be surrounded by family and friends. Wakes and funerals were held in homes allowing people the chance to grieve together. The Civil War changed that for thousands of families. It is estimated that 750,000 men died in the Civil War - hundreds of thousands of families who were unable to be with their loved ones when they passed. They never saw the body. They had no closure. Death on this scale hadn’t happened before. This great loss and immense sorrow of so many families contributed to the rise and appeal of Spiritualism. Spiritualism gave someone a chance to speak to their loved one or hear from a medium that their loved one was at peace. This was a great comfort to grieving people.
The Fox Sisters
Many historians attribute the birth of Spiritualism in America to the Fox Sisters. Maggie and Kate Fox lived in New York. In 1848, when they were 14 and 11 years old, they relayed some strange experiences to their parents. The two sisters heard knocks on furniture and walls while in their bedrooms at night. The girls demonstrated this for their parents and neighbors. They would ask questions and noises would come in response. Everyone was mystified by these young girls’ abilities to speak to the dead. Their fame and demonstrations catapulted Spiritualism into a phenomenon. Maggie and Kate were joined by their older sister Leah and they spent their lives working as mediums. They were invited to do demonstrations and hold séances where they communicated with the dead.
The sisters had a falling out as adults, which led to Maggie coming forward to claim it was all a hoax. She revealed the very first spirit communications in their New York bedroom was a prank. They used an apple on a string to produce the spirit noises. She said at their public demonstrations, they would use their own knuckles, joints and toes. A year later, Maggie recanted all of this, but her reputation was damaged beyond repair. Despite the way things ended for the Fox Sisters, their contribution to the Spiritualist movement was profound and undeniable. Their work as mediums led many others to take up the profession as well, which led to the growth and popularity of Spiritualism around the country.
Emma Hardinge Britten
The Fox Sisters may have been the beginning of Spiritualism in America, but Emma Hardinge Britten was the religion’s biggest advocate. Emma was born in England in 1823. From a young age, she demonstrated talent as a singer, musician and actress. Her first trip to America was for a role on Broadway in New York City where she met Spiritualist, Horace Day. This changed the trajectory of Emma’s life. She became a Spiritualist and began work as a medium and trance lecturer. One of her most famous spirit communications was with a deceased sailor who had died when his ship had sunk a few weeks earlier. Emma knew details about the ship and the sinking that only someone with firsthand knowledge would know.
During her life, she traveled extensively in America, Britain, Australia and New Zealand to promote Spiritualism and she used her many talents to do so. She wrote books on Spiritualism and was considered the leading historian on the subject. Her writings included guides on how to conduct a séance and how to investigate mediums for fraud. Emma was a born entertainer and used these skills during her demonstrations, lectures and séances. She also used her platform as a Spiritualist to share her views on slavery, the plight of the poor and women’s rights. Her work and her philosophy created the foundation for modern Spiritualism.
Séances in Victorian America
Séances were a big part of Spiritualism. Television and the big screen have given us many images of séances. People sitting around a table in a darkened room, maybe holding hands while spooky noises fill the air and tables levitate. This is much like what happened during a séance in Victorian America. The many factors that led to the rise of Spiritualism in America made the public believe in the abilities of mediums and the legitimacy of séances. People truly wanted to believe we could connect with the spirit world. Unfortunately, many unscrupulous people used séances to con people out of money during the mid and late 1800s. Many mediums were exposed for their fraud, but it didn’t stop the popularity of séances.
The reason that so many mediums could conduct fraudulent séances was mainly because there was no electric light at this time. Rooms would be lit by oil lamps or candles. So, the scene is perfectly set for trickery in rooms with low light or even darkness. Participants might even be encouraged to keep their eyes closed. They would be told not to touch the medium or any spirit summoned because it could kill the medium. There would be noises, a spirit manifested into the room or tapping on shoulders. Many mediums had accomplices to help them create ghostly noises and manifestations. Some mediums used specially constructed cabinets that could produce music or allow their accomplices to come and go during the séance. Oil of phosphorus would be used to make things glow in the dark. Victorian séances were a source of entertainment for some, hope or proof of scientific advancement for others. Once electric light and handheld lights were available, those who conducted fraudulent séances needed to look for other ways to entertain their attendees.
Spiritualism became less popular in the 20th century and there are many skeptics and con artists surrounding this movement and religion. But there is no denying its lasting impact. Mediums, clairvoyants and séances are still popular today. Everything from haunted houses to Ouija boards to the psychic hotline can be attributed to the rise of Spiritualism in the 19th century. Even in 21st century America, people still desire to be comforted during grief and to connect with and understand those things we can’t see.
What do you think of these amazing women? Let us know below.
You can read Angie’s article on 5 Amazing Female Businesses in 19th Century America here.
Angie Grandstaff is a writer who loves to write about history, books, and self-development.
References
Manseau, P. (2018). The Apparitionists: A Tale of Phantoms, Fraud, Photography, and the Man Who Captured Lincoln’s Ghost. Mariner Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Nartonis, D. K. (2010, June 1). The Rise of 19th‐century American Spiritualism, 1854–1873. Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1468-5906.2010.01515.x.
Gramson, H. (2013, March 6). The Science of Seance: The Scientific Theory of the Spiritualist Movement in Victorian America. https://www.pacificu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/Hannah%20Gramson.pdf
Howe, L.A. (2015, November 13). Spirited Pioneer: The Life of Emma Hardinge Britten. FIU Digital Commons. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3474&context=etd
Walton, G. (2017, February 1). The Victorian Seance. https://www.geriwalton.com/the-victorian-seance/
