PSYCHIC PHOTOGRAPHY
(_New Experiments_)
In my _Modern Psychical Phenomena_ (Chap. viii.) I reproduced a number
of "spirit" and "thought" photographs, the evidence for which seemed to
me to be exceptionally good. Since that time, I have received a number
of "psychic" photographs, from various sources,--some of them obviously
fraudulent, and some of them extremely puzzling, when the circumstances
of their production were fairly taken into account. It will be
remembered, for instance, that I published a number of curious
photographs obtained by Mr. E. P. Le Flohic, on whose plates curious
streaks of light were obtained, in a dark room. Since then, I have
discussed the matter at some length with Mr. Le Flohic, and I am more
than ever convinced that no conscious trickery was involved in the
production of these pictures; I have also examined the _negatives_
(plates), and am prepared to state that no external markings are upon
them, and that they have not been tampered with in any way. In other
words, the lights were undoubtedly _in the room_ at the time the plates
were exposed. Yet no one saw anything unusual! It is a curious and
baffling case.
Since then, Mr. Le Flohic has tried other experiments, with almost
uniform failure. In a letter dated August 14, 1920, he says:--
"... Since resuming my experiments in psychic photography, I have
taken about 25 pictures, and with but two exceptions have had no
results whatever. One of these I sent you some time ago, and the
last one I am sending you under separate cover. (Reproduced as
Figs. 1, 2.) I have not had very favourable conditions for
experiments, and discontinued them about three weeks ago. I am
going to arrange soon to start a series of experiments, by myself,
in my private library, and should I get any results, will gladly
inform you."
The curious streak of light noted in Fig. 2 is, on any theory, most
remarkable. The central band seems to be _dark_ in the middle,
surrounded by a band of light, from which a golden "aura" radiates. The
sitters saw nothing unusual--either in the dark, or during the
flash-light, with which this picture was taken.[22]
Among the newer methods of experimentation I may mention "thought
photography"--in which attempts have been made, by individuals, to
obtain photographs of their own _thoughts_.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
This method of obtaining psychic or thought-photographs is
entirely different from that employed in obtaining so-called
"spirit-photographs." In the latter case, a camera is focused upon the
sitter, who "sits" as usual, and the forms appear upon the plate when
developed. In obtaining thought-photographs, _no camera at all is used_;
the plates (or films) are carefully wrapped in opaque black paper and
sealed up, so as to prevent the slightest ray of light from reaching the
plates. These plates (or films) are then placed against the forehead,
where they are held for from five minutes to half an hour, or longer,
according to the patience of the experimenter and the degree of his
psychic power. An intense effort is made to impress upon the plate, by
an act of will, a mental picture or image held in the mind. Anything
will do--the head of an eagle, the sun, the face of a friend. The plate
is then taken into the dark-room, unwrapped and carefully developed. In
those cases which have been successful, an image, more or less clear, of
the picture held in mind will be found upon the plate.
This will, I have no doubt, appear incredible to the average reader. The
facts, nevertheless, remain! Such photographs _have_ been obtained--in
America, France, Poland, Japan and other parts of the world. A series of
careful, simultaneous experiments have proved to us that such
photographs _can_ be taken, under precisely the conditions I have
described.
Commandant Darget, of the French army, obtained a number of very
striking photographs in this manner. A number of these are to be found
in Joire's book, _Psychical and Supernormal Phenomena_, where we find
thought-photographs of bottles, a walking-stick, the head of an eagle
and other subjects obtained in this manner. Writing of the impression of
the eagle's head, M. Darget says:
"With regard to the eagle, it was produced in this way: Mme. Darget
was in my office, lying on my sofa, about ten o'clock in the
evening. I said to her: 'I am about to put out the lamp and to try
(as I have already done sometimes) to take a fluidic print over my
forehead. I will hand you a plate for you to do it as well.'
"I therefore handed her a plate, which she held with both her hands
about an inch in front of her forehead. A short time afterwards--it
might be about ten minutes--she said to me: 'I think I am going
asleep; I am very tired: I am going to lie down.' And feeling her
way in the darkness, she handed me the plate.
"I then went to develop it, and was surprised to see this
astonishing figure of an eagle. I have called it a
'dream-photograph,' although my wife does not remember having
dreamed of a bird or anything else while she held the plate."
Dr. Baraduc, of Paris, likewise asserted that he had obtained psychic
photographs of human radiations and of human thought. For instance,
calm, peaceful emotions are said to produce pictures of softly
homogeneous light, or the appearance of a gentle shower of snowflakes
against a black background; whereas sad or violent passions suggest, in
the arrangement of the light and shadows, the idea of a whirlpool or
revolving storm, somewhat like a meteorological diagram representing a
cyclone. If these photographs are really what they are believed to be,
they would seem to indicate that, in our ordinary normal condition, we
emit radiations which are regulated and flow forth in smooth, even
succession; but when violent emotions, such as anger or fear, break
through the control of the will and take possession of us, they produce
a violent and confused emission.
There is no reason, _a priori_, why the soul should not be a
space-occupying body, save for the tradition of theology. For all that
we know, the soul might be a point of force, existing within and
animating some sort of ethereal body, which corresponds, in size and
shape, to our material body. But at all events, there is an abundance of
very good testimony to the effect that the shape of the spiritual body
corresponds to that of the material body; and, as such, it certainly
occupies space, and possibly has weight also. It might and it might not;
it is a question of evidence. It will have to be settled, if at all, not
by speculations, but by _facts_. Are there any facts, then, that would
seem to indicate that the soul might be photographed? Have we any
evidence that the soul may be photographed--say, at the moment of death?
If so, we should have advanced a great step in our knowledge of this
subject.
Before I adduce the evidence on this point, however, it may be well to
illustrate the fact that there is no inherent absurdity in the idea, as
many might suppose. Of course the spiritual body would have to be
material enough to reflect light waves, but where is the evidence that
it is not? There seems to be much evidence, on the contrary, that it
_is_. It must be remembered that the camera will disclose innumerable
things quite invisible to the naked eye, or even to the eye aided by the
strongest glasses or telescopes. Normally, we can see but a few hundred
stars in the sky; with the aid of telescopes, we can see many thousand;
but the photographic camera discloses more than _twenty million_! Here,
then, is direct evidence that the camera can observe things which we
cannot see; and, indeed, this whole process of sight or "seeing" is a
far more complicated one than most persons imagine. As Sir Oliver Lodge
has pointed out, there is no reason why we should not be enabled to
photograph a spirit, when we can photograph an image in a mirror--which
is composed simply of vibrations, and reflected vibrations at that! We
are a long way from the tangible thing, in such a case; and yet we are
enabled to photograph it with an ordinary camera. Any disturbance in the
ether we should be enabled to photograph likewise--if only we had
delicate enough instruments, and if the "conditions" for the experiment
were favourable. The phenomena of spirit-photography, and especially the
experiments of Dr. Baraduc, to which I shall presently refer, would seem
to indicate this.
These experiments, as well as those that are about to follow, gain
greater credibility when considered in the light of the newer
experimental researches in physics, which demonstrate, apparently, that
matter can be made to disintegrate and disappear, and can be again
reformed from invisible vortices in the ether into sufficiently solid
bodies to be photographed by the sensitive plate. In his remarkable
work, _The Evolution of Matter_, Dr. Gustave Le Bon has devoted a whole
section of his argument to what he has denominated "the
dematerialization of matter." He proves by experiments in the physical
laboratory that matter can dissociate, and vanish into apparent
nothingness. What really takes place, however, is that the solid matter,
as we have been accustomed to conceive it, is resolved into its finer
constituent parts--not only into the material atoms of which it is
composed, but these atoms are in turn dissociated and resolved into a
series of etheric vortices, invisible to normal sense perception.
Apparently, therefore, matter has ceased to be, as such; and, in fact,
it has been resolved into energy! Conversely, Dr. Le Bon proved that, by
producing artificial equilibria of the elements arising from the
dissociation of matter, he could succeed in creating, with immaterial
particles, "something singularly resembling matter." These equilibria
were maintained a sufficient length of time to enable them to be
photographed.
On p. 164 of Dr. Le Bon's _Evolution of Matter_, are to be found
photographs of what is practically materialized matter. This author
says, in part:--
"Such equilibria can only be maintained for a moment. If we were
able to isolate and fix them for good--that is to say, so that they
would survive their generating cause--we should have succeeded in
creating with immaterial particles something singularly resembling
matter. The enormous quantity of energy condensed within the atom
shows the impossibility of realizing such an experiment. But, if we
cannot with immaterial things effect equilibria, able to survive
the cause which gave them birth, we can at least maintain them for
a sufficiently long time to photograph them, and thus create a sort
of momentary materialization."
If, therefore, physical science now admits, as it does, that
vibrations, or disturbances in the ether, can be photographed, there is
no longer any _a priori_ objection to these experiments by Dr.
Baraduc--which claim, merely, that similar vibrations have been
photographed--such vibrations being the external modification or
impression left upon the ether by the causal thought.
So much for theoretical possibilities: now for the facts.
In a remarkable little booklet, entitled, _Unseen Faces Photographed_,
Dr. H. A. Reid has presented a number of cases of supposed spirit
photography, some of which are certainly difficult to account for by any
theory of fraud. It is true that the methods of imitating this process
by fraudulent means are numerous and ingenious; but practically none of
them are unknown. In _The Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism_, pp.
206-23, I have described these fraudulent methods in considerable
detail; and have also published an account of a case in which trickery
was actually detected in the process of operation. (See _Proceedings of
the American S.P.R._, 1908, vol. ii., pp. 10-13.) But there seem to be
certain cases on record that are most difficult to account for by any
theory of trickery--partly because of the excellence of the conditions,
and partly because of the character of the experimenter. Let us glance
at one or two of the cases in which the character of the experimenter
would seem to insure the fact that no conscious and voluntary fraud was
practised. A resume of a few such cases is to be found in Mr. Edward T.
Bennett's little book on _Spiritualism_, pp. 113-20.[23] I quote in
part:--
"The most notable exception to this (rule of fraud) which I am able
to quote is that of the late Mr. J. Traill Taylor, who was for a
considerable time the editor of the _British Journal of
Photography_. The following quotations are from a paper on 'Spirit
Photography' by Mr. Taylor. It was originally read before the
London and Provincial Photographic Association in March, 1893, and
was reprinted in the _British Journal of Photography_ for March
26th, 1904, shortly after Mr. Taylor's death. He says:--
"'Spirit photography, so called, has of late been asserting its
existence in such a manner and to such an extent as to warrant
competent men in making an investigation, conducted under stringent
test conditions, into the circumstances under which such
photographs are produced, and exposing the fraud should it prove to
be such, instead of pooh-poohing it as insensate because we do not
understand how it can be otherwise--a position that scarcely
commends itself as intelligent or philosophical. If, in what
follows, I call it "spirit photography," instead of psychic
photography, it is only in deference to a nomenclature that
extensively prevails.... I approach the subject merely as a
photographer.'
"Mr. Taylor then gives a history of the earlier manifestations of
spirit photography, and goes on to explain how striking phenomena
in photographing what is invisible to the eye may be produced by
the agency of florescence. He quotes the demonstration of Dr.
Gladstone, F.R.S., at the Bradford meeting of the British
Association in 1873, showing that invisible drawings on white cards
have produced bold and clear photographs when no eye could see the
drawings themselves. Hence, as Mr. Taylor says: 'The photographing
of an invisible image is not scientifically impossible.'
"Mr. Taylor then proceeds to describe some personal experiments. He
says: 'For several years I have experienced a strong desire to
ascertain by personal investigation the amount of truth in the
ever-recurring allegation that figures, other than those visually
present in the room, appeared on the sensitive plate.... Mr. D., of
Glasgow, in whose presence psychic photographs have long been
alleged to be obtained, was lately in London on a visit, and a
mutual friend got him to consent to extend his stay in order that I
might try to get a psychic photograph under test conditions. To
this he willingly agreed. My conditions were exceedingly simple,
were courteously expressed to the host, and entirely acquiesced in.
They were that I, for the nonce, would assume them all to be
tricksters, and, to guard against fraud, should use my own camera
and unopened packages of dry plates purchased from dealers of
repute, and that I should be excused from allowing a plate to go
out of my own hand till after development, unless I felt otherwise
disposed; but that as I was to treat them as under suspicion, so
must they treat me, and that every act I performed must be in the
presence of two witnesses; nay, that I would set a watch upon my
own camera in the guise of a duplicate one of the same focus--in
other words, I would use a binocular stereoscopic camera and
dictate all the conditions of operation....
"'Dr. G. was the first sitter, and, for a reason known to myself, I
used a monocular camera. I myself took the plate out of a packet
just previously ripped up, under the surveillance of my two
detectives. I placed the slide in my pocket and exposed it by
magnesium ribbon which I held in my own hand, keeping one eye, as
it were, on the sitter, and the other on the camera. There was no
background. I myself took the plate from the dark slide, and, under
the eyes of the two detectives, placed it in the developing dish.
Between the camera and the sitter a female figure was developed,
rather in a more pronounced form than that of the sitter.... I
submit this picture.... I do not recognize her, or any of the other
figures I obtained, as like any one I know....
"'Many experiments of like nature followed; on some plates were
abnormal appearances, on others none. All this time Mr. D., the
medium, during the exposure of the plates, was quite inactive....
"'The psychic figures behaved badly. Some were in focus, others not
so. Some were lighted from the right, while the sitter was from the
left; some were comely ... others not so. Some monopolized the
major portion of the plate, quite obliterating the material
sitters.... But here is the point: Not one of these figures which
came out so strongly in the negative was visible in any form or
shape to me during the time of exposure in the camera, and I vouch
in the strongest manner for the fact that no one whatever had an
opportunity of tampering with any plate anterior to its being
placed in the dark slide or immediately preceding development.
Pictorially they are vile, but how came they there?
"'Now, all this time I imagine you are wondering how the
stereoscopic camera was behaving itself as such. It is due to the
psychic entities to say that whatever was produced on one-half of
the stereoscopic plates was produced on the other--alike good or
bad in definition. But, on a careful examination of one which was
rather better than the other ... I deduce this fact, that the
impressing of the spirit form was not simultaneous with that of the
sitter.... This I consider an important discovery. I carefully
examined one in the stereoscope and found that, while the two
sitters were stereoscopic _per se_, the psychic figure was
absolutely _flat_! I also found that the psychic figure was at
least a millimetre higher up in one than in the other. Now, as both
had been simultaneously exposed, it follows to demonstration that,
although both were correctly placed, vertically in relation to that
particular sitter, behind whom the figure appeared, and not so
horizontally, this figure had not only not been impressed on the
plate simultaneously with the two gentlemen forming the group, but
had _not_ been formed by the lens at all, and that, therefore, the
psychic image might be produced _without a camera_. I think this is
a fair deduction. But still the question obtrudes: How came these
figures there? I again assert that the plates were not tampered
with by either myself or any one present. Are they crystallizations
of thought? Have lens and light really nothing to do with their
formation? The whole subject was mysterious enough on the
hypothesis of an invisible spirit--whether a thought projection or
an actual spirit, being really there in the vicinity of the
sitter--but it is now a thousand times more so....
"'In the foregoing I have confined myself as closely as possible to
narrating how I conducted a photographic experiment open to every
one to make, avoiding stating any hypothesis or belief of my own on
the subject.'"
Let us now return to some later experiments in psychic photography. Two
small photographs, one showing a face, the other a series of small
starlike markings, were sent to me by a member of the Society for the
Study of Psychic Photography, of England. Writing of these prints, my
correspondent says:
"A week or so ago we distributed one hundred and ten strips of
sensitive film, in light-tight packages, for friends of the members
to 'wear.' This was done with the idea of ascertaining
approximately what percentage of individuals possessed this gift.
We agreed that the films should be carried about for a week, and
where possible worn round the forehead at night. The experiment
proved more successful than we had anticipated, since six out of
the one hundred and ten films were more or less affected. The two
best results are those shown on the prints enclosed herewith." (Not
shown.)
These results are quite in keeping with some that have lately been
obtained in California. In a recent communication which I have received
from Mr. Vincent Jones, Vice-President of the California Psychical
Research Society,--under whose auspices the experiment was
undertaken--he says:--
"Then we tried thought-photography. I bought some ordinary plates,
which were opened in the dark-room of an X-ray laboratory. The
plate was inclosed within an envelope of opaque black paper and
this in another envelope. It was then suspended about twelve
inches in front of the eyes of the sitting experimenter....
"This experimenter first wrote down on a slip of paper the thing he
was going to concentrate on, folded it and handed it to a
committee. Then he sat and concentrated for ten minutes. The plate
was then developed, and contained the image, clear and strong and
unmistakable, of a _cross_. This proved to be the subject handed to
the committee." (See Fig. 3.)
In view of the remarkable character of this experiment--as well as its
importance, and taking into account the apparently excellent conditions
under which the test was made, I wrote to Mr. Jones, asking him to be
kind enough to secure, if possible, the statements of any additional
witnesses who might have been present on this occasion, and he sent me,
in response to this request, the following affidavit, signed by five of
the witnesses who were present at the time:
California Psychical Research Society,
San Francisco, Calif., Nov. 3, 1920.
Dr. Hereward Carrington.
504 West 111th St.
New York City.
Dear Dr. Carrington.
Enclosed is the print I promised you of the "Thought Photograph"
taken by a Committee composed in part of members of the Council of
the California Psychical Research Society, in May, 1919. The
conditions were as follows: I purchased at Hirsch & Kaye, opticians
and photo-supplies, a box of one dozen ordinary rapid Seed plates.
I took the box unopened to the Committee meeting, which was held
at the X-Ray Laboratory of Preston & Huppert in this city. Mr.
Henry Huppert, Dr. Frank Collins, Dr. Cecil Nixon and myself went
into the dark room, where Mr. Huppert opened the box of plates,
took one at random from the centre of the package, enclosed it
inside an opaque black envelope, and this again inside another
yellow envelope and sealed it. This was taken outside and suspended
about 12 inches in front of our subject, who was seated and had
previously written down what he would concentrate upon, and handed
the memo to Dr. Collins. The subject drew a rough outline of the
object of his concentration, gazed fixedly upon it for about 5
minutes, then put it aside and for ten minutes concentrated upon
the plate without touching the same. The plate was immediately
taken into the dark room and developed, and the image of the cross
developed at once, clear and strong. One of the Committee was in
the room with the subject during the whole time, and there was no
opportunity for any tampering with the plate. The object developed
proved to be the one previously written down and handed to Dr.
Collins.
Yours very truly,
Vincent Jones,
Frank T. Collins, D.O.,
J. C. Anthony, M.D.,
Cecil E. Nixon, D.O.S.,
Henry K. Huppert.
[Illustration: "Thought Photograph" (3)]
Supplementing this formal report, Mr. Vincent Jones sent me the
following letter, in answer to my questions, which I also quote:--
San Francisco, Calif., Nov. 10, 1920.
Dr. Hereward Carrington.
504 West 111th St.
New York City.
Dear Dr. Carrington.
Here is the signed statement I promised you, and the better print
of the cross photo. The others who were present at the experiments
are not where I can reach them at present, but the five whose
signatures are appended to the accompanying statement are the
best-known of the eight who were present,--men whose testimony in a
court of law would be accepted without question. Dr. Frank Collins
is, or was, President of the Osteopaths' Association, a
Spiritualist, student of Astrology and mystical subjects, and a
member of the Council of the California Psychical Research Society.
Dr. J. C. Anthony is a well and favorably known physician, who has
practised here for many years, also a member of our Council. Dr.
Cecil E. Nixon is a Dentist, best known as a Magician, and as the
inventor of "Isis," a wonderful automaton which plays any tune you
request of her on the zither. Mr. Henry Huppert is one of the
partners in the Preston-Huppert X-Ray Laboratory, a man with
scientific training and a student of the Occult.
Such a thing as substitution by the subject of another plate for
the one we suspended before him was out of the question for two
reasons. First, he was not left alone. Second, he did not know in
advance just what was to be the nature of our experiment. When Mr.
Huppert broke the seal on the box of plates, in the presence of the
Committee of four, in the dark room, and selected one at random
from the centre of the box, and enclosed it in the two envelopes,
he not only sealed the envelopes but marked the envelopes, so that
he would know if they had been tampered with. They could not have
been opened without destroying these marks. Furthermore, in the
room where the experiment was conducted, there was an ordinary
electric light burning, and no substitution could have been made
without affecting the plate. It could not have been possible that
the subject, being previously unaware of the exact nature of the
contemplated experiment, could have provided himself with plates of
the same size and envelopes of two colours and of identically the
same paper as those used in the X-Ray Laboratory. If anything
happened to the plate it happened _through_ the paper of the
envelopes. But, as I have said, one of the committee was in the
room during the whole experiment. The sole possibility of fraud was
for the subject to have come prepared with a cross painted with
radio-active paint, and to have held this against the envelopes
whilst the Committee was off its guard. But the character of the
subject is sufficient guarantee to all of us that such was not the
case. I admit that to those who do not know him, this would furnish
no guarantee, and that for this reason we should have taken even
more stringent precautions. Had we known that such a result was to
be obtained we probably would have done this, but we were just a
company of friends who had gathered to try what we might
accomplish, after having read of Colonel de Rochas' experiments
along this line. We trusted one another, and so it is barely
possible that for a moment some one who was supposed to be
watching the subject was off his guard. Therein lies the sole
possibility of fraud in this result, and, as I said, this is out of
the question with us who know the character of the subject.
Yours very truly,
Vincent Jones,
215 Balboa Bldg.
P. S. The reason we were not all in the room with the subject
during the trial was that we were trying to do the same thing
ourselves. I was concentrating upon a V, with a film on my
forehead, and the others were trying it either with film or plate.
Only one other secured anything at all, and that was but a blur.
Our subject who did get the Cross result is a very highly developed
mystic with remarkable powers of concentration, but modest about
his powers and for that reason, and because he is extremely busy,
we have not been able to repeat the experiment with him since. V.
J.
As might be expected, many of these "psychic photographs" take on the
characteristics of "spirit-photographs," in that they show definitely
recognizable _forms_. This is especially true of a number of psychic
photographs which were recently taken at Crewe, England, in the presence
of two non-professional mediums, who have, nevertheless, obtained
hundreds of successful photographs in this manner. Regarding their
experiments, a correspondent writes me:
"They are not professionals and charge no fee. A nominal charge is
made for prints.... I do not know of any one who has sat with the
Crewe circle who has not been satisfied that fraud, at any rate,
will not explain these things. Those who have _not_ been and who
know nothing of the subject, say just the opposite.... Many of the
results in themselves rule out faking. I have had many sittings
with these mediums and have not the slightest doubt whatever
regarding their absolute genuineness. In fact, in some of the tests
I have carried out with them, faking would have been quite
impossible, even had they been desirous of tricking. I speak as an
amateur photographer of many years' standing, in touch with
photography every working day of his life."
Several photographs obtained at this now-famous Crewe circle are
reproduced herewith. Certainly it is true that such photographs might be
obtained by means of double exposure, double printing and other devices;
but the point is that we have the word of an expert photographer that
they were _not_ produced in this manner; and when once their genuine
character is admitted, they assume very great interest, no matter what
view we may care to take as to the results.
Miss Estelle Stead, daughter of the late W. T. Stead, writing of her
experiences with this same group of psychics, says:
"I have several times, since he passed on, obtained photos of my
father on the same plate I took with me, _under the most rigid
test-conditions_--on plates which I have never let out of my sight,
save for the few moments they were in the camera for my photo to be
taken.
"I also obtained a splendid photo of my brother, who passed over in
1907. He promised that before I went for the sitting he would be
photographed instead of Father, if he could manage it. I said
nothing of this to the lady who sat with me for the photograph to
be taken, or to the photographer. I put my own marked plate in the
slide myself, and stood by while it was developed. My brother's
face appeared quite as plainly as mine, and has been recognized by
many who knew him in life. He was seldom photographed while here,
and certainly _never_ with his head in exactly the position it is
in this photograph, received nine years after his death.
"It is only natural that those who have passed over in the war
should, when conditions allow, use this means of establishing their
identity, and many have done so successfully! One case of
particular interest is that of a boy who was blown to pieces in
France last year. His mother wrote in great distress to a friend in
Edinburgh stating that the boy had been killed. This friend had not
seen the boy since his school-days, but being interested in
spiritualism, and able to get in touch with those on the 'other
side,' she asked her father, who had passed over, if it would be
possible for the boy to be photographed. He said it was doubtful,
but they would do their best. She therefore made arrangements to
have a sitting with the Crewe mediums, who possess this power which
enables those on the other side to manifest sufficiently to be
photographed.
[Illustration: "Psychic Photographs" (4, 5)]
"Two plates were exposed, and on one side, beside the photo of the
lady herself, there is an unmistakable photo of the boy. I have
seen it, and a photo of the boy taken before he went to France,
and there is no mistaking the likeness. She sent the pictures to
his parents, who before this had not been believers in the
possibility of communication with those who have passed on--with
the result that they are now convinced of it, and have received
several comforting and assuring messages from their boy."
We see how imperceptibly ordinary psychic photographs shade off into
those more definitely spiritistic in character. This is true in nearly
all phenomena in this realm. It is hard to draw any hard-and-fast line,
and say: "_This_ is due to powers within our own being, and _this_ is
due to external spiritual beings!" They merge one into the other so
gradually that it is extremely difficult to draw any line of demarcation
between the two.
Certainly _some_ of these photographs are due to the thoughts or other
psychic activities of the sitter. Thus we can hardly suppose that the
"spirits" of bottles, walking-sticks and eagles (as in Darget's
experiments) were actually present, and that they impressed themselves
upon the photographic plate! Again, some pictures show us a definite
_face_, which we cannot attribute to any outside influence. The
experimenter merely _thought_ of the face, and it appeared upon the
plate. This being so, how can we _ever_ obtain proof that the forms and
faces which appear upon photographic plates are those of discarnate
spirits,--even though they appear and are recognized,--since we know
that mental images or memories of faces have been photographed in just
this manner?
That is indeed a difficult problem: it is very like that which
confronts us in the case of any good trance-medium. Inasmuch as
telepathy is a fact, and the medium almost certainly derives _some_ of
the facts from one's mind, or from the minds of other living people, how
can we ever prove "survival"--the actual communication of our spirit
friends?
We can only apply the same sort of tests in the one case as in the
other. We must discount all those facts which might possibly have been
obtained normally, or by telepathy, and pin our faith on those which
could not possibly, or conceivably, have been obtained in this way.
Similarly, we must assume that all psychic photographs represent normal
markings upon the plates, or the emotions or thoughts of the sitter, or
the vital radiations issuing from his body, until indisputable proof to
the contrary be forthcoming. (It may be added that some very striking
evidence of identity has been obtained in this manner, from time to time
in the past, and is now being obtained in various circles both in this
country and abroad.)
Regarding these "vital radiations" issuing from the body, a number of
interesting experiments were undertaken in this connection in Poland,
Paris and elsewhere. M. Durville obtained imprints of hands, from which
emanated streaks of light, as though the hands were radio-active; indeed
in no other way can we account for these results.
[Illustration: "Psychic Photographs" (6, 7)]
I next present a remarkable series of photographs, kindly lent to me by
Lady Glenconner,--to whom I am indebted for permission to reproduce
them. These photographs were taken at the "Crewe Circle," in the
presence of Mr. Hope, the medium. Personally, I have never had the
opportunity to attend a Crewe seance, and hence cannot speak of the
evidential value of these pictures from first-hand evidence. All I can
say is that Mr. Hope is not a professional "medium," in the usual sense
of the term, since he receives no payment for his services; that no
evidence of fraud, in connection with his photographs, has ever been
forthcoming; and that rigid test conditions have, apparently, been
enforced on a number of occasions, when successful "extras" were
obtained upon the plates. In practically all the cases known to me, the
sitters provided their own marked plates, placed them in the camera
themselves, took them out themselves, and developed them themselves.
Such, I understand, were the conditions under which the accompanying
photographs were obtained. All that Mr. Hope does is to place his
(opened) hands upon the plate-_holders_, after the plates have been
inserted therein, and before these are placed in the camera. It is
during this period that the psychic "extras," appearing upon the plates,
are thought to appear; or at all events it is this "magnetizing" of the
plates which renders them susceptible to impressions which would not be
recorded upon ordinary plates. How far this belief of the sitters
coincides with the actual facts of course I cannot say.
The first photograph shows us Lady Glenconner, seated, with a
clearly-defined face over her right arm. This face is enshrouded in the
same curious mist-like "clothing," common to "spirit" photographs, and
materialized forms, and especially evident in all the Crewe pictures.
The face is, I understand, recognizable as that of a lost friend. (Fig.
4.)
The second photograph is one of Lady Glenconner and her son,--a faint,
whitish mist appearing over (or on) her left shoulder. This is
interesting for the reason that, some time before this picture was
taken, a "spirit" had announced through another medium in London that
_he would appear in one of Hope's photographs and place his hand on her
left shoulder_. Within the whitish mist-like mass, a hand and arm are
clearly distinguishable, upon close examination. (Fig. 5.) In photograph
number 6 (with a different sitter) the _double_ impression of a face is
clearly seen, almost obliterating the face of the sitter. These faces
appear _sideways_, and represent a woman's face,--wearing glasses! This
same woman's face appears in the next picture (No. 7) no less than three
times; the uppermost face is the clearest, the one to the right next
best, while the lowermost "face" is little more than a misty
impression,--in which, however, the eyes are quite clear. This
photograph is, on any theory, it seems to me, a very striking and
suggestive one, and seems to indicate that the "spirit" attempted three
different times to appear and impress the plate, with the greatest
strength the first time, and with gradually diminishing energy or power
thereafter. This, at least, is the appearance of the facts, and such an
interpretation is, it may be said, in strict conformity with the
statements made through Mrs. Piper, and other reliable mediums, as to
the difficulties actually experienced, in attempting to "communicate."
To my mind,--though I do not know the precise conditions under which the
picture was obtained--this is a most suggestive and remarkable
photograph, strongly indicative of the spiritistic theory.
[Illustration: "Psychic Photographs" (8, 9)]
In the next illustration (No. 8), a white cloud appears over the
sitter's head. There are traces of two "faces" in this cloud, but they
are too uncertain to be emphasized. In the next picture, however (No.
9), a face, clearly visible, and enveloped in the usual white mist-like
drapery, appears. It is to be noted that the "face" is, in this case,
about twice the size of the sitters' heads, as though the "extra" were
much nearer the camera. It is, however, still in focus!
Photograph No. 10 shows us Lady Glenconner, and upon the plate a number
of "extras" appearing at various "angles" in relation to the sitter's
head--some of them at right angles, some of them upside down, etc. (The
"cracks" are merely defects upon the plate.) Upon examination, it will
be seen that all these faces represent one man, who, apparently, has
made a number of separate attempts to "appear" at this sitting. An
enlargement of this face is given in photograph No. 11, where the
features are quite distinguishable. There are several peculiarities
about this face, however, which a closer examination will reveal. The
enormous left ear is one of these--mal-formed, or as though in the
process of formation. The right side of the head, on the other hand, is
partly enveloped in a whitish cloud, through which the outline of the
face is faintly perceptible. Further impressions of this same face are
shown in photograph No. 12, when several "impressions" were again
obtained, all clearly recognizable. In the right-hand photograph, the
whitish mass seems to have been just removed from about the head, and it
will be seen that part of this still remains, like a thin veil, in
front of the _lower_ part of the face (under the eyes) and up the
left-hand side of the head. This, to me, is a very curious circumstance.
* * * * *
Having thus "cleared the ground," so to speak, let us now consider the
more startling statements and experiments by Dr. Baraduc, summarized by
him in his work, _Mes Morts; leurs Manifestations_, etc., later on in
the account.
[Illustration: "Psychic Photographs" (10, 11, 12)]
At a quarter-past nine, on a certain memorable day in April, 1907, died
Andre M. Joseph Baraduc, at the age of nineteen years. Throughout his
life there had been a close bond of affection between himself and his
father, and we are assured that during the lifetime of the son,
telepathic communication had been frequent between them. When he was but
nineteen it was discovered that Andre was suffering from that dread
disease, consumption; and henceforward he grew rapidly worse, dying
within the year. Toward the close of this year he made two visits to
Lourdes, without, however, receiving much benefit in either case, and
returning apparently without augmented faith in the cures brought about
at that centre. Andre was exceedingly religious in temperament, as was
his father, and both were given to experiments in psychic research. We
are informed that, during the lifetime of the son, his "astral" form had
been experimentally separated from his bodily frame on more than one
occasion. It was only natural to suppose, therefore, that, at the death
of this favourite son, the father's grief should be so intense that the
emotional reflex found expression in various visions and apparent
conversations with the dead boy. For within six hours after the death
of Andre, the son appeared to his father, and thenceforth many
apparitions were seen, and several long conversations were apparently
held between father and son. Of course, these in themselves would, under
the circumstances, have no evidential value, since it is only natural to
suppose that hallucinations, both of sight and hearing, would result in
a mind so wrought.
These subjective and apparently telepathic experiences of Dr. Baraduc
cannot, therefore, be considered of value; but the objective
experiences--that is to say, the experiments performed by him are of
great interest, since one can hardly suppose that the camera can be
hallucinated, because of the grief of the photographer! The impressions
left upon the plates, then, such as they are, have their evidential and
scientific value, and it is to a consideration of these photographs that
we now turn.
Nine hours after the death of Andre, Dr. Baraduc took the first
photograph of the coffin in which the body was deposited. When this
plate was developed, it was discovered that, emanating from the coffin,
was a formless, misty, wave-like mass, radiating in all directions with
considerable force, impinging upon the bodies of those who came into
close proximity to the coffin, as though attracted to them by some
magnetic force. On one occasion, indeed, the force of this projected
fluidic emanation was so great that Dr. Baraduc received an electric
shock from head to foot, which produced a temporary vertigo. Emerging
from the body are dark, tree-shaped emanations, issuing in formal lines,
which gradually diverge, and become more and more attenuated and misty
as they recede further and further from the body. Although this
photograph[24] does not in itself prove anything supernormal, it is
highly suggestive, and it aroused Dr. Baraduc's interest in the subject,
and enabled him to pursue his more conclusive experiments immediately
upon the death of his wife. (Figs. 13, 14.)
Six months after the death of Andre, Nadine, Dr. Baraduc's wife and the
mother of Andre, passed quietly away, giving vent, at the moment of her
death, to "three gentle sighs." Remembering the result of the former
experiments (photographing the body of Andre shortly after his death),
Dr. Baraduc had prepared a camera beside the bed of his wife, and, at
the moment of her death, photographed the body, and shortly after
developed the plate. Upon it were found three luminous globes resting a
few inches above the body. These gradually condensed and became more
brilliant. Streaks of light, like fine threads, were also seen darting
hither and thither. A quarter of an hour after the death of his wife,
Dr. Baraduc took another photograph. Fluidic cords were seen to have
developed, partly encircling these globes of light. At three o'clock in
the afternoon, or an hour after her death, another photograph was taken.
It will be seen from this photograph that the three globes of light have
condensed and coalesced into one, obscuring the head of Madame Baraduc,
and developing towards the right. Cords were formed in the shape of a
figure eight, closed at the top, and opened at the point nearest the
body. Thus, as the globe develops in one direction, the cords seem to
become more tense, and pull in the opposite direction. The separation
becomes more and more complete, until finally, three and a half hours
after death, a well-formed globe rested above the body, apparently held
together by the encircling, luminous cords, which seemed also to guide
and control it. At this moment, the globe becomes separated from the
body, and, guided by the cords, floats into Dr. Baraduc's bedroom. He
speaks to the globe intensely; the globe thereupon approaches him, and
he feels an icy cold breeze, which seems to surround and issue from the
ball of light. It then floats away and disappears.
[Illustration: "Photographs of the Soul" (13, 14)]
Frequently, within the next few days after these experiments, Dr.
Baraduc saw similar globes in various parts of the house. By means of
automatic writing, obtained through the hand of a non-professional
psychic, he succeeded at last in establishing communication with this
luminous ball, and was informed that it was the encasement of Madame
Baraduc's soul, which was still active and alive within it! It was
asserted that, as the days progressed, the encircling cords were one by
one snapped, and that the spirit more nearly assumed the astral body
facsimile of the earthly body. Andre, however, was seen by him to be a
completely developed astral body; and his wife asserted that she too
would shortly take her place beside Andre in her permanent form. As
further photographs were not developed, however, there is no
experimental evidence confirming these statements.
Although these initial experiments of Dr. Baraduc cannot, of themselves,
be considered conclusive, they are nevertheless highly interesting, and
should lead to further research in the same direction. The evidence
afforded by apparitions, single and collective; by haunted houses; the
indirect testimony afforded by the apparent psychic perception by
animals; the evidence, such as it is, for "spirit photography"; the
recent experiments in thought-photography, and the photographs made at
the seances of Eusapia Palladino, all tend to confirm, it seems to me,
the conclusions arrived at by Dr. Baraduc, as the result of his
preliminary researches. If an astral body of some sort exists, it must
occupy space; and, being space-occupying, must, _a priori_, be material
enough to occupy it! Whether or not this material is sufficiently solid
to reflect light waves, and make an impression upon the sensitive plate
of the camera, is an aspect of the problem still open to debate.
Further indirect testimony is afforded by the statements of
clairvoyants, and by the direct testimony (taking it for what it is
worth) of so-called "spirits" who communicate their sensations and the
knowledge they have gained after bodily death. They invariably assert
that there _is_ an astral facsimile, or spiritual replica, of the
physical body. Repellent as the idea may be to some of a semi-material,
space-occupying soul, the facts would seem to indicate that such is
true. Yet there might be a way out of the difficulty, since we might
still suppose that the soul, or seat of consciousness, exists as a point
of force within this spiritual organism. Whichever theory is ultimately
proved correct cannot, of course, be settled by _a priori_ speculation,
but by _facts_; and such experiments as those conducted by Dr. Baraduc
in "photographing the soul" are, perhaps, the best line of investigation
to follow, and one from which,--with the improvements in
photography,--the most is to be hoped.
The reader now has the facts before him. I have no theory to offer as to
the nature of these photographs, save that they appear to me to be
genuine and supernormal from all the evidence and testimony that I have
been enabled to obtain. In my _Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism_ I
have explained a number of ways in which fraudulent "spirit" photographs
can be obtained; and in _Modern Psychical Phenomena_ I reproduced a
number of photographs which seemed to me to be supported by excellent
testimony, and which were, so far as I could see, genuine psychic
photographs. In that volume I also discussed the various _theories_
which have been advanced in the past to explain these extraordinary
photographs. The present collection is intended merely to supplement the
former, and to present a number of photographs the solution for which
is, it seems to me, yet to be found.
FOOTNOTES:
[22] Regarding the earlier photographs, however (those obtained by Mrs.
Dupont Lee), further evidence has caused me to modify my belief in their
supernormal value, and I should now attach no "evidential value" to them
at all, strictly speaking. In an excellent criticism of the Lee
photographs, published in the _Proceedings_, Amer. S.P.R., vol. xiii.
pp. 529-87, Dr. Walter F. Prince has shown the undoubtedly fraudulent
character of the Lee photographs--certainly those with which Keeler had
anything to do. The others are still _sub judice_.
[23] T. C. and E. C. Jack, Edinburgh.
[24] Not reproduced here.