Victorian spiritualism sees modern revival

Modern spiritualism began in the 19th century as a religious movement that promised communication between the living and the dead through mediums. Its core belief was that death was not an end but a transition, integrating Christian ideas with mysticism and emerging scientific thought.

In Victorian Britain, elaborate mourning rituals, extended mourning periods, and memento‑mori photographs became common, while in the United States the Civil War’s massive loss of life spurred a surge in spiritualist activity. Notable practices included seances with knocking sounds or levitation and spirit photography, exemplified by William Mumler’s 1861 portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln with the apparent apparition of Abraham Lincoln. Mumler was tried for fraud in 1869 but continued his work.

Today, the movement is experiencing a resurgence in the 2020s, with renewed interest in historic seances and spirit photography as contemporary culture revisits Victorian-era approaches to grief and the afterlife.