William H. Mumler’s spirit photographs

Record summary

William H. Mumler produced photographs in which sitters appeared alongside faint, superimposed human figures that were presented as spirits. His most famous image purportedly showed Mary Todd Lincoln with the likeness of Abraham Lincoln, though the attribution and interpretation remain contested. Mumler’s work matters for comparing visual apparition evidence, technological novelty, bereavement, and commercial Spiritualism. He was prosecuted for fraud in 1869 and acquitted, but the case did not establish paranormal authenticity; double exposure, staged images, and photographic manipulation remain central explanatory possibilities.