Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Integrated Article

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Art and Visual Culture

Supervisor

Dr. Sarah Bassnett

Abstract

This dissertation explores how women used practices of spirit photography and psychical research to negotiate social change from the late nineteenth century to today. Developed in the US in the early 1860s, shortly after the Spiritualist movement spread to Canada and the UK, spirit photography emerged when scientific reasoning shook the foundations of orthodox religion and offered an alternative perspective on the afterlife. It was first used by Spiritualists to communicate with the spirit world and as evidence of their beliefs. It was quickly absorbed into mainstream culture through the daily press, becoming an issue for public debate.

This research draws on literature in histories of photography and women’s social histories. It is based on archival research and uses feminist and affect theories to explore the socio-cultural conditions in which spirit photographs were produced and disseminated. I consider women’s positions within the male dominated field of photography during periods of rapid social transformation and instability, as previously accepted ideas about gender, science, and religion were collapsing. Exploring a range of emotions that the photographs elicit, I consider affective engagements between image, creator, and spirit subject. These relations draw viewers into the photographs and the moments they capture, inviting them to engage with the image and their own spirituality. I also consider how spirit photographs were used as objects for consolation during times of loss and grief.

This dissertation examines three Canadian case studies from a feminist, social history perspective to consider how women’s practices simultaneously adhered to and challenged ideas about femininity, and how women negotiated private and public spheres. Through close analyses of Hannah Maynard, Lillian Hamilton, and Sylvia Barber, I argue that these women gained agency and autonomy through various practices of spirit photography. My study concludes with a discussion of spirit photographs and videos by contemporary artists Shannon Taggart and Susan MacWilliam. I highlight continuities between historical and contemporary practices to suggest that the position of artist-as-researcher granted them agency like their historical predecessors.

Summary for Lay Audience

This project is about women’s practices of spirit photography, psychical research, and social change from the late-nineteenth to today. Spirit photography developed in the US in the early 1860s, shortly after the Spiritualist movement spread to Canada and the UK. At this time, new scientific knowledge was beginning to challenge orthodox religion. Spirit photography offered new perspectives on the afterlife. It was first used by Spiritualists to communicate with the spirit world and to provide evidence of their beliefs. It quickly attracted the public’s attention through the daily press, making it an issue for public debate.

My research uses literature in histories of photography and women’s social histories. It is based on archival research and uses studies of feminist and affect theory to explore the social and cultural conditions in which spirit photographs were produced and circulated. I consider women’s positions within the masculine field of photography, as they were significancy outnumbered by men. My study focuses on periods of rapid social transformation and instability, as new ideas about gender, science, and religion were emerging. I suggest that the photographs produce a range of emotions within viewers that then create a relation between image, creator, and spirit subject. These relationships draw viewers into the photographs and the moments they capture, inviting them to engage with the photographs and their own spirituality. I also consider how spirit photographs were used as objects for consolation during times of loss and grief.

This dissertation analyzes three Canadian case studies through a feminist, social history lens. I explore how women’s practices followed, and at the same time, challenged traditional ideas about femininity, while considering how women balanced private and public life. Through close analyses of Hannah Maynard, Lillian Hamilton, and Sylvia Barber, I argue that these women gained agency and autonomy through various practices of spirit photography. My study concludes with a discussion of spirit photographs and videos by contemporary artists Shannon Taggart and Susan MacWilliam. I highlight similarities between historical and contemporary practices to suggest that the position of artist-as-researcher granted them agency, in the way that earlier photographers gained agency through their practices.

Download

Share

COinS