{"id":11089,"date":"2026-09-30T10:52:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T14:52:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/library.torontomu.ca\/asc\/?p=11089"},"modified":"2026-09-30T10:52:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T14:52:29","slug":"the-weird-the-wonderful-and-the-odd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/library.torontomu.ca\/asc\/2026\/09\/the-weird-the-wonderful-and-the-odd\/","title":{"rendered":"The Weird, The Wonderful, and the Odd"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Featuring objects and books from Archives and Special Collections that you might not know that we have…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spirit Photography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Made popular during the Victorian Era (1837-1901), spirit photography claimed to capture the unseen through the lens of a camera. The rise of the Spiritualism movement of the late 19th century, and the end of the American Civil War (1861-1865) contributed to the popularity of this phenomenon. Post-mortem photography, staged photographs of recently deceased loved ones, was also popular during this period. The spirit photography movement is credited to have started in the U.S. with amateur photographer William H. Mumler. Mumler is best known for his photograph of Mary Todd Lincoln, with the spirit of Abraham Lincoln beside her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These books from Special Collections detail this activity with many examples of Weird<\/strong> ghost-like phantoms alongside the unbeknownst sitter. They are available for viewing in the Archives and Special Collections Reading room.<\/p>\n\n\n

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C-10 0002519 pam Meinwald, Dan, and California Museum of Photography issuing body. Memento Mori\u202f: Death in Nineteenth Century Photography<\/em>. California Museum of Photography, University of California, 1990<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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C-10 0000041 Gettings, Fred. Ghosts in Photographs\u202f: The Extraordinary Story of Spirit Photography<\/em>. Optimum Publishing Company Limited, 1978.<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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C-10 0000127 Holzer, Hans. Psychic Photography\u202f: Threshold of a New Science? 1st ed., McGraw-Hill, 1969.<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Alan Suddon Sketches<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Alan Suddon (1924-2000) worked for the Toronto Public Library for 45 years, retiring in 1987. He was the Head of the Fine Arts Department at the Toronto Reference Library. These Wonderful <\/strong>sketches were created by Suddon during library meetings on scrap pieces of paper.\u00a0(RG 216.09.09<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n