This exhibition features early examples of photos that feature “extras” or ghostly apparitions who photographers and sitters claim were not physically present in the room when the photos were taken. Some believed these figures were the spirits of dead loved ones and claimed to recognize friends and family. Others blamed trickery or common phenomenon like double exposure. Spirit photography was incredibly popular at the turn of the century because of changing technology and the rise of the spiritualist movement. The core of spiritualism is a belief that there is an afterlife that is much like this life and from which spirits can actively communicate. Many famous spiritualists like Queen Victoria, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Mary Todd Lincoln made attempting to convene with the dead a fairly mainstream hobby.

Conjured Images: Spirit Photography from the turn of the 20th Century ?is organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta and curated by Lindsey Sharman. Presented by Capital Powered Art, an exhibition series sponsored by Capital Power.