Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic, and Mediums

The human desire to connect with the departed has given rise to a fascination with the supernatural and the magical. 

Explore the essential role art and objects played for mediums and magicians “communicating” with the dead during the 19th-and 20th-century Spiritualism movement in the U.S. and Europe — a time when people actively debated and wondered, "can spirits return?" 

See paintings, posters, photographs, stage apparatuses, costumes, film, publications and other objects that will transport visitors to the age of Harry Houdini, Margery the Medium, Howard Thurston, and the Fox Sisters, among others. 

Whether you’re a believer, skeptic or somewhere in between, gain a new perspective on the timeless draw of mediums and magicians, séances and magic shows.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website