HOAXES  & HOAXERS 

 IN MEDIUMSHIP & THE PSYCHIC FIELD     3

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Eduard Isidore Buguet
Auto-portrait of the photographer with the Spirit of a lady, c. 1875

Buguet produced between 1873 and 1875 Spirit photographs, mainly in his studio at the, Boulevard Montmatre in Paris, but also during a stay in June 1874 in London.   Among others the scientist William Crookes went to Buguet and received his portrait surrounded by a Spirit form.

In April 1875 Buguet was arrested for fraud and later sentenced, with his own confession, to imprisonment for a year and a fine of 500 francs. He stated that the Spirit photographs were frauds, simply produced by double exposure. Either he dressed up his assistants to play the part of the ghost (after he learned form the sitters what they were expected to see on the plate) or he used a doll for this purpose. This figure was seized by the police in his studio.

In spite of the disclosures a lot of his clients remained convinced that Buguet had produced genuine Spirit portraits. They believed that he was the victim of an organized conspiracy and forced to make a false confession. Anyway, after the trial (Buguet escaped for some time to Belgium) the photographer started to make "photographies anti-spirite". He now arranged openly photographs showing Spirit forms or phenomena like telekinesis for the amusement of the public.

Is this a hoax? To me is certainly looks like one that is stage managed by Eugine Thiebault of France. Notice the theatrical act or stance he is in, and the alleged Spirit or spook who is in a skeletal mask, the alleged ectoplasm [strong white] coming from the man is totally different to the alleged ectoplasm of the Spirit form and not a continuance of it.

French Spirit photographer Edouard Isidore Buguet (1840-1901) demonstrates telekinesis in this 1875 photograph titled Fluidic Effect. Buguet was arrested the same year for faking his ghost photographs and he served a year in prison.

Please remember that many of these researchers in the past, if they could not prove that the Medium was fraudulent they would put it around that they thought they were. It is that word thought that makes all the difference. Yes, there were some tricksters BUT NOT as many as the Christian and religious community would like to make out. Look at the finding of the Church of England and their findings that was hushed up. BUT there again some genuine Mediums did cheat when their energies waned.