NF The Apparitionists by Peter Manseau

[matthew mckeon]

A very interesting book about early photography. Manseau recounts the parallel rise of photography and Spiritualism, as a photographer named Mumbler claimed to capture the images of the ghosts of the departed, a service he was willing to perform for three times the going rate for a photographic portrait.

Good sections on Civil War photography. Characters that appear in this fascinating tale: Matthew Brady and Alexander Gardner, Mary Todd Lincoln, Samuel Morse, and P.T. Barnum.

Personally, people who prey on the grief stricken deserve a special place in Hell.

Highly recommended.