Photographic Print

This photographic print shows an apparently disembodied arm, wrapped in a white sheet. A bare hand is raised open to the camera. Through the palm of the hand, the top of a woman's head can be seen.

The photograph is mounted on card in the cabinet format. The monogram 'V' is visible on the front of the photograph. The reverse bears a handwritten note from Mary Burchett, the woman whose head can be glimpsed in the photograph. The note authenticates the ghostly nature of the photograph. The reverse of the photograph also bears a pentacle and the numerals 'II'.

This is an example of spirit photography. The effect was achieved through the double exposure of a negative. An initial photograph is taken of the arm draped in cloth using a short exposure. The glass plate negative is then exposed for a conventional portrait of the sitter. This technique results in two overlaid images, with the arm in the foreground possessing a ghostly see-through quality.

A clue to the fraudulent nature of this photograph can be seen in the top right corner. This appears to be the neckline of a figure wearing a black top. The position of the hand relative to the figure's shoulder suggests that the person held out his or her hand towards the camera, with a white cloth draped over the arm. The black top was presumably used to help hide the person's body, but without much success.