Couple with a 'spirit' in their car, c 1920

Couple with a 'spirit' in their car, c 1920.. A photograph of a couple leaning against a car, taken by William Hope (1863-1933). Two of Hope's friends are seen with a figure - the couple's deceased son - at the wheel. Hope had suggested a photo opportunity for the 'chance' of obtaining a spirit impression. Hope's spirit album photographs use double and even triple exposure techniques to render the appearance of ghostly apparitions around the sitter. Hope founded the spiritualist society known as the Crewe Circle and his work was popular after World War One when many bereaved people were desperate to find evidence of loved ones living beyond the grave. Although his deception was publicly exposed by a private investigator in 1922, he continued to practice. ©SSPL/National Media Museum