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Orbs and Spirit Photography
 Is it possible to photograph a ghost? Opinions are strong on either side of the question. As a widow, Mary Todd Lincoln attended seances regularly in hopes of communicating with her late husband. In 1872 she heard that William H. Mumler, a Boston spiritualist/photographer, was offering his clients séance photography sessions. Eager to have such a photograph, Mrs. Lincoln traveled to Boston under an assumed name and sought Mumler out. The resulting photograph is one of the most famous examples of so-called spirit photography. About the same time that Mrs. Lincoln posed for William Mumler, Nevada fortune teller, and former Comstock millionairess, Eilley Bowers also posed for a photograph. But it wasn't her husband Sandy who made an appearance from the hearafter. Instead, it was her deceased daughter Persia who showed up in the photo. Eilley never doubted that the likeness of Persia as an infant, had come from the spirit world to pose in the photo. It is interesting to note that Mrs. Lincoln and Eilley Bowers shared certain things in common. Both were widowed unexpectedly, both held strong beliefs in the supernatural, and both were considered "crazy." 
Later when all of Mumler's spirit photographs were proven to be frauds, Mrs. Lincoln clung to the belief that the spirit of her husband had actually been photographed hovering over her shoulder. Proof was essential. Photographic evidence could be held up to show that the dearly departed stayed ever near. Mumler was not alone. As quickly as one fraud was uncovered, another appeared on the scene, ready to dupe grieving friends and loved ones.
Frauds or not, interests were peaked; the question remained. Is it possible to photograph a ghost? Belief in the possibility may have eased a grieving relative's pain, but we live in a world that demands proof positive, especially as far as the supernatural goes. Unfortunately, providing proof is not always an easy matter.
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