03: Ghostly Exposure

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⚠️ Listener Discretion Advised: This episode discusses themes of death, including child mortality and era-specific religious beliefs. Listener discretion is advised.

Step back in time as we explore one of the most hauntingly intimate traditions of the Victorian era: postmortem and spirit photography. In this chilling episode, we peer into a time when families memorialized their loved ones not just in portraits of the living, but in final images of the dead. Discover how technological innovation, religious beliefs, and grief collided to create a tradition that is both unsettling and deeply human.

We’ll uncover:

• The birth of postmortem photography and its ties to infant mortality and working-class grief
• Spirit photography and the ghostly rise (and fall) of William Mumler
• The chilling 1919 photograph that may have captured the ghost of Freddy Jackson
• Why were these photos more than macabre—they were acts of love and remembrance

🔮 Whether you're a believer in the beyond or just intrigued by eerie history, this episode will have you second-guessing the next old photo you stumble across…

Want to See the Photos?Check out our Instagram page ⁠@letstalkspookypodcast⁠ to view some of the images discussed in the episode, including the ghostly figure believed to be Freddy Jackson. Got your own eerie photo or family ghost story? Tag us or send it in—you might hear it featured in a future episode!

Sources & Further Reading:

• Victorian Visual Culture Blog: ⁠Photos of the Dead⁠
• BBC News: ⁠Freddy Jackson’s Ghost Photo⁠
• Stanley & Wise, “The Domestication of Death” (JSTOR)
• ⁠YouTube: Spirit Photography Short⁠
• Slate: ⁠Spirit Photography and Child Mortality⁠

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