Magician’s Spirit Photograph Scares Up High Price
The Ghost Is an Illusion. The Value Isn’t.
This is the time of the year for ghost sightings, and sure enough, a photograph purportedly showing a spirit sold for a high price at a recent auction.
A sepia-tone albumen print shows a man sitting in an ornate chair, a book in his hands, facing a ghostly shrouded figure. Is it a Victorian spirit photograph? Proof of the supernatural? No, it’s one of the many great tricks by magician Ricky Jay (1946-2018), whose personal collection of over 10,000 items relating to magic, confidence games, and entertainment history sold in a series at Potter & Potter Auctions. This photograph was a highlight of the August 17 auction, the third and final in the series, where it shattered expectations by selling for $9,000 against a high presale estimate of $4,000.
Ricky Jay had a long, celebrated career as a magician, first performing on television in 1953 when he was seven. He went on to perform at venues as varied as comedy clubs and rock concerts, building a reputation for his skill as a performer and his expertise in the history of stage magic and related entertainment. A 1993 New Yorker profile called him “perhaps the most gifted sleight-of-hand artist alive.” He was also an actor and, through his firm Deceptive Practices, provided practical effects for many film and stage productions. He wrote eleven books on the history of stage magic, lectured at universities and museums, and exhibited material from his collections.
His collections included many antique books and ephemera related to magic, circuses, and other stage entertainment, but the photograph was much more recent. The man in the photograph is Mr. Jay himself, and the shrouded figure is described as a “Circassian Spirit.” The Circassians are an ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region of Europe. P.T. Barnum displayed women he claimed to be “Circassian Beauties” in his shows.
The photograph was taken (and signed) by Stephen Berkman, who, like Ricky Jay, keeps antique arts alive—or undead, as the case may be. Mr. Berkman specializes in nineteenth-century photographic techniques, often involving strange subjects or illusions. Spirit photography emerged in the Victorian era, combining new photography technology with popular spiritualist beliefs. Early photography required the subject to sit perfectly still. Any movement would result in a ghostly translucent image.
Camera technology has advanced since the 1800s, but spirit photography still has appeal, as photographs like this one show. If you would like to create your own ghostly illusions, National Parks at Night has a guide to spirit photography with modern equipment.
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