These hoaxes leave a little to be desired. The pictures are still pretty creepy, though.
Photos of séances from the 1930s are to go under the hammer at Swann Auction Galleries.
Swann Auction Galleries / Via catalogue.swanngalleries.com
Séances were popular after the First World War, a time when millions of families were grieving.
Swann Auction Galleries / Via catalogue.swanngalleries.com
These photos were taken by Scottish brothers Craig and George Falconer, a pair of con artists who regularly duped the public with ghosts made out of materials like cotton wool and paper.
Swann Auction Galleries / Via catalogue.swanngalleries.com
Spectators at the séances also took part in the photographic process: loading film, shooting pictures, processing prints.
Swann Auction Galleries / Via catalogue.swanngalleries.com
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