In the very late 19th- and early 20th- centuries, the Spiritualist movement had a strong influence in Western Europe and the United States. Many adherents believed that spiritual mediums could guide listeners in conversations among the living and dead during seances. One of the oddest components of these otherworldly gatherings was a substance called ectoplasm, which mediums claimed to be able to materialize out of a spiritual dimension. Ectoplasm was said to evaporate when brought into contact with light, and so seances producing ectoplasm emphasized a need for dimness. This probably explains why so many wishful participants didn’t recognize that ectoplasm was a hoax: often made of cheesecloth or muslin fabric, mediums would hide it in their thighs or cheeks. The medium featured here is regurgitating ectoplasm through her mouth. One medium was found to be storing it in his rectum. I hope that the seance attendees didn’t have to smell that ungodly material!
