攝影家威廉 (William H. Mumler) 在1861年發現他製作出的相片中有第2個人影出現,他發現這是個沖洗過程中的漏洞,不過他知道這能帶來商機,於是他開始在不同照片背景中疊加不同人影,就像不同靈魂出現在照片中一樣,並聲稱自己有靈魂攝影術。
![Up to that point, Mumler had little to no known attachment to paranormal activity.](http://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/577e65de47c0e.png)
其實他原先的工作是一位銀飾雕刻家,在沖洗出“靈魂照片”前根本也不是專業攝影師。
![And he didn't even delve into photography until after he worked as a silver engraver for a few years.](http://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/577e65df47193.png)
有天當他在沖洗自己的照片時,發現照片中有了第2張臉。
![As he was developing a self-portrait one day, he noticed that fateful second face in the image.](http://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/577e65dfdc733.png)
很快他就發現這是個新手才會犯得錯誤,不過他卻對外聲稱後面的人影是屬於他逝去的表親,他跟他的“靈魂攝影術”跟攝影室很快就紅遍波士頓。
![Quickly flipping the script on what was probably a rookie mistake, he claimed that the face belong to his deceased cousin. After that, "spirits" started showing up in more and more photos.](http://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/577e65e0d6b11.png)
這樣的靈魂照越來越多。
![Conveniently enough, the receptionist at the studio moonlighted as a medium. With a little support on her part, Mumler's technique turned into a full-fledged phenomenon in Boston.](http://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/577e65e1be120.png)
在這個時期的階段,神秘主義仍然盛行。
![National acclaim soon followed. At that point in history, mysticism was on its way to being a prevailing school of thought over rationalism.](http://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/577e65e2876a3.png)
這些靈魂照片剛好出現在最對的時間。
![For that reason, spirit photography could not have come about at a more appropriate time.](http://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/577e65e361fa8.png)
也因為如此,人們只憑著眼見的神秘的現象就一昧得跟隨,並沒有追求其他證據。
![Because objective truth was not held in high regard in mystic circles, people rode the waves of this bizarre phenomenon without a shred of evidence in sight.](http://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/577e65e44b5cd.png)
1869年當威廉的技術傳到紐約之時,踢到了法治的大鐵板。
![When Mumler made his way to New York City in 1869, however, a legal wrench was thrown in the gears.](http://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/577e65e501369.png)
當時市長對這樣的現象一點也不熱衷,並偷偷派了記者偽裝成顧客到威廉的攝影室。
![The mayor wasn't exactly enthused about the situation, so he sent a reporter into Mumler's shop disguised as a client.](http://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/577e65e5d644a.png)
結果發現威廉洗出的照片中的靈魂根本是還在世的人。
![After the photo was taken and Mumler added an additional face, he released it and claimed that the figure was the subject's late father-in-law. There was just one problem with that.](http://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/577e65e69f8be.png)
只是因為出現在背後的靈魂往往模糊不清,才被拿來魚目混珠。
![His father-in-law was very much alive at the time, which meant that Mr. Mayor received a detailed report of the photographer's fraudulent ways.](http://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/577e65e77ce6a.png)
他最後在法庭判決中因為缺乏證據而被無罪釋放。
![That landed the artist in court, but he was eventually acquitted for lack of evidence and testimony.](http://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/577e65e84c12e.png)
這場官司當然毀了他在紐約的事業,不過他仍然在波士頓一些迷信族群中享有名氣。
![Although that dealt a crushing blow to his New York business, he was still revered in mystic communities in Boston.](http://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/577e65e902350.png)
不過過沒多久理性風氣漸盛,他的攝影術也就趨沒落了。
![But after a while, the Spiritualist movement -- the same one that accelerated Mumler's rise to fame -- folded. Needless to say, that wasn't good for business.](http://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/577e65ea1008a.png)
雖然威廉一度在攝影業中引起騷動,不過在官司後他的生意就越來越差,他最後於1884年逝世。
![William Mumler died completely destitute in 1884.](http://teepr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/577e65eadce37.png)
來源:Viralnova
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