Spectral Science: Visions of the World Beyond

Ghosts and ghouls, specters and séances—these visions and portals to “the other world” have long captivated the human imagination. While it is often said that “seeing is believing,” what happens when the art of spectacle defies visual comprehension? In the Victorian Era (1837–1901), people were unsettled by the implications of new discoveries around the forces of electricity and magnetism—and the previously invisible worlds revealed by microscopes and telescopes. 

As new devices opened up worlds beyond normal human perception, these technologies, as well as audio and optical illusions, were used for entertainment and outright fraud. They even tricked Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, the most rational of fictional detectives. The era’s tensions between skepticism and belief, science and spectacle also became part of a marketing strategy for magicians, who leveraged deeply rooted fears found in folklore and mythology while bridging the modern age with their use of marvelous new methods of visualization and amusement.

This exhibition explores the complex interplay between science, illusion, and popular belief in the supernatural. It features charlatans who were willing to exploit fascination with the unseen, as well as professional magicians like Harry Houdini who were keen to debunk the paranormal—foreshadowing how society grapples today with digital fakery. The materials on display come from private collectors, the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle, the Society of American Magicians, and USC Libraries Special Collections.