Kearney Public Library and UNK-History Department welcome you to the History Brown Bag lunch series Wednesday, October 12 from noon -1:00 pm. April White will present “Welcoming the Uninvited: Victorian Era Spiritualism, Séances, and Charlatans”.
One of the more fascinating cultural characteristics from the Victorian Era encompassed an obsession with death and the afterlife. While many concepts grew in popularity as a result of this phenomenon - deathbeds, lockets of hair, memento mori photographs - none quite captured their macabre desire to communicate with lost loved ones like a good, old-fashioned séance. This talk will discuss how Victorian infatuation with death sometimes manifested as séances, and consequently how many unscrupulous individuals saw them as an opportunity to make some quick cash by posing as mediums and using parlor tricks to make conceivable contact with the “other side."
April White has a Master of Arts in American History, a Bachelor of Arts in Art History, and has worked extensively at museums in the Kearney area. April currently serves as Director of the G.W. Frank Museum of History and Culture, and adjuncts part time in the UNK History Department.
This program is free and open to the public so bring your lunch and learn! This collaborative program is presented by UNK-History Department, and the Kearney Public Library. Mark your calendars for this ongoing series on November 9.