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BISHOP, Washington Irving (1855–89).W. IRVING BISHOP, THE WORLD RENOWNED ANTI-SPIRITIST IN HIS ORIGINAL AND STARTLING LIGHT SÉANCE. (Philadelphia, 1877). Pictorial advertising brochure for Bishop’s appearance at the Association Hall of Philadelphia where, in full light, he will read sealed letters, levitate, materialize ghosts, and perform feats of “mental telegraphy.” Handsome engraved image of Bishop presenting a séance, and surrounded by vignettes to verso. Small folio. Separations repaired with Japan, one corner chipped away, fair condition. RARE. See Learned Pigs & Fireproof Women, page 173.
The end of Bishop’s life was perhaps as mysterious as his performances. After falling into a cataleptic trance-like state, he was presumed dead, and an autopsy was performed, which prematurely ended his life. A fuller description of Bishop’s bizarre end is addressed in Chapter 11 of Learned Pigs, “A Few Words about Death and Showbiz: Washington Irving Bishop, J. Randall Brown, and the Origins of Modern Mind Reading.”