[DOYLE, Arthur Conan (1859-1930)]. Original glass lantern slide signed (“Dr. A Conan Doyle”).
Overall, 3 ½ x 4”. MOUNTED SLIP SIGNED BY DOYLE, red sticker lower left; custom folding case. The image depicts a young Doyle in 1882 (see Lancelyn Green collection at Portsmouth Museum for original photograph).
Doyle, a profound believer in the existence of a spirit world, traveled around the world promoting spiritualism. His lectures led him across Great Britain, North America, and Australia. “His lectures took two forms, the photographic and the philosophical. The former consisted of a magic lantern slide show of recorded phenomena including apports and spirit photographs. Once the audience, which in those days generally believed in the veracity of the camera and considered that it could never lie, was curious and interested, the second lecture kicked in. In this, he presented the moral and ethical basis for his new religion” (Booth, The Doctor and the Detective: A Biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle). This slide is most likely from one of these lectures, presented as an introductory photograph showing the young Doyle in the early 1880s when he was a doctor in England. It was at this time that Doyle began attending séances and observing displays of psychic telepathy, automatic writing, and table tipping. Doyle became convinced that there was an unseen world out there and announced himself a Spiritualist- a belief that he devoted the better part of his time, energy and resources to, which he often described as “the most important thing in the world”. We have been unable to locate any examples of Doyle signing his name with the designation as “doctor”.