Out of the Shadows

March 15, 2021
How spiritualism and the occult lit a path to fame and influence. Co-author of a study of women's literary friendships, Midorikawa follows up with lively portraits of six mid-19th-century spiritualists who faced down derision to become significant advocates of women's rights. American sisters Kate, Maggie, and Leah Fox were notorious--and, for a time, highly paid--spiritualists who conveyed messages from the dead through mysterious knocks. From humble beginnings in upstate New York, the Foxes inaugurated the modern spiritualist movement, traveling the world demonstrating their powers. They were repeatedly investigated by skeptics, including committees who strip-searched them, which Leah once described as "very insulting and even violent." Emma Hardinge, a British woman who started out as a singer and actor, was drawn into the Orphic Circle, a group of aristocratic men who conducted experiments "through the mirror and crystal," assisted by various "young ladies" who underwent a trance state during the tests. Although initially skeptical, Hardinge discovered her talents as a medium--and public speaker. Touring the U.S., she became a popular orator, supporting Lincoln's candidacy for president, offering a eulogy after his assassination, raising funds for Union soldiers, and lecturing on the rights of women. Ohio-born Victoria Woodhull, who, like Hardinge, offered "the soothing balm" of connection to Civil War dead, found her fame as a spiritualist enhanced by the attentions of shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt. As his prot�g�e, Woodhull amassed considerable wealth and established her own brokerage firm. A passionate champion of female enfranchisement and free love, Woodhull announced her candidacy for president in 1872. Georgina Weldon, a spiritualist whose husband wanted her declared insane, became a prominent spokesperson for reform of Britain's "lunacy laws." Hailed by fellow spiritualists, the women were at times mocked, thwarted, and even imprisoned by those who tried to silence them. Drawing on archival material and contemporary accounts of the women's personal and professional entanglements, Midorikawa briskly recounts their eventful lives, accomplishing the goal inherent in the book's title. A well-researched, fresh contribution to women's history.

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April 1, 2021
In the Victorian era, playing with Ouija boards and Tarot cards was all the rage on both sides of the Atlantic, with even the young queen herself participating in s�ance-like party games. Death rates were high, especially among children, fostering the need to feel some connection to the dead. Midorikawa (A Secret Sisterhood, 2017) presents the stories of six female spiritualists and the incredible impact that they had on society and politics. The three Fox sisters, Emma Hardinge, Victoria Woodhull, and Georgina Weldon were each able to thwart norms and live relatively independent and financially lucrative lives. They interacted with some of the important men of the day, like Horace Greeley and Cornelius Vanderbilt, and were part of a circle of leading suffragists. After a time, spiritualism fizzled as inexplicably as it arose. The author does an excellent job of characterizing the social milieu and constraints that these women were subject to, though the validity of the spiritualist process is not addressed. This well-researched book offers insight into a unique niche of women's history, and would be a worthy addition to most libraries.

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April 2, 2021

When sisters Maggie and Kate Fox claimed to have made contact with spirits in their rural New York home, they gave rise to the 19th-century Spiritualist movement and created a craze for seances, table rapping, and trance lecturing that swept the U.S. and Europe. According to Midorikawa, the Spiritualist movement gave some of its many women participants the chance to have their voices heard publicly. This enjoyable group biography presents Maggie and Kate, along with Leah Fox (their sister), Emma Hardinge Britten, Victoria Woodhull, and Georgina Weldon, as examples of Spiritualism's role in first-wave feminism. The book argues that in an era resistant to women's independence, these women's presence in the Spiritualist community, and their purported abilities as mediums who could receive otherworldly wisdom, allowed them to overcome some gender ineqities and establish themselves as businesswomen, social advocates, and figures of worldwide acclaim. Midorikawa focuses her text on the women's personal histories and activities before and during their Spiritualist phases. She only briefly touches on aspects of their later lives, including Woodhull's fervent eugenicist beliefs and the Fox sisters eventually confessing to fraud. VERDICT Brisk and entertaining, this biography should draw the attention of readers interested in the social effects of the Spiritualist movement, or in 19th-century women's history.--Kathleen McCallister, William & Mary Libs., Williamsburg, VA

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