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Spirit Drawing by Wella & Pet Anderson

In the 19th century a visit to a spirit photographer was not the only way to obtain an image of your departed loved ones. Spirit artists offered drawings and paintings of those who had passed on. Wella and Pet Anderson, a husband and wife team of spirit artists, were famous for drawings they made of the departed while in a trance. Below is a carte de visite copy of their drawing of three brothers, children of R.C. & B.R. Trowbridge of Tully, New York. It was made in September, 1868. One can imagine how precious it must have been to a family that had lost three children.
As can be seen in the close-up below the boys hold pansies and morning glories. In the 19th century there was a "Language of Flowers" in which each flower had a meaning. The Pansy meant "You occupy my thoughts" and the Morning Glory meant "Affection". Also note that the buttons on the boys shirts are tiny stars. Perhaps they indicate they are in the heavens.
Below the picture of the boys is a notice that the image was copyrighted in 1868 by the father. This suggests to me that it may have been sold and not just a keepsake for the family.
*Note: In October, 2007 this section of our site was expanded and rearranged. If an image is not in an expected place, please try one of the other pages from the list below. Spirit Photographs: How our collection started/Brewster & Mumler Spirit Photographs: A Tintype Spirit Photograph *added 10/07 Spirit Photographs: Carte-de-visite spirit photographs Spirit Photographs: Carte-de-visite of a spirit drawing < You are Here *added 1/08 Spirit Photographs: Cabinet card spirit photographs Spirit Photographs: Post card spirit photographs Spirit Photographs: Post cards of unknown mediums Spirit Photographs: Doyle and the Spirits *added 10/07 Spirit Photographs: Keeler, Mail Order Spirit Photographs *added 10/07 Spirit Photographs: How to make a fake spirit photograph Spirit Photography: Bibliography & Links Related interests of the Victorian Era and early 20th century in our collection: Memento Mori - Remembering the departed: post mortem and memorial photography in the 19th and early 20th century Mesmerism - "Flint the Mesmerist" Phrenology - The study of human personality from the shape of the head Return to The Collection of Collections page Collection of Collections Site Map Contact us at studio@brightbytes.com **NOTE** All items on the Collection of Collections web site are in our private collection and are NOT for sale. From time to time duplicate items from our collection will be offered for sale in the Do You Remember This? shop on the GoAntiques cyber mall. Visit the Do You Remember This? inventory page for photographica and toaster related collectibles. Please feel free to write us if you want to chat or share information about areas we collect but we will NOT give appraisals. © Bright Bytes Studio - Do not use images without permission Added on 1/2008