David Duguid (February 10, 1832 – March 14, 1907) was a Scottish

spiritualist Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century The ''long nineteenth century'' i ...

medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation *Medium bomber, a class of war plane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium of ...

and Glasgow

cabinet-maker A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves and/or drawers for storing or displaying items. Some cabinets are stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood (s ...

by trade.

Career

Duguid was born in

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...

. He worked as a cabinet-maker as a young man. He began his interest in spiritualism in 1866 by attending

table-turning Table-turning (also known as table-tapping, table-tipping or table-tilting) is a type of séance in which participants sit around a table, place their hands on it, and wait for rotations. The table was purportedly made to serve as a means of comm ...

experiments. He later took up mediumship and

spirit photography Spirit photography (also called ghost photography) is a type of photography whose primary goal is to capture images of ghosts and other spiritual Non-physical entity, entities, especially in ghost hunting. It dates back to the late 19th century. ...

. He was also known for his automatic drawings and paintings, which impressed the psychical researcher Edward Trusted Bennett. However, in 1878,

Frank Podmore Frank Podmore (5 February 1856 – 14 August 1910) was an English author, and founding member of the Fabian Society. He is best known as an influential member of the Society for Psychical Research and for his sceptical writings on spiritualism. ...

attended a séance of Duguid and strongly suspected that he had cheated by using a card that had already been painted. In 1892, Duguid was tested in Glasgow and London by John Traill Taylor, editor of the ''

British Journal of Photography The ''British Journal of Photography'' (BJP) is a magazine about photography, published by 1854 Media. It includes in-depth articles, profiles of photographers, analyses, and technological reviews. History The magazine was established in Liverpo ...

''. Extra figures appeared on the camera plates. Taylor noted that the figures were "vile" looking but offered no explanation for their origin. His spirit photography was exposed when it was revealed he had used paper with chemically bleached-out images on them, and during his

séance A séance or seance (; ) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word ''séance'' comes from the French word for "session", from the Old French ''seoir'', "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, spe ...

s would secretly press the paper against a blotter dampened with a developing solution.

Harry Price Harry Price (17 January 1881 – 29 March 1948) was a British psychic researcher and author, who gained public prominence for his investigations into psychical phenomena and exposing fraudulent spiritualist mediums. He is best known for ...

wrote that Duguid "was caught cheating over and over again. One of his 'extras', a 'Cyprian priestess', was found to be a facsimile of a German picture." In 1905, Duguid was exposed in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

when he was searched and small

oil painting Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of ...

s were found in his trousers.Tabori, Paul. (1966). ''Harry Price: The Biography of a Ghost-Hunter''. Living Books. p. 27

Publications

''Hafed, Prince of Persia: His Experiences in Earth-Life and Spirit-Life''
(1876)

ith Hay Nisbet The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...

br>''Hermes, a Disciple of Jesus: His Life and Missionary Work''
(1888)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duguid, David 1832 births 1907 deaths People from Dunfermline Scottish fraudsters Scottish spiritual mediums Drawing mediums 19th-century Scottish businesspeople

Career

Publications

See also

References