Michelle Foot is Lecturer of Nineteenth-Century Art in the History of Art department at the University of Edinburgh, UK. She is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
This fascinating book illuminates a neglected aspect of Scottish art and society, namely the strong contribution to international Spiritualism from the middle of the 19th century onwards. Whilst Arthur Conan Doyle’s involvement is well known, the contributions of Scottish artists linked to Spiritualism are not. * Murdo Macdonald, Professor Emeritus of History of Scottish Art, University of Dundee, UK * In this rigorous and illuminating study, Foot reveals how modern spiritualism impacted Scotland’s urban, religious, and most importantly, artistic cultures in the 19th and early-20th centuries, mapping a nationally-specific current of spiritualist aesthetics within Scotland that stands dramatically apart from the movement’s reception in England. * Christine Ferguson, Professor of English, University of Stirling, UK * This is a ground-breaking study of Spiritualism and art. Its value goes way beyond its primary focus on the Scottish context. Michelle Foot’s analysis, based on an impressive knowledge of primary sources and visual material, offers new insights that will be useful to all those who are interested in the social and cultural impact of Spiritualism in the modern world. * Marco Pasi, Associate Professor, History of Hermetic philosophy, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands *