The University of Southern California (USC) has extended its exhibit on the interplay between science, illusion, and popular belief in the supernatural during the Victorian era. The installation is titled Spectral Science: Visions of the World Beyond and features over 100 artifacts, including some from the William W. Larsen Memorial Library, housed at The Magic Castle, and the SAM.
The items are meant to examine the notion of the otherworldly and the expansiveness of human imagination. To that end, viewers will see curated displays centered on séances, how early discoveries in electricity and magnetism broadened the world’s understanding of what was possible, the rise of the spiritualism movement, and how many of the spiritualists’ methods became part of magic performances.
Some of the items on display include numerous magic posters, several rare books that outline methods used by magicians and spiritualists of the time, the séance boards used by Bess Houdini, and a magic lantern.
Spectral Science is in the Treasure Room at the Doheny Memorial Library on USC’s downtown LA campus until June 22, 2025. It is free and open to the public, although guests visiting USC’s campus will first have to register for parking on the main USC website (the two closest parking structures are on McCarthy Way and Royal Street).
The library is open every day except Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., except on Fridays when it closes at 5:00 p.m. It will take about 30 minutes to an hour to walk through and enjoy the magic. You can book tickets on the USC website and register as a USC visitor here.
All photos courtesy of USC