When radio took off in the 20th century so did the belief that the airwaves offered the chance to communicate with spirits – an anxiety that cast a shadow over radio’s inception story and still endures with new technological advancements today.

The photographer for this image is Frederick Hudson (1818-1889). It was taken in Hudson's studios in Kensington Park, London in the 1870s.

The man in this glass slide is William Terry (1836-1913), leader of the Victorian Spiritualist movement in Australia.

The photographer is Frederick Hudson (1818-1889). The image was taken in Hudson's studios in Kensington Park, London in the 1870s.