Patreon Exclusive - T. G. Hamilton's Ectoplasmic Photography

Unsolved Canadian Mysteries

In the early 20th century, as the world grappled with the profound loss caused by World War I and the Spanish Influenza pandemic, one Canadian couple sought to bridge the gap between the living and the dead. Thomas Glendenning Hamilton, a respected physician and member of Manitoba's Legislative Assembly, and his wife Lillian May Hamilton, turned to the unknown in search of answers. Their experiments with séances and ectoplasmic photography would become some of the most famous—and controversial—paranormal investigations in Canadian history.

The Hamiltons' journey into the supernatural began in 1919, following the death of their young son during the influenza pandemic. Overcome with grief, T. G. Hamilton remembered a conversation he'd had with a colleague years earlier about a psychic in the United States who claimed to communicate with the dead. Desperate for answers, the Hamiltons decided to explore spiritualism themselves.

Their early experiments were modest—sessions with a Ouija board in the dim light of their Winnipeg home. But as time passed, their practices became more elaborate. They installed multiple cameras around their séance room to capture any possible paranormal activity. What they documented shocked even the most skeptical observers.

The photographs the Hamiltons produced showed ghostly figures, floating faces, and strange, web-like substances emerging from the mouths and noses of their séance participants. This material, known as ectoplasm, was said to be a physical manifestation of spiritual energy. In one particularly famous image, a veil-like substance appears to extend from a medium's mouth, forming what some claim is the face of a deceased relative.

The Hamilton séances attracted widespread attention. Prominent figures from across North America, including politicians, academics, and authors, attended the sessions to witness the phenomenon firsthand. Even former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, who had his own interest in spiritualism, took notice of the Hamiltons' work.

Yet, the legitimacy of ectoplasmic photography remains highly debated. Many spiritualists at the time were exposed as frauds, often using cheesecloth, gauze, or other materials to mimic ectoplasm. However, no conclusive evidence of deception was ever found in the Hamiltons' case. Their meticulous documentation, scientific approach, and insistence on multiple witnesses at every séance set them apart from many of their contemporaries.

Skeptics argue that the photographs are likely the result of clever manipulation, misinterpretation, or the power of suggestion. Supporters, however, point to the consistency of the images and the detailed records kept by the Hamiltons. The paranormal community continues to study these photographs, some of which are now housed in archives at the University of Manitoba.

Was T. G. Hamilton truly able to document the physical manifestations of the afterlife? Or were his photographs elaborate illusions, fueled by the couple’s grief and the societal fascination with spiritualism during that era?

Join us as we examine the strange case of T. G. Hamilton's Ectoplasmic Photography in our latest episode of Unsolved Canadian Mysteries, available now on Spotify and YouTube.