Manchester, 1920s
MS SPR Museum/Trumpet
By kind permission of the Society for Psychical Research

In a ‘trumpet séance’ a spirit trumpet, such as this one, is placed on a table. The medium and those attending the séance take their seats. Once all light is extinguished the trumpet, made visible by rings of luminous paint or tape, appears to rise from the table and float around the room emitting ‘spirit voices’ and, if occasion demands, exuding ectoplasm. Spirit trumpets could be made of metal, but this example, ‘The “Two Worlds” “ideal” luminous trumpet for the development of “voice phenomena” and mediumship’, is made of cardboard. The marks at either end show where the luminous tape was once adhered. It was manufactured in the 1920s by The Two Worlds Publishing Co. Ltd. of Manchester, who also made other apparatus for communicating with spirits, including ‘The “Two Worlds” specially magnetised magic crystal’.