Daniel Dunglas Home
Victorian Era Physical Medium
Daniel D. Home
by
June Ponte
oil on canvas
Written (originally for my website) on June 21, 2011:
I discovered the story of D. D. Home when I found an old book in a junk store, entitled "Incidents in My Life" about ten years ago...it was Home's autobiography. As a practicing spiritualist medium, it impressed me deeply.
Home was born in Scotland in the 1800s, and many unusual incidents were recorded about his abilities as a young child. It was written that, as an infant, his cradle was rocked by unseen hands. A typical example of Home's youthful pranks: as a young boy, Home was found to be smirking in the living room, as a chair mysteriously glided about the room, scaring his sister!
Home grew up to be the most famous and skilled medium of his era. He was a physical medium, and demonstrated many powerful psychic abilities, including levitation, the ability to enable spirit voices to be heard and seen...apports (hands that materialized and disappeared), and even the elongation of his own body by nearly a foot.
Home was a sought after medium who read for royalty, scientists, authors and other famous people of his time. In December of 1868, Home was seen by a number of high society attendees at a seance, to float out of one window of the third story of a London mansion owned by Lord Lindsay, and float back in another window.
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June 21, 2011 -- It occurred to me this afternoon to write the above homage to Daniel. I was intrigued after some research, to realize that I had 'decided' to write about Daniel on his death day. After doing a little math, I discovered that today is the 125th anniversary of his death. Home died of tuberculosis on June 21, 1886, at the age of 53.
Thanks for connecting, Daniel. If anyone could make their presence known, medium to medium, it is the masterful, mystical Mr. D.D. Home.
June 30, 2011 - After this inspirational connection, I created the oil painting above in memory of Daniel D. Home.