The Bangs Sisters and Precipitated Paintings

May and Lizzie Bangs were from Chicago USA on the shores of Lake Michigan. They had many psychic gifts developing from the time they were small children but the painting did not become known until 1894.
But the description of these is to be found in other articles in the old Noah’s Ark Society Journals for 1997 Jan – July and The Zerdin Buzzsheet Oct 2006. as well as on the web.

May and Lizzie Bangs – ‘Mediums Extraordinaire’

Here is the description of how a painting was formed, written by John S. King, M.D. from his book ‘Dawn of the Awakened Mind’. King was the Founder and President of the Canadian Society of Psychical Research and a close correspondent of WT Stead, who was lost in the Titanic disaster on his way to meet King in the hope of getting Jonson, the materialisation medium, to go to England.

“THE PROCESS OF SPIRIT PAINTING
“The day was fine and beautiful, that is the sun shone bright, the time between one and two pm., the 27th April, 1912. The twin houses of the Bangs sisters had undergone artistic renovation; and paper, paint and varnish of human selection, had been employed by skilled renovators and decorators. The room, a southern one, had but a single window, but it was bare of blinds and curtains, no pictures on the wall, no bric-a-brac about, no chair or seat or furniture at all; the room contained but odour, light and air, as we entered in; and as the sisters worked at replenishing, I watched, to learn just what was necessary, before we settled down. A light and empty table was first brought in, and placed near the only window, at the southern side of the room; and next were placed three common chairs, on three sides of the table, the east and west for them and the northern one for me. The pastelles, cards, or canvasses, or whatsoever their name, which were prepared, or stretched or mounted on wooden frame or rack, were next brought in, some six or eight; and placed at western side, and northern end of room. There were no spirits in sight, nor smiling angel forms, and no other articles in view, save a dark coloured curtain, and its purpose will be made known soon. So the work of preparation was now nearly through, and as there was no darkness, and therefore vision clear, I was permitted to make my own selection of the necessary two canvasses, out of the group before alluded to; and such I brought as I selected them; and the bright light of day was shining in on them, and also through them, for they were not opaque. The position in which they were placed may be thus specialized.
The two blank canvasses, clean and pure white, which I had selected were placed on the table, back to back, the two frames together meeting in their whole circumference; thus with the canvasses completing the walls of a cavity, like with the two slates for spirit writing is produced a cabinet of small degree, and so by aid of this unique cabinet, Hermes (a spirit) is able, as ruler of the power of levitation, to utilize the elements, which may be rightly called the pigments, or colouring of clay, in accord with the design of the spirit-picture artist, architect or designer Rembrandt.
The canvasses, as I have described them above, were placed between the window, and myself, about the centre of the little table. The upper corners East and West were held in close apposition, after the bottom margins had been so placed by the sisters. The upper corner of the canvasses on my right, at the Western end, first placed in close juxtaposition, was so held by the thumb and finger of the one sister's right hand; while the other used her left, and did the same at the corner nearest her, while she sat at the eastern end; so that each of them had one hand free, but in my sight were both of them quite constantly.
The question arises in the mind, as to why this is done. I may answer briefly there are but three reasons which occurred to me, the one as I have explained was to keep the two frames in apposition, thus to create a cavity or cabinet; another to keep them both erect, for it was evident they would not stand alone; and as to the second hand of each, it was constantly within the angle of my vision. By some it is asserted, that there is a reason third, which is claimed to be important, and is said to be no less than a psychic current force, running from the living mediums to the inorganic base, on which appears the picture. As to the curtain I referred to, I have this to say, the window did need it not, and with it was made a border at the top and sides, to help to concentrate the light and power upon the base, which was fitted to the frames; so that the various colours of the pigments, as they came in waves from the bottom towards the top, were made by contrast so much more clear or visible. I hope the reader will comprehend the true situation of the sitting psychics to the small improvised cabinet; and I wish such to be assured, that my description is a truthful delineation so far as I am concerned.
I learned from one of the sisters, that the spirit artist was alleged to be no lesser one than the famous Rembrandt, at least most generally; though at rare intervals, some special pictures were said to be the work of Raphael.
I was and am satisfied, that it was quite impossible for a skilful conjuror, or artist in legerdemain, to work a chance to deceive my experienced eye on this occasion, for I may enlighten readers by telling them, that I have been a confidential guest, right on the stage with the best of them, to witness the wizard acts devised by them and am not therefore gullible. But to resume as there appeared to be no more to do, we took our seats in the positions I have specified. The room was light, as I have said, and my sight was clear, and believe me true, that I always was a critic most skeptical, and never credulous, and harboured doubt, until I could no longer entertain it, for I had a mind my own, and quality of great activity; and now was my supreme opportunity to detect a fraud, if such existed.
I have in mind the one I want, I said, for such can read my thoughts and if the work be done by spirit true, 'twill come just as I now desire; and so I looked upon these two sisters, and quiet sat, with watch in hand to note the time, which was halfway between one and two; and gave my strict attention alternately to hands and arms of sisters both, and canvas before my face; and all within the area of the angle of my central fixed vision; while I felt a glow of subconscious knowledge elevating, which seemed to indicate, as if by intuition, that he, my friend Stead, was now coming; and I gazed most critically upon the pure white canvas, with full light of day on front and back of it, and watching from my favoured position each change, however slight, in motion or position of the psychic sisters; and I was as well extremely quiet, and motionless and listening, and could have almost heard the flappings of the wings of a butterfly in air, or the breathing of a humming bird, as I was constantly on the qui-vive of great expectancy; and so anxiously watched for the slightest indication of the work of spirit artist, no matter what moment, nor in what position it might appear.
Very presently just two feet in front of me, I noticed beginning change, from clear white light on surface of the canvas, to that less clear, and on from that to faint shadow, slight evidence of waves of colour, mixing with the shadow, and all in motion, like small wavelets, or ripples on an almost placid lake; and creeping, or rather rolling upwards, one after another, in orderly succession, as if striving slowly to attain the top; and then a portion in one place would deepen in shade, making form; and this with other delineations came into view, and slowly filling in with light, or darkness here or there, and colors more and more in evidence, along with apparent movement, and eyes forming, as if closed in sleep; and as the picture finished, the eyes were widely open, as in wake from sleep, or to emphasize Dawn of (his) Awakened Mind, and before me, as natural as he could be, I saw and recognized the face of William T. Stead, who wrote through the Human-Psychic-Telephone, near Buffalo, at 4.30 pm., 18th April, that he would try and show himself to me; and who that same night at 10 pm. came from the cabinet at Jonson's in Toledo, western side of Ohio State; in transient body, clothed as he is in this spirit picture of him, and crossed the room to me, to prove as he has once more done, that he, my friend and co-worker, in human life, still lives and returns, and thus proves continuity. He surely fulfilled his promise to meet me in Chicago.
On the following day another message came from [Stead via ] the same source, hundreds of miles distant, and from it I also quote:
“Well brother King, be sure I'll bring you every proof I can (prediction). I am glad the artist of Bangs sisters pictured me.
When the picture was shown to a cousin of Stead’s he replied
“I do not consider either the picture or photograph to be a faithful likeness of my late cousin, although there is a very strong suggestion of his face, in both of them, particularly in the expression about the eyes, and in the firm set of the mouth. I may further say that the moment I saw the large picture, I knew at once it was, or at least was intended to be, one of my late cousin.”
But later when Stead came to me accompanied by Julia Ames, his guide, in the séance held by Mrs. Wells, he appeared with features more nearly resembling the photograph than the spirit painting; while elsewhere in the book he (Stead) especially calls my attention to the fact that he so appeared to illustrate that his features at that time were correct on the photograph, just as at the present time his features are equally true to the complete spirit painting. JSK]

W.T.Stead


Many of the descriptions are on these same lines but space curtails description and the pictures are more important. I apologise for the strong blue cast in many but the are taken from amateur colour photos taken over 12 years ago and the lighting in the gallery has rendered many of them so. in others you can see what vibrant colours have been used.

The Alford Portraits

These are two of the most extraordinary spirit portraits received through the Bangs Sisters’ mediumship.
Before a large audience in the Camp Chesterfield Auditorium, August 1911, a plain canvas was placed on an easel, which was examined by a committee who attested that it had no marking or painting of any kind, nor signs of chemical treatment. Tickets were given at the door and the number drawn belonged to Alice Alford. Mrs Alford and her husband went to the rostrum to sit for the portrait which was done in 22 minutes. The coloured picture is the first phase of precipitation. The second picture is the second later phase of precipitation of the portrait. She has a teardrop necklace around her neck and a little bunch of flowers near the neckline, and she is looking more to the right. The mother wore hidden from sight around her neck a locket containing a photograph of her daughter almost a double in likeness of the picture obtained. She wished to have the necklace precipitated on to Audrey’s portrait. (Unfortuately we do not have it in colour.)

Years later when the portrait was donated to the Gallery at Camp Chesterfield, where it now hangs the necklace and the flowers disappeared. They were meant just for her parents while the portrait hung in their house in Marion, Indiana.

Another case of things changing on the pictures is in the one of Dulcie, the Spirit Guide of Rev Anna Throndsen the staff medium at Camp Chesterfield from 1900 until she passed; the pearls around Dulcie's neck appeared after the portrait had been taken home.

Some of the portraits are very large and the colours are stunning. The flesh tones vary considerably. See those of the two Indian girls and compare them with Leolyn Pettingill and the girl with no name.

Smart Weed –the portrait is over 5feet high with a wonderful background of woodland, roses and marble balustrade .

Blossom - with the beautiful yellow chamois like tunic and lighter skin.

Leolyn Pettingill is fair skinned, shrouded within a mist with a white rose in her hair. Her portrait was painted under test conditions in the hotel at Lilydale which was then named after her.

The Girl with no name - whose blue eyes, says Riley Heagerty, seemed to follow him where ever he went in the Hett Gallery at Camp Chesterfield in Indiana. He had a feeling that she was irritated because she was the only one with no name against her picture so he named her 'Emily' in honour of Emily French, the American direct voice medium.

This full length portrait of Emily Carson who was the first wife of Dr Carson and the detail in the lace of the dress must be a marvel to the visitors to the Gallery but only partially glimpsed here. The photos had to be taken at an angle to prevent the flash reflecting in the lens and obscuring the picture.

This is a portrait of Alex Park McKee received at a public demonstration in the auditorium at Camp Chesterfield in the early 1900s. He was a founder and early member of the camp.

This picture is of an unknown boy but he is so alive and you can imagine the feeling of the family would be like this one in letter from an relative of another family who wrote- “His mother readily recognized the spirit picture as a true likeness of her boy as he appeared just before he passed out. It proves to us that our boy still lives and is with us the same as when in earthly form.


Dr Daughtery went for a sitting with the Bangs Sisters in the early 1920s to get a portrait of his wife in Spirit and he asked when it was done why his twin daughters had not been able to come and they appeared in front of their mother. Dr Daughtery himself then appeared on the canvas proving that the person did not have to be in spirit to be portrayed.