SEZEMSKÝ, Karel (ed.).

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Kresby medijní ("Mediumistic Drawings"). First and only edition compiled by the leading Czech spiritualist of the era. Sezemský presented spiritualism not merely as a religious belief, but as a rational investigation of unseen forces, combining séances and occult philosophy with projects of social and moral renewal. These psychic drawings were created by "mostly uneducated people, craftsmen, and workers" (p. 2, our translation).Deeply involved in both the practical organization and literary culture of spiritualism, Sezemský (1860-1936) founded the Fraternal Association of Czechoslovak Spiritualists and edited the magazine Posel záhrobní ("Afterlife Messenger"). He promoted the movement widely through frequent public lectures, including at the first congress of spiritualists in Prague in 1895, and his publishing house produced more than 200 occult works. He also sought to establish a spiritualist commune with magnetic baths in the woods near Štikov, Nová Paka. Although he faced too much opposition from the authorities for this to come to fruition, he nevertheless successfully established the town as a hub of spiritualism; to this day, its museum has a strong collection of mediumistic and psychic art. One of the artists included in the collection is the train conductor Jan Tonna, who, "like many other spiritualists who were also railway employees, had the opportunity to spread the ideas of spiritualism and literature among passengers" (Bařina, our translation). His artwork "con

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