The Psychic Detective

Growing up in New York in the early years of the 20th century, Rose Mackenberg, like many others, had developed a belief in mystics, mediums and fortune tellers in light of the devastating impact of the First World War and the flu pandemic. However, as a private detective she became aware of how such beliefs could be manipulated by trickery when she started investigating a ‘spirit fraud’ for one of her clients. After impressing Harry Houdini with her rigorous work on the case, she was invited to become one of his undercover psychic investigators.

Mackenberg was then dispatched to towns and cities across the US to investigate cases of psychic fraud. She developed a method where she would observe the characteristics of the women most likely to attend a sitting in a particular area, and then create a character and pseudonym based on those observations. She would then attend local séances in disguise, often playing the role of the vulnerable grieving widow. By playing out these fake identities she was able to gather evidence that led to convictions of blackmail, robbery and murder. She was using deceptive techniques to reveal malign 'first-order' deceptions.

In this case study we focus on a lengthy article written in 1939 by Mackenberg about some of her adventures in the Sunday supplement The American Weekly where she details in lurid fashion some of her most famous cases. We've also produced a podcast that reflects on the revelatory nature and ethics of Mackenberg's approach.