William Hope (1863-1933) was a British photographer, considered one of the pioneers of spirit photography. A carpenter by trade, he began his career around 1905, founding the Crewe Circle, a group of spiritualist enthusiasts. His fame grew exponentially after the First World War, when many grieving people sought comfort in his images, which depicted the living alongside supposed apparitions of the deceased. Among his most fervent supporters was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Hope's work, however, was the subject of great controversy. In 1922, the paranormal investigator Harry Price, on behalf of the Society for Psychical Research, formally accused him of fraud, demonstrating how he used techniques such as double exposure and plate substitution to create the supernatural effects. Despite the overwhelming evidence, Hope continued to be revered by many believers until his death, remaining an emblematic and debated figure in the history of spiritualism.