- This event has passed.
(SOLD OUT) Feminism and Fortune Telling: Women of the Lower East Side Trolley Tour
October 25th , 10:00am – 12:00pm
Long before psychic infomercials and hotlines became all the rage, individuals seeking love advice or answers to life’s questions went to visit working-class fortune tellers in New York’s Lower East Side. In 1857, humor writer Mortimer Thomson (1831–1875)—using the pseudonym Q. K. Philander Doesticks—published a series of exposés in which he labeled these women “witches,” leading to arrests and public intrigue.
Price: $30, and $24 for members
(see details below)
On this trolley tour, we’ll delve into the complicated and peculiar life of Thomson, who crusaded against these clairvoyants. We’ll also discuss the practice and influence of spiritualism and fortune telling on the lives of these working women and how they unexpectedly ended up at the center of the era’s most sensational stories.
This tour will be led by Marie Carter, tour guide with Boroughs of the Dead and author of Mortimer and the Witches: A History of Nineteenth-Century Fortune Tellers.
Please note that if only 1 ticket shows as available during the purchase process, that is the last ticket available.
Before Purchasing A Ticket, Please Note:
- Tickets: There is no need to print tickets! Attendees will be checked in by name.
- Where To Go: Check-in takes place at the trolley, located by the Gothic Arch near the Main Entrance at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street (500 25th Street).
- Accessibility & Safety: The Green-Wood trolley is wheelchair-accessible and ADA compliant. However, please note that some stops where you may get off the trolley are not ADA accessible. Before reserving tickets, we encourage visitors to contact our staff with any questions regarding accommodations and accessibility for trolley tours. In order to accommodate a wheelchair or other mobility aid on the trolley, arrangements must be made in advance. Please call 718-210-3080, ext. 1, or email events@green-wood.com.
- A Little More About Safety: Unless there is a medical emergency, it may be difficult to exit quickly during the tour. Please consider these limitations before purchasing tickets. This tour is not recommended for children under the age of 10.
- Refunds: All ticket sales are final. Refunds are only permissible if the tour is canceled by Green-Wood. Tickets cannot be exchanged for a different tour date.
- Inclement Weather Policy: We monitor weather conditions throughout the day for the best chance of proceeding with the tour, and will not make a final decision until approximately 3 hours before the start of the tour. Cancellations will be announced via Eventbrite email blasts, so check your email and spam folders.
Not a Member?
Click here for all of our membership levels and information.
Already a Member?
Click the gray tickets button to activate the Eventbrite pop-up, then click Enter promo code. Type in your ID number and apply your discount.
Questions?
Don’t know your Member ID number? Not sure which ticket or membership type to order? Call 718-210-3080 or email contactus@green-wood.com with any questions.
Green-Wood’s public programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, as well as the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.