Feminism and Fortune Telling: Women of the Lower East Side Trolley Tour

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.

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 Your 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 [email protected].
• 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.

Host or Publisher The Green-Wood Historic Fund