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 exposes 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 working women who desperately sought to make a living in that era and the surprising ways in which these women appeared in some of the most sensational stories of the time.

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:

• Attendees must follow ALL instructions and guidance from Cemetery staff and ambassadors.
• Tickets: There is no need to print tickets! Attendees will be checked in by name.

• Where To Go: Check-in takes place by the Gothic Arch near the Main Entrance at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street (500 25th Street).
• For Your Safety: This tour includes climbing stairs and walking on grassy and uneven terrain. We strongly encourage attendees to wear suitable footwear. Due to the nature and length of the route, this tour is not recommended for children under the age of 10.
• A Little More About Safety: Unless it is a medical emergency, it is not possible to leave the tour early.
• Refunds and exchanges: Ticket sales are final. No exchanges or refunds unless the tour is canceled.
• Inclement Weather Policy: We monitor the weather throughout the day for the best chance of proceeding with the tour and will not make a final decision until at least 3 hours before the start of the tour. Cancellations will be announced via Eventbrite email blasts, so check your email and spam folders.
• Feeling Sick? Stay home if you are feeling sick or running a fever.

Green-Wood trolley tours are fully accessible and ADA compliant. In order to accommodate a wheelchair or other mobility aids on the trolley, arrangements must be made in advance. Please call 718-210-3080, ext. 1 or email .

Host or Publisher The Green-Wood Historic Fund