Richard Zakia collection on Ted Serios

Ted Serios (1921-2006), born on November 27, 1921, is perhaps the most famous "thoughtographer" to date. When working as a bellhop at a Chicago hotel, Serios met George Johannes. In 1955, the pair conducted a series of clairvoyance experiments during which they discovered Serios’s ability to imprint mental images on a roll of undeveloped Polaroid film. Serios would attempt to project images in his head onto the camera, while taking shots of a blank wall. Several of these images appeared on the film once it was developed.

In 1961, Serios met Dr. Jule Eisenbud, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado Medical School. Since Eisenbud’s area of research was parapsychology, he was interested in Serios’s unique ability. Over the next three years, Eisenbud ran a series of experiments on Serios, finally concluding that Serios’s talent was legitimate. His findings were published in The World of Ted Serios in 1967. This endorsement from a member of the scientific community helped lend credibility to Serios's claims and he soon became a subject of popular interest. By this point, Serios had switched to using a Polaroid Land camera to provide his audiences with quicker results. He appeared on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson and challenged magician "The Amazing Randi" to duplicate his skill.

Despite Eisenbud’s findings, many remained skeptical of Serios’s talent. Serios often selected his own “target images” and had more unsuccessful attempts than successful imprints. Additionally, many of his “thoughtographs” were of buildings and landmarks that resembled images found in other sources. Serios’s method also led many to question his legitimacy. In order to produce an image Serios claimed that he needed to be as close to the camera as possible. To achieve this, he would use what he termed a “gizmo,” a hollow tube that was used to channel his thoughts to the camera’s lens. Although his “gizmos” were often made of materials provided by the experimentation site, many speculated that Serios hid something in the tube when no one was looking.

Responding to skeptics, Serios often agreed to participate in experiments to prove that his skill was legitimate. One such research project was conducted at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). According to Richard Zakia, a former professor in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences, Life Magazine asked RIT to confirm the authenticity of Serios’s ability. As with many, the RIT team was not convinced that Serios’s talent was paranormal in nature. In fact, correspondence from Zakia suggests that the RIT team determined Serios’s talent to be nothing more than an elaborate hoax.

By the late 1960’s, Serios claimed to have lost his ability to produce “thoughtographs.” He died on December 30, 2006.