One Step Beyond: Fortune-Telling and the Paranormal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Charles Schuler
Director of Marketing & Communications
San Francisco International Airport
(650) 821-5031
[email protected]
SF-26-32

One Step Beyond: Fortune-Telling and the Paranormal

New exhibition showcases a variety of fortune-telling cards, games, and devices-from crystal balls and swinging pendulums to fortune-telling teacups and tarot cards-while also exploring psychic phenomena.

SAN FRANCISCO For centuries, people have turned to fortune-telling to predict the future, employing a variety of tools. Tarot cards appeared in Europe in the 1400s, but it was not until the late 1700s in France that people first used them for divination. The legendary French fortune teller and cartomancer Madame Lenormand (1772-1843) predicted the futures of many eminent figures in Paris. In New York City, the infamous Madam Morrow (active 1850s-70s) began advertising her psychic abilities in local newspapers in 1854. By the late 1800s, cartomancy, palmistry, and tea leaf reading flourished as public fascination with the occult grew. Enterprising manufacturers quickly capitalized, offering a variety of esoteric implements and publications. Alongside fortune-telling, the paranormal attracted serious scientific scrutiny. Reports of spirit communication, hypnosis, and telepathy proliferated. Scientists and skeptics fiercely debated these occurrences. Could these phenomena reveal aspects of human consciousness that science had yet to uncover? Whether viewed as genuine abilities or pseudoscience, the debate endures. The items on view in One Step Beyond reflect our continuing desire to glimpse what lies ahead.

Visit SFO Museum for more information.

@SFOMuseum
#OneStepBeyond

One Step Beyond: Fortune-Telling and the Paranormal is located post-security in Terminal 2, Departures Level, San Francisco International Airport. This exhibition is accessible September 5, 2026-August 15, 2027, to ticketed passengers and through prior arrangement by emailing [email protected]

About SFO Museum

Established in 1980 by the San Francisco Airport Commission, SFO Museum's mission is to elevate the airport experience by connecting the Bay Area to the world through stories of culture, aviation history, and art in ways that reflect and inspire us all. The Museum has been accredited by the American Alliance of Museums since 1999 and retains the distinction of being the only accredited museum in an airport.

Today, SFO Museum operates galleries throughout the terminals that exhibit a rotating schedule of art, history, photography, science, and cultural exhibitions. Among the sites is the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, which houses a permanent collection of more than 160,000 objects related to the history of commercial aviation. Browse exhibitions and research our collection on the SFO Museum website, join us on Facebook, connect with us on X, follow us on Instagram, and find us on Threads.

About San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

SFO is committed to providing an extraordinary airport experience, with seamless access, thoughtful amenities, sustainable design and inspiring artwork and exhibits.

For up-to-the-minute departure and arrival information, airport maps, and details on shopping, dining, cultural exhibitions, ground transportation and more, visit the SFO website. Connect with us on X, follow us on Instagram, join us on Facebook, find us on Threads, and stay informed on Bluesky.