Michelle's research interests include European and British nineteenth-century art, Scottish art, national identity, Modern Spiritualism and the Celtic Revival.
Publications
[Forthcoming] M. Foot, 'A Portrayal of Life Beyond Death: Helen Duncan's Spirit Guide and His Portrait', Death in Scotland: Chapters from the Twelfth to the Twenty-First Centuries, eds. H. Grainger & P.C. Jupp (Peter Lang, 2019). Chapter.
[Forthcoming] M. Foot, Modern Spiritualism and Scottish Art, 1860-1940 (Bloomsbury, 2020). Monograph.
Conference Papers & Public Talks
• Conference organiser: 'Victorian Renewals', British Association of Victorian Studies annual conference, Dundee. August 2019.
• Session co-convener with Dr Lucy Weir: Occult Performances and Reflections: The Everyday Occult in Visual Culture, Association for Art History annual conference, Brighton. April 2019.
• Research seminar paper: The Celtic Revival and Modern Spiritualism: Fairies, Witches and Haunted Landscapes. Student-nominated speaker for History of Art Research Seminar; Invited speaker for School of Celtic and Scottish Studies Research Seminar, University of Edinburgh. February 2019.
• Conference paper: Painting the Vision Splendid: Depicting the Truths of Modern Spiritualism, International Society for Religion, Literature and Culture biennial conference, University of Uppsala, Sweden. September 2018.
• Public lecture: Modern Spiritualism and Scottish Art. Invited speaker for the Friends & Members lecture at the National Galleries of Scotland. May 2018.
• Session co-convener: Seeing and Hearing the Beyond: Art, Music and Mysticism in the Long Nineteenth Century, Association for Art History annual conference, Courtauld Institute of Art and King’s College London. April 2018.
• Conference paper: Dawn of Peace: A Vision for Spiritualism. Invited Speaker for Visionary Artists Visionary Objects Research Network, University of Manchester. February 2018.
• Conference paper: The Witch as a Spirit-Medium in Scotland’s Celtic Revival. 'Cultural Mythologies Around 1900' conference organised by the European Revivals Research Project, National Galleries of Scotland. December 2017.
• Conference paper: Painting with the Spirits: Modern Spiritualism in Scotland and its Visual Culture. Invited speaker for 'The Occult in and Beyond Victorian Scotland' symposium, Scottish Centre for Victorian Studies, University of Stirling. October 2017.
• Public lecture: The Artist and The Paintings: John Duncan’s 'Ivory, Apes & Peacocks' and 'Anima Celtica'. Pitmedden House, Aberdeenshire, National Trust for Scotland. May 2017.