Eusapia Palladino was an Italian medium born in 1854, known for her involvement in spiritualism during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She gained fame for her séances, where she claimed to communicate with spirits and produce physical phenomena, such as levitation and materialization of objects. Her work attracted both believers and skeptics, leading to numerous investigations. Palladino's séances were often conducted in darkened rooms, and she was known for her dramatic performances. Despite the controversies surrounding her methods, she became a prominent figure in the spiritualist movement, influencing other mediums and researchers, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini.