Elise van Calcar, also known as Elise van Calcar-Schiotling (1822-1904), was born Eliza Carolina Ferdinanda Fleischacker. She was a well-known author on Spiritualism as well as many other fields. With a background in education, she knew how to educate people. One of the most colorful characters in the Dutch Spiritualist movement, her sharp pen and talented writing still make for interesting reading. In 1877 she founded the magazine Op de grenzen van twee werelden, the pages of which she filled mainly with her own writings. She continued to write until her death.
Van Calcar was opposed to the Dutch Spiritualist Society “Harmonia” and the idea of combining Spiritualism with Spiritism. She never hesitated to state her position. Spiritism, which was founded in France by Allan Kardec (1804-1864), embraced reincarnation. That was a primitive idea in the eyes of the Christian Mrs. van Calcar who hated the concept of reincarnation and attempted repeatedly to refute it through her prolific writings.
Apart from her magazine she also wrote several books, some long before she became involved in the Spiritualist movement. Elise van Calcar may have been the most internationally well-known Dutch Spiritualist. Emma Hardinge Britten (1823-1899) mentions her extensively in Nineteenth Century Miracles (1884).
For biographical sketch and bibliography, see entry in Dutch-language Wikipedia.
The archives of the Dutch Spiritualist Society "Harmonia" (Archive (HUA)) include records relating to Elise van Calcar.
The preliminary biographical sketch for this entry relating to the history of Spiritualism in the Netherlands was kindly provided by Mrs. Loes Modderman in December 2013.