Fortune Tellers

In the old west, fortune telling was a popular pastime. Predicting one’s future was mostly associated with Gypsies, or Romani people. The biggest Romani immigration wave to North America began in the late 19th century, though Romani slaves were shipped to America as early as 1492.

Common fortune telling methods used by the Romani were Tarot card reading, palm reading and crystallomancy, in which a crystal sphere is used to predict one’s future. There was also use of automated fortune telling machines in the old west, some can still be found today.