An old engraving of a Victorian theatrical ‘ghost’ illusion. It is from a book of the 1890s on discoveries and inventions during the 1800s. Performers such as Professor John Henry Pepper created his famous 'The True History of Pepper’s Ghost’. The method uses a light source (A) shone from below onto an actor (B) hidden below stage. Two angled mirrors (C) and (D) meant the audience saw the ghostly figure projected on stage at position (E). Pepper first conjured up his ‘ghost’ in 1862 for an audience at the Royal Polytechnic in London.
An old engraving of a Victorian theatrical ‘ghost’ illusion. It is from a book of the 1890s on discoveries and inventions during the 1800s. The era was the age of the illusionist. Performers such as Professor John Henry Pepper, using scientific techniques unknown to the audience of the day, created his famous 'The True History of Pepper’s Ghost’. The method is shown here with a light source (A) shone from below onto an actor (B) hidden below stage. Two angled mirrors (C) and (D) mean that the audience see the ghostly figure projected up on stage at position (E). Pepper first conjured up his ‘ghost’ in 1862 for an audience at the Royal Polytechnic in London. By the end of the century magic and illusion had become a staple on a music hall variety bill, the fairground or in stand-alone stage shows in venues such as the Egyptian Hall in London’s Piccadilly or the Royal Polytechnic. From 1873 to 1905 these theatres were a home for renowned magicians such George Alfred Cooke and John Neville Maskelyne. Hugely popular, they billed themselves as ‘Royal Illusionists and Anti-Spiritualists’. Taking a stand against stage magicians convincing audiences that their illusions were magical or spiritual, they exposed fakery. With their large spaces to hide mechanisms and assistants, plus lighting and optical projection opportunities magic acts became increasingly complex in theatres. It allowed for ‘impossible’ illusions in front of astounded audiences. Performers appeared to levitate, become headless and escape out of locked boxes.
Size: 3780px × 3186px
Location: London, England, UK
Photo credit: © M&N / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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