An old engraving of a Victorian theatrical ‘headless person’ illusion. It is from a book of the 1890s on discoveries and inventions during the 1800s. The era was the age of the illusionist. A cabinet is removed to reveal the ghostly head on a column. In reality an actor is illuminated by a light source and, via angled mirrors, is projected onto the stage as a ghostly presence. It was directed at the Royal Polytechnic by Professor John Henry Pepper. Pepper first conjured up his famous 'The True History of Pepper’s Ghost’ in 1862 for an audience at the Royal Polytechnic in London.
An old engraving of a Victorian theatrical ‘headless person’ illusion. It is from a book of the 1890s on discoveries and inventions during the 1800s. The era was the age of the illusionist. A cabinet is removed to reveal the ghostly head on a column. In reality an actor is illuminated by a light source and, via angled mirrors, is projected onto the stage as a ghostly presence. It was directed at the Royal Polytechnic by Professor John Henry Pepper. Pepper first conjured up his famous 'The True History of Pepper’s 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: 3307px × 3519px
Location: London, England, UK
Photo credit: © M&N / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1800s, 19th, act, acting, actor, apparition, audience, black, century, design, early, engraving, entertain, entertainment, equipment, ghost, ghostly, hall, headless, historical, history, hundreds, illusion, illusionist, illustration, industry, john, light, magic, mechanical, mirror, mirrors, music, nineteenth, optical, pepper, peppers, perfomance, perform, person, polytechnic, projection, royal, stage, theater, theatre, theatrical, trick, trickery, variety, victorian, white
