Chapter VI: The Ghost Illusion

The trick known as the “ghost illusion” is one of the most curious ever produced by optical science. The apparitions produced by its means are most startling in effect, and leave the spectators scarcely room to question their actual existence.

Two persons, for instance, as in the accompanying illustration (Fig. 7), are seen upon the stage. They walk and move in all directions, they are heard to converse with one another, and every indication leads to the belief that they are beings of like organization, though differently attired. In truth, however, the one is a flesh-and-blood personage, the other but a ghostly shade, an impalpable spectre.

The living personage tries in vain to grapple with the phantom. He slashes at it with his sword, and even passes right through its body, as he might pass through a cloud of vapour. But the shadowy form shows no signs of injury; it remains intact, and gesticulates as though in defiance of its adversary, until at last it vanishes into thin air, and the mortal is left alone upon the stage.

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This singular illusion depends upon certain optical principles, which we propose, in the first place, to explain, and to which we shall have occasion to recur a little later in describing the stage arrangements necessary for their dramatic development.

An illustration of the most simple character will at once enable the reader to understand the principle on which the phenomenon in question rests.

Place in a vertical position on a table a piece of unsilvered plate-glass, or if plate-glass cannot be obtained, then a piece of ordinary window glass free from air-bubbles or _striæ_, about ten inches in height, and the same in width.

Then place a lighted taper on your own side of the glass, at about three inches from it, and behind this place a book, which will serve the purpose of a screen. Fig. 8, below, will make clear the details of the arrangement.

On looking over the top of the book at the glass, you will see therein the reflected image of the taper C, which is screened by the book from your direct view, and this image will in effect appear to you to be at D, behind the glass, at the same distance as the real object, C, is removed from it.[25]

If, while still keeping the eye in the same position, you extend your hand behind the glass, you can pass your fingers right through the phantom taper, D, and this latter, which previously appeared to be substantial, will instantly become diaphanous and impalpable.

If, in the stead of the taper C, you place in the same position any white object strongly illuminated, you will have a miniature reproduction of the ghost illusion as represented on the stage.

It is of course understood that there must be no other light in the room save that which is essential to the experiment.

The effect produced as above may be explained as follows:--When a piece of unsilvered glass is placed in a position in which it receives equal light on both sides, there is no reflection from either the one or the other of its surfaces. Such, for instance, is the case with the panes of a window, so long as the outside and inside of the room receive the same amount of light. But if either side of the glass is more strongly illuminated than the other, the latter, in such case, loses in transparency but gains in reflection, in precise proportion as the light is diminished, the darkness in this case serving the purpose of a more or less perfect “silvering.”

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We will now proceed to trace the application of this principle in the stage trick known as the “Ghost Illusion” or “Living Phantoms.”

Fig. 7 represents a scene between a spectre and a living being; and indicates the general arrangement of the process employed to produce the illusion. A plate of unsilvered glass, inclined at a proper angle, is placed between the actors and the spectators. Beneath the stage, and just in front of this glass, is a person robed in a white shroud, and illuminated by the brilliant rays of the electric or the Drummond (oxy-hydrogen) light. Matters being thus arranged, the image of the actor who plays the part of spectre, being reflected by the glass, becomes visible to the spectators, and stands, apparently, just as far _behind_ the glass as its prototype is placed in front of it.

This image, in accordance with the principles of reflection which we have explained above, is only visible to the audience. The actor who is on the stage sees nothing of it, and in order that he may not strike at random in his attacks on the spectre, it is necessary to mark beforehand on the boards the particular spot at which, to the eyes of the audience, the phantom will appear.

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In order that the experiment may be completely successful, it is necessary to pay particular attention to the following points:--

1. The glass must be of the greatest possible purity, in order that it may not be visible to the spectators. The smallest speck in its substance would tend to reveal the secret of its presence.

2. The stage should be very dimly lighted, and, on the other hand, the actor who plays the part of “ghost” must be brilliantly illuminated. It is only under these conditions that unsilvered glass (whose reflective power is ordinarily but very slight) will produce a clearly defined image.

3. The actor who plays the part of spectre must keep his body so inclined that his reflected image may appear to stand upright. We shall indicate hereafter the rules which must be observed in order precisely to regulate the angle of inclination.

4. The reflected images of objects in plane mirrors being _reversed_ copies of such objects, the ghost-actor must reverse his movements accordingly. Thus, if he waves a sword, it should be with his left hand, so that his reflected image may appear to do so with the right.

5. The space beneath the stage in which the ghost-actor moves must be draped with some dead-black material. But for this precaution, the background behind him, being reflected on the stage, would exhibit around him a shadowy outline, which might arouse suspicion. Black velvet is found to absorb the rays of light most completely.[26] In default of velvet, a thin cloth or simple woollen stuff will answer the purpose equally well.

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_Dimensions of the Glass._--The dimensions of the glass which is to be used for the experiment are practically determined as follows:--

After having decided at what particular part of the stage the shadowy form is to appear, you fix, in an upright position on the spot in question, a deal board of the height and breadth of the phantom. Then fastening a thread to each side of the base of this board, you carry it straight across the flooring to the stage boxes, or those seats on the extreme right and left which are nearest to the stage.

The angle formed by these two will indicate the necessary _width_ of the glass for any position on the stage in which you may decide to place it. The _height_ is determined with equal facility. You fasten to the top of the board a third thread, which you carry in a straight line to the highest seat at the opposite side of the auditorium. This line will indicate the height to which the glass must extend, whatever be its angle of inclination. The three threads in question represent the extreme lines of sight of the audience. All eyes will therefore necessarily find space on the glass for the reflection of the spectral form.

It is obvious that in arranging the glass according to the limits defined by these lines, the nearer it is placed to the spectators the larger it must be, and _vice versâ_.

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_The Angle of Inclination of the Glass._--Let us suppose, as indicated in Fig. 9, that the phantom is to appear at the point A, distant five yards from the front edge of the stage.

Such being the case, let us place our glass, G, a couple of yards in front of A, and incline it at an angle of 20°.

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_Position and Arrangement of the Ghost-Actor._--Let us continue the line G downwards upon the paper till it extends about three or four times the length of the glass. Taking the lower extremity of this line as a centre, let us describe with a pair of compasses two arcs, one extending from E to C, the other from A to D,[27] and join them by a line, C D, which should form with the glass a like angle to that which the line E A forms therewith.

The plane and inclination of the line C D will be those which the actor must assume in order that his reflected image may appear in an upright position at the point A.

It will be readily understood that the more upright the glass, the less sloping will be the position of the actor; but, on the other hand, the higher will he be brought above the level of the stage. Under such circumstances, the portion around the opening, being necessarily made higher in order to conceal the actor, would also hide a portion of his reflected image from the spectators in the orchestra or stalls.

Fig. 10 exhibits the optical effect of a glass placed according to the conditions we have just described. The particular spot on which the reflection appears varies with each spectator, according to the position which such spectator occupies. Thus, for the spectators in the topmost row, the reflection will be on the portion of the glass marked A B, while for spectators at the lowest level it will be on the portion marked C D. It will be observed that, whatever be the spot at which the image appears, the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, and that these same angles of incidence are likewise equal to the corresponding angles of the reflected image which we have traced behind the glass.

When the ghost-actor is not called upon to move from a given spot, he poses himself upon a support which is inclined at the necessary angle, and which leaves him still full power to move his limbs as may be desired. But if the exigencies of the scene require that he should move from one spot to another, the inclined position of the body creates a difficulty. However, as he can only be required to move in a direction parallel with the plane of the glass, he may, under cover of the robe with which he is attired, bend the leg on the side towards which he leans, which will enable him to walk without much difficulty with his body inclined at an angle of thirty-five to forty degrees. But the actor’s gait under such circumstances is sure to be a little awkward; and a better plan is to arrange behind him, at a proper angle, a support, moving on castors, and which is easily concealed by the drapery appropriate to his spectral character. This support does not prevent the actor from moving his legs, and, thus sustained, he is enabled to walk (apparently) backwards and forwards in the direction in which the support travels. In some cases, the actor himself keeps motionless, but the wheeled carriage on which he leans, being drawn forward by a cord, causes him to advance towards the living actor in genuine ghostly fashion. This movement produces a most startling effect.

The difficulty as to the inclined position of the actor may be avoided by arranging in the position which he would otherwise occupy, and parallel to the unsilvered glass, a mirror of comparatively small size (say of about six feet by three). Where this plan is adopted, the actor will stand upright before this mirror, and his reflected image therein will be again reflected to form the ghost.

The necessary light will be afforded by a lamp placed in front of the actor, and beside the mirror in question.

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_A Novel Application of the Ghost Illusion._--In the year 1868, there was exhibited at the _Ambigu_ Theatre, Paris, a melodrama (_La Czarine_) founded on an episode related in my _Confidences_,[28] and in which an automaton chessplayer, constructed by myself for that purpose, played an important part. My _collaborateurs_, Messrs. Adenis and Gastineau, had asked me to arrange a ghost effect for the last act. I had recourse to the “ghost illusion” above described, but I presented it in such guise as to give it a completely novel character, as the reader will be enabled to judge from the following description.

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The scene is laid in Russia, in the reign of Catherine II. In the last act, an individual named Pougatcheff, who, on the strength of a personal likeness to Peter III., attempts to pass himself off as the deceased monarch, is endeavouring to incite the Russian populace to dethrone Catherine. A learned man, M. de Kempelen, who is devoted to the Czarina, succeeds, by the aid of scientific expedients, in neutralizing the villainous designs of the sham prince.

The scene is a savage glen, behind which is seen a background of rugged rocks. Pougatcheff appears, surrounded by a crowd of noisy adherents. M. de Kempelen comes forward, denounces the impostor, and declares that, to complete his confusion, he will call up the spirit of the genuine Peter III. At his command a sarcophagus appears from the solid rock; it stands upright on end. The lid opens, and exhibits a corpse covered with a winding-sheet. The tomb falls again to the ground, but the phantom remains erect. The sham Czar, though a good deal frightened, makes a pretence of defying the apparition, which he treats as a mere illusion. But the upper part of the winding-sheet falls aside, and reveals the livid and mouldering features of the late sovereign. Pougatcheff, thinking that he can hardly be worsted in a fight with a corpse, draws his sword, and with one blow cuts off its head, which falls noisily to the ground; but at the very same moment the living head of Peter III. appears on the ghostly shoulders. Pougatcheff, driven to frenzy by these successive apparitions, rushes at the figure, seizes it by its garments, and thrusts it violently back into the tomb. But the head remains unmoved; though severed from the body, it remains suspended in space, rolling its eyes in a threatening manner, and appearing to offer defiance to its persecutor. The frenzy of Pougatcheff reaches its culminating point. Grasping his sword with both hands, he tries to cleave in twain the head of his mysterious adversary; but his blade only passes through a shadowy being, who laughs to scorn his impotent rage. Again he raises his sword, but at the same moment the body of Peter III. in full imperial costume, and adorned with all the insignia of his rank, becomes visible beneath the head. The re-animate Czar hurls the impostor violently back, exclaiming, in a voice of thunder, “Hold, sacrilegious wretch!” Pougatcheff, terror-stricken, and overwhelmed with confusion, confesses his imposture, and the phantom vanishes.

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The stage arrangements to produce these effects are as follows. An actor, robed in the brilliant costume of Peter III. reclines against the support, which is sloped as above described. His body is covered with a wrapper of black velvet, which is designed to prevent, until the proper moment, any reflection in the glass. His head alone is uncovered, and ready to be reflected in the glass so soon as the rays of the electric light shall be directed upon it.

The phantom which originally comes out of the sarcophagus is a dummy, whose head is modelled from that of the actor who plays the part of the Czar. This head is made readily detachable from the body.

Everything is placed and arranged in such manner that the dummy image of Peter III. shall precisely correspond in position with the person of the actor who plays the part of Ghost.

At the same moment that the head of the former falls to the ground, the electric light is gradually made to shine on the head of the actor who plays the part of Peter III., which, being reflected in the glass, appears to shape itself on the body of the dummy ghost. After this latter is hurled to the ground, the veil which hides the body of the actor-Czar is quickly and completely drawn away, and the sudden flood of the electric light reflects his whole body where his head alone was previously visible.

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Where it is desired to exhibit the ghost illusion in a hall which has no space beneath the stage, it becomes necessary to modify the reflective machinery, and to arrange it as shown in Fig. 11. Let us suppose A B C D to be the stage, C D being the front, A D and B C the “wings,” C the actor who plays the part of the spectre, H his image in the glass, and G the glass itself, set at an angle of 30° to the front of the stage.

The actor, C, is out of sight of the spectators; but his body, brightly illuminated by the electric or oxy-hydrogen light, is reflected in the glass, G, and appears as if standing at the point H. The letters I, J, K, indicate various “points of sight” among the audience, and serve to show that, whatever be the position of the spectator in the hall, the spectre must, according to the laws of reflection, always appear at the point H.

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After the various explanations above given, the reader will readily comprehend certain stage arrangements which I have had made for my own use in order to produce at will spectral apparitions, or, as the English call them, “dissolving spectres.”[29]

The arrangement which I refer to is set up, for the amusement of myself and my friends, in a summer-house specially built for that purpose in the middle of my park.

In the case of this exhibition, there are no seats; the few spectators who may patronize it stand in front of an opening, A B (Fig. 12), representing in miniature the proscenium of a theatre. This proscenium, or stage front, indicated by the letters A B C D, is within the summer-house. The _annexe_, C E F D, is built out behind, and contains the stage on which my optical illusions are displayed. This _annexe_ is so constructed that the sunlight may readily find its way in at the trap-doors, I, J, when opened.

G is the glass, which forms with the stage-floor, K, L, an angle of 70°. T is the object to be reflected in the glass, so as to appear, when the daylight shines upon it, at S. This spot, S, is also designed for the placing of objects to be seen directly through the glass, G, by the spectators. The eye, O, indicates the mean point of vision of those present.

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With the aid of these arrangements, the following effects, among others, may be produced. The scene becomes slowly lighter, passing by gentle gradations from the first glimmer of dawn to full daylight. There then appears, at S, an owl perched on a tombstone. A few moments later, a statue of the Virgin appears, mixed up, so to speak, with the gloomy objects we have mentioned. The outline of this figure, growing gradually more and more defined, takes the place of the tomb, which fades away from view. The Virgin, in her turn, undergoes a transformation; her cheeks acquire a roseate tint, her features assume life and expression, and the figure becomes animate under the guise of a young girl, robed in white and wreathed with flowers. These flowers gradually increase till they assume the semblance of a gigantic bouquet, beneath which gradually appears a vase, which takes the place of the young girl.

This scene might be prolonged indefinitely, all that is needed being the substitution of new objects in place of those which have already appeared.

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_Explanation of the Preceding Scene._--Before the commencement of the exhibition, the tombstone we have referred to must be placed at S, while the statuette of the Virgin is placed at T.

Both stage and “auditorium” must be in total darkness. To that end, all the openings, and especially the trap-doors, I, J, must be shut as closely as possible.

Now, if, by the aid of a cord, appropriately arranged, we gradually open the trap I, the daylight will by slow degrees illuminate the object placed at S, which will be seen directly by the spectators. After this trap is completely open, it should be again slowly closed, while the trap J is proportionately opened. The sunlight will now fall on the Virgin placed at T, and at a particular period it will be found that the two images (direct and reflected) receiving an equal share of light, will become confused the one with the other. But the image T, gradually receiving more light, while the image S gets less, will at last be alone visible to the spectators, and the substitution will be complete.

The stage being now left in darkness by the closing of the trap I, the young girl will be able to take the place of the tombstone, which she may remove, or which may sink down below the stage, and she will remain invisible until the last-mentioned trap-door, again opening, shall bring the light to bear upon her. This opening is made simultaneously with the closing of the trap J, producing, as in the former instance, first confusion of the two images, and then substitution of the one for the other. When the Virgin is in her turn left in darkness, she is replaced by the vase of flowers, which is destined, to the eyes of the spectators, to take the place of the young girl by a repetition of the process already described.

Thus the spectator, placed at O, is made to see at S four different pictures--namely: 1st, the direct image of the tombstone; 2nd, the same object in combination with the reflected image of the Virgin placed at T, which is afterwards seen _alone_; 3rd, this latter image in combination with the direct image of the young girl placed at S, which also is afterwards seen alone; 4th, this image in combination with the vase of flowers placed at T, and whose reflected image is finally left alone upon the scene.

In arranging this experiment, it is essential that the distances between the glass and the various objects should be the same, so that their real or reflected images shall meet at precisely the same points on the stage.

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The “Ghost Illusion” was invented in 1863, by Professor Pepper, the manager of the London _Polytechnic_, and was exhibited at that Institution, where it excited the liveliest interest.

In the course of the same year, M. Hostein, manager of the Imperial _Châtelet_ Theatre, purchased from Mr. Pepper the secret of the “Ghost,” in order to introduce it into a drama entitled _Le Secret de Miss Aurore_.[30] M. Hostein spared no expense in order to ensure the success of the illusion. Three enormous sheets of unsilvered glass, each five yards square, were placed side by side, and presented an ample surface for the reflection of the ghost-actor and his movements. Two Drummond lights (oxy-hydrogen) were used for the purpose of the trick.

But before the trick was in working order at its new destination, several of the Parisian theatres, in the face of letters patent duly granted to Mr. Pepper, had already advertised performances wherein it was included.

M. Hostein had no means of preventing the piracy; unluckily for himself, and still more so for the inventor, the plagiarists had discovered among the French official records a patent taken out, ten years before, by a person named Séguin for a toy called the _Polyoscope_, which was founded on the same principle as the ghost illusion.

In view of this unfortunate precedent, of which he was wholly unaware, Mr. Pepper, though the undoubted inventor of the trick as above described, had no alternative but to give way to his numerous imitators,[31] and to acknowledge the truth of the stern axiom, enforced by dint of many cogent illustrations, that “there is nothing new under the sun.”

FOOTNOTES:

[25] The reader will probably have noticed, in travelling by rail on a dark night, that the light in the carriage is accompanied by a ghostly “double” at a little distance outside. This is another illustration of the effect above described.--ED.

[26] The illustration (Fig. 7) is faulty in this particular. With a black velvet background, there would not, as a matter of fact, be any visible _shadow_ behind the figure. Were there such, it would be reflected with the figure on the glass.--ED.

[27] The French illustrator, by an oversight, has made A to D a straight line, instead of an arc of a circle.--ED.

[28] “_Les Confidences d’un Prestidigitateur_,” the title under which Robert-Houdin issued his autobiography.--ED.

[29] _Sic._ Robert-Houdin is but an indifferent authority for English sayings or doings.--ED.

[30] A French adaptation of “Aurora Floyd.”--ED.

[31] Among these, the conjurors Robin and Lassaigne were the most successful, among Paris exhibitors, in presenting the illusion with adequate effect.--R.-H.