Phantasmagoria facts for kids
Phantasmagoria was a type of scary theatre show. It used special projectors called magic lanterns. These lanterns shined scary images like skeletons, demons, and ghosts. The images appeared on walls, smoke, or see-through screens. Often, the projector was hidden behind the screen. This made the images seem to float in the air.
Performers used portable projectors. This allowed the images to move and change size. They also used many projectors. This helped them switch between different images quickly. Many shows also used spooky decorations and total darkness. Spooky sounds and suggestions from the performers were also important. Some shows even added smells or electric shocks. Sometimes, people were told to fast or stay up late. This made them more likely to believe what they saw. These shows started in Germany in the late 1700s. They became very popular across Europe in the 1800s.
The word "phantasmagoria" can also mean a changing mix of strange or imagined pictures.
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What Does "Phantasmagoria" Mean?
The word "phantasmagoria" comes from French. It combines the Greek word phantasma, meaning "ghost," with other Greek words. These might mean "assembly" or "to speak publicly."
A showman named Paul Philidor first used the word "Phantasmagorie" in Paris in 1792. He advertised his ghost shows with this name. Before that, in 1790, he called his show "Phantasmorasi" in Vienna.
The English version, "Phantasmagoria," appeared in London in 1801. It was the name of M. De Philipsthal's show. Many believe De Philipsthal and Philidor were the same person.
A Look Back: The History of Phantasmagoria
Early Spooky Projections (Before 1750)
Some old stories about gods and spirits might have come from early projections. People might have used concave mirrors, camera obscura, or magic lanterns. By the 1500s, "magicians" and "witches" often claimed to summon ghosts.
In 1589, Giambattista della Porta wrote about scaring people with projected images. He said to put a scary picture in front of a camera obscura hole. Torches would light it. The image would appear on a sheet in a dark room. Spectators would think the image was floating.
In 1613, François d'Aguilon described how some tricksters fooled people. They claimed to summon devils. They projected an image of an assistant in a devil mask. This scared people who didn't know about lenses.
The first known projected images from lanterns were often scary. They showed death, hell, or monsters.
- In 1420, Giovanni Fontana drew a lantern projecting a winged female demon.
- Athanasius Kircher warned in 1646 about using mirrors to project devils. He said bad people could use it to make others do evil things.
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Christiaan Huygens' 1659 drawings. They show Death taking off his head, meant for a magic lantern. - In 1659, Christiaan Huygens drew pictures of Death removing his skull. These were meant for a "convex lenses and a lamp" projector. This projector later became known as the magic lantern. These drawings are the oldest known plans for this invention.
- In 1660, someone wrote to Huygens. They said Athanasius Kircher would scare cardinals with specters if he knew about the lantern.
- Thomas Rasmussen Walgensten's 1664 show was called "lantern of fear." In 1670, he projected Death for the King of Denmark.
- In 1668, Robert Hooke wrote about magic lanterns. He said they could make things appear and disappear. This would seem "supernatural and miraculous" to people who didn't know how they worked.
- In 1671, Kircher's book showed the magic lantern. It showed projections of Death and people in hellfire. Kircher suggested hiding the lantern. This would make the audience more amazed by the images.
- In 1672, Charles Patin saw a lantern show in Nuremberg. He was very impressed and scared. He said he "experienced paradise, I experienced hell, I experienced specters."
Even though later lantern shows had many different subjects, scary pictures stayed popular.
The Rise of Spooky Shows (Late 1700s)
The late 1700s brought the age of Romanticism and Gothic novels. People loved strong emotions, strange ideas, and supernatural things. This interest helped phantasmagoria shows become very popular.
The magic lantern was perfect for showing fantasies. Its images were not solid. Since demons were thought to be spirits, the magic lantern could show them well.
Magicians started using magic lanterns in their shows. They invented special effects. Edmé-Gilles Guyot described some of these in his 1770 book. One technique was projecting ghosts onto smoke.
Johann Georg Schrepfer: The Ghost Raiser
In the early 1770s, a coffeehouse owner named Johann Georg Schrepfer held ghost-raising shows in Germany. He used a mix of symbols, including skulls and holy water. He told his audience to stay seated.
He claimed the spirits he raised were clear and sometimes screamed. A show he did for the court in Dresden in 1774 was very famous. People still talked about it over a century later.
Schrepfer died in October 1774. Some say he believed his own powers. Others think he was murdered.
Most people who saw Schrepfer's shows believed the ghosts were real. No clear proof of trickery was found. But critics suspected he used actors, ventriloquism, hidden speaking tubes, and special sounds. He might have also used smoke, camera obscura, or magic lantern projections.
Schrepfer's friend, Johann Heinrich Linck, knew about optical devices. Linck owned a magic lantern decorated with a crucifix and a skull.
After Schrepfer's death, many books were published. They either attacked or defended his ghost-raising claims. This made him even more famous. Some books explained how he might have done his tricks. This inspired others to try similar shows.
Phylidor: The "Physicist" Showman
The magician Phylidor, also known as Paul de Philipsthal, likely created the first true phantasmagoria show in 1790. He had been accused of fraud earlier. So, he started advertising his shows as a way to expose how tricksters fooled people. His improved show was a big hit in Vienna from 1790 to 1792. He called these shows "Phantasmorasi."
Johann Carl Enslen, a famous German showman, bought Phylidor's equipment in 1792. Enslen put on his own phantasmagoria shows in Berlin. He moved the lantern to make ghosts seem to move. He also used many lanterns for special effects.
From December 1792 to July 1793, "Paul Filidort" presented his "Phantasmagorie" in Paris. This was probably the first time the term was used. It is thought that Étienne-Gaspard Robertson saw one of these shows. He was inspired to create his own "Fantasmagorie" shows later.
In October 1801, Paul de Philipsthal's phantasmagoria show opened in London. It was a huge success.
Robertson: The Master of Scares
Étienne-Gaspard "Robertson" Robert was a Belgian inventor and physicist. He became the most famous phantasmagoria showman. He called all his magic lanterns "fantascopes." His fantascope was large and needed someone to move it. This person would push it closer or further from the screen.
Robertson often made the theater completely dark for several minutes. He would also lock the doors. This meant no one could leave once the show started. He added many sound effects, like thunder, bells, and ghost calls. He would pass his glass slides through smoke. This made the images look blurry. He also moved the slides quickly. This made the images seem to move on the screen.
Robertson's first "Fantasmagorie" was in Paris in 1797. The city was still recovering from the French Revolution. This spooky mood was perfect for Robertson's shows.
He discovered he could put the magic lantern on wheels. This made images move or change size. He moved his show to an old convent kitchen. He decorated it to look like an underground chapel. He created ghost appearances using several lanterns and sound effects. This show lasted six years. People in Paris loved the supernatural during those uncertain times. Robertson often used images with black backgrounds. This made the ghosts look like they were floating. He also used multiple projectors. This allowed him to place ghosts in different parts of the room. For example, one show had a stormy sky with ghosts and skeletons. They seemed to move closer and further from the audience. To make it even scarier, Robertson and his helpers sometimes made voices for the ghosts.
People were often so scared they forgot it was a trick. Robertson once said:
I am only satisfied if my spectators, shivering and shuddering, raise their hands or cover their eyes out of fear of ghosts and devils dashing towards them.
Some people were so convinced that the police stopped the shows. They thought Robertson could bring Louis XVI back to life!
Phantasmagoria in the United States
Phantasmagoria came to the United States in May 1803. It appeared at Mount Vernon Garden in New York. Just like in France, the changing times in the US created a feeling of uncertainty. This was perfect for phantasmagoria shows. Many others started their own shows in the US, including Martin Aubée, who used to work for Robertson.
Later Years and Influence
By the 1840s, phantasmagoria shows were less popular. But the use of projections continued in new ways.
...although the phantasmagoria was an essentially live form of entertainment these shows also used projectors in ways which anticipated 20th century film-camera movements—the 'zoom', 'dissolve', the 'tracking-shot' and superimposition.
– Mervyn Heard
Phantasmagoria in Other Media
Before phantasmagoria, people loved ghost stories. Many ghost stories were printed in the 1700s. These stories often described reactions similar to those of phantasmagoria audiences. For example, in a 1758 tale, the author sees a ghost and says he is "thunderstruck" and "froze with terror."
French painters like Ingres and Girodet got ideas for their art from phantasmagoria. Its influence even reached J. M. W. Turner.
Early trick films by Georges Méliès were very similar to phantasmagoria. These films included transformations, images appearing on top of each other, disappearances, and ghosts. Modern horror films often use many of these same ideas and techniques.
Lewis Carroll wrote a poem called Phantasmagoria in 1869. It was a poem in seven parts.
Phantasmagoria also influenced Disney. You can see its effects in attractions like the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Live shows like Fantasmic also use projections on water screens.
The 1995 video game Phantasmagoria is partly based on these old shows. In the game, you see flashbacks to fictional phantasmagoria shows. But these are much more violent and involve real demons.
Phantasmagoria Today
Today, a few theater groups in the United States and United Kingdom still put on phantasmagoria shows. They are especially popular around Halloween.
From February to May 2006, the Tate Britain museum had a show called "The Phantasmagoria." It was part of a larger exhibition. It recreated the old shows from the 1700s and 1800s. It successfully brought back the feeling of horror and fantasy.
In 2006, David J. Jones found the exact spot where Robertson's famous show took place in the Capuchin convent.
See also
In Spanish: Fantasmagoría para niños
- Grand Guignol
- History of film
- Limelight
- Pepper's Ghost
