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This is the grave of Étienne-Gaspard Robert, aka “Robertson” in Père Lachaise. When you see something like this, you know there’s got to be a story.
And there is
And there is
Robertson was a Belgian physics teacher born in 1763. As a child, he tried to summon the devil. Not to ask for anything; he wanted to take the devil’s power
He studied physics in university and moved to Paris to become an artist, then in 1796, submitted plans to the gov’t for a mirror-powered death ray to set British ships on fire using the power of the sun.
They ignored him
They ignored him
In 1798 Robertson debuted his Phantasmagoria, a 3D horror show where he appeared to raise the dead. He used a modified magic lantern and explained that it was only science, but it was so believable that he was forced to leave Paris over fears he could actually resurrect Louis XVI
He returned and set up in the crypts of an abandoned convent later that year. The audience had to navigate a cemetery in the dark to get there, then sat on graves to watch the show.
Creepy music added to the atmosphere. Robertson had a glass harmonica, an instrument invented by Benjamin Franklin once thought to cause madness and death. If you’ve never heard one, it sounds quite circusy: https://youtu.be/QkTUL7DjTow ">https://youtu.be/QkTUL7DjT...
He was so successful, people tried to steal his act for similar shows, but no one could produce the same results. Robertson went on to have a 40-year career and also became an accomplished balloonist, with 59 ascents around the world.
In 1855, Dickens praised him for pioneering popular science. Today Robertson is recognized as key to the development of early cinema.
We have the whole story up today on Dirty, Sexy History: https://dirtysexyhistory.com/2021/05/09/tales-from-the-crypt-robertsons-phantasmagoria-and-the-18th-century-origins-of-horror-cinema/">https://dirtysexyhistory.com/2021/05/0...
We have the whole story up today on Dirty, Sexy History: https://dirtysexyhistory.com/2021/05/09/tales-from-the-crypt-robertsons-phantasmagoria-and-the-18th-century-origins-of-horror-cinema/">https://dirtysexyhistory.com/2021/05/0...
So let’s look at the grave again. It’s not a danse macabre; it depicts one of his audiences cowering at his illusions
