Scientists are so often imagined to be bland and unimaginative, slaving away at research and taking away the joy of nature. I’m no longer so irritated by this perception as I used to be, but rather surprised by it: going through the history of science, there are countless colorful characters whose personalities and activities almost defy description.
A great example of such a character is Étienne-Gaspard Robert (1763-1837), a Belgian physics teacher who was also a pioneer of ballooning and, of interest in this post, a stage magician known as “Robertson.” Using his knowledge of physics and optics, Robertson perfected the optical stage illusion known as “Phantasmagoria,” which he used both to educate and terrify the Parisian public!
His activities were succinctly described in an 1855 biographical article (to be called BA1855 in this post):
He was a charmer who charmed wisely,– who was a born conjurer, inasmuch as he was gifted with a predominant taste for experiments in natural science,– and he was useful man enough in an age of superstition to get up fashionable entertainments at which spectres were to appear and horrify the public, without trading on the public ignorance by any false pretence.
Robertson’s exploits could fill up several books — indeed, he filled two himself with his own memoirs! Here we will take a look at some highlights of the remarkable man’s life, focusing particularly on his optical endeavors — and his phantoms!
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Skulls in the Stars 