The Classic Pepper`s Ghost

Peppers ghost was invented in 1862 by inventor Henry Dircks. Inspired by the phantasmagoria performances (horror theatre that projected images of ghoulish images onto walls and using smoke to create eerie effects) he invented a technique of making a ghost appear on stage. He set up a booth at The Royal Polytechnic Institute where he met the director of the institute, John Pepper.

The initial invention required theatres to rebuild the space but with Peppers help the right modifications were made. They were now able to install the illusion into theatres without any actual structural work needed.

The first presentation of the effect was in Charles Dicken`s The Haunted Man. The idea was to present the illusion to the public, but the effect was so powerful they decided to keep it a secret.

Even though Dircks had invented the illusion, it was coined Peppers Ghost.