Johann Georg Schröpfer
Encyclopedia
Johann Georg Schröpfer was a German illusionist
, freemason
, and occultist. He was a pioneer of entertainment séance
s, being one of the first people to use a magic lantern
to project the appearance of ghost
s. He staged routines doing this at his coffee shop in Leipzig, convincing people that he could talk to the dead.
Schröpfer was a Freemason
and performed his first demonstrations to others in the fraternity. The earliest shows featured a number of backstage staff and actors, one of whom was Schröpfer's wife. He wanted to improve his performances particularly in light of increased questioning about the legitimacy of his claimed supernatural powers and developed ways to project images using a magic lantern. Schröpfer's shows went on to use a variety of techniques that would be adapted by Paul Philidor
and later by Étienne-Gaspard Robert
. Philidor initially named his shows "Schröpferesque Geisterscheinings" (Schröpfer-style ghost appearances). This developed into phantasmagoria
, a highly popular show throughout much of Europe.
Schröpfer was driven mad by his own illusions, and shot himself after promising an audience he would later resurrect himself.
Friedrich Schiller
's unfinished novel The Ghost-Seer
is believed to have been inspired by Schröpfer.
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
, freemason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, and occultist. He was a pioneer of entertainment séance
Séance
A séance is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word "séance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma"...
s, being one of the first people to use a magic lantern
Magic lantern
The magic lantern or Laterna Magica is an early type of image projector developed in the 17th century.-Operation:The magic lantern has a concave mirror in front of a light source that gathers light and projects it through a slide with an image scanned onto it. The light rays cross an aperture , and...
to project the appearance of ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
s. He staged routines doing this at his coffee shop in Leipzig, convincing people that he could talk to the dead.
Schröpfer was a Freemason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
and performed his first demonstrations to others in the fraternity. The earliest shows featured a number of backstage staff and actors, one of whom was Schröpfer's wife. He wanted to improve his performances particularly in light of increased questioning about the legitimacy of his claimed supernatural powers and developed ways to project images using a magic lantern. Schröpfer's shows went on to use a variety of techniques that would be adapted by Paul Philidor
Paul Philidor
Paul Philidor , also known as Paul de Philipsthal, was a German performer of entertainment séances in the style that would soon become known as phantasmagoria...
and later by Étienne-Gaspard Robert
Étienne-Gaspard Robert
Étienne-Gaspard Robert , often known by the stage name of "Robertson", was a prominent Belgian stage magician and influential developer of phantasmagoria. He was described by Charles Dickens as "an honourable and well-educated showman"...
. Philidor initially named his shows "Schröpferesque Geisterscheinings" (Schröpfer-style ghost appearances). This developed into phantasmagoria
Phantasmagoria
Phantasmagoria can refer to:* Phantasmagoria, a type of show using an optical device to display moving images* Phantasmagoria, a video game* Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh, a video game sequel to Phantasmagoria...
, a highly popular show throughout much of Europe.
Schröpfer was driven mad by his own illusions, and shot himself after promising an audience he would later resurrect himself.
Friedrich Schiller
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
's unfinished novel The Ghost-Seer
The Ghost-Seer
The Ghost-Seer ; or the Apparitionist is an unfinished novel by Friedrich Schiller. It first appeared in several instalments from 1787 to 1789 in the journal Thalia, later appearing as a three-volume book in its own right...
is believed to have been inspired by Schröpfer.