Denise
Here's everything I got on Pepper's Ghost.
James Crawford
Having noted on the List this morning various questions about Pepper's Ghost
I have
found quite a good one page article in a recent Museums Australia magazine
that gives
the history quite well. email me your fax number and I will respond. I do
not have it
electronically I am afraid
Peter Millward
Group Manager, Education & Visitor Programs
Melbourne Museum
AUSTRALIA
0061 3 9651 8162
fax 0061 3 9651 6378
email [log in to unmask]
www.mov.vic.gov.au
We have one in our "Henry's Story" exhibit in Henry Ford Museum. We use it
to
transform a model of a Model T into a Model A. It's a neat device, but I
believe it has
been prone to breaking (though I don't know what particular part(s) of it
we've been
having trouble with). It gets a lot of use.
Jim McCabe
Manager, Collections Care
Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village
[log in to unmask]
313-982-6078
We have two Pepper's ghosts at our museum - a Chinese herbalist and a John
Muir
ghost. The effect is created just as some others have already explained -
there is an image
reflected off a 45 degree sheet of glass. In our case, the source is a 56"
rear-screen
projection television that is mounted facing down at ceiling level, out of
sight of the
visitor. (In one, it's outside the window of a cabin; in the other, it's
behind a counter &
cabinets.) The image, which is mirror-image inverted, then projects off the
sheet of glass
toward the visitor. The visitor has to be kept back a certain distance in
order for the
illusion to work properly, which is achieved in one case by a bar partition,
and in the
other by the counter. We have found our ghosts to be quite popular - I enjoy
hearing kids
run over to their classmates or parents to tell them about the "ghost." It's
a pretty simple
technology, and we haven't had any problems, except that one of the
televisions did
break down and had to be replaced (it was still under warranty, thank
goodness!)
In reply to Lisa's question about the origin of the term, my understanding
is (I could be
wrong) that in the 19th century, there was a magician by the name of Pepper
who
pioneered this technique in his magic shows.
Feel free to contact me if you need any more detail.
Amanda Meeker
Golden State Museum
1020 O Street
Sacramento CA 95814
http://www.goldenstatemuseum.org <http://www.goldenstatemuseum.org
[log in to unmask]
If you want to experiment with the technique, you can make inexpensive
prototypes
using the silvery film used to coat house windows to reflect sunlight. Most
large home
improvement stores stock it, and it's much more forgiving and less expensive
than
half-silvered glass. You can either mount it in a thin wood frame or apply
it to a sheet of
Plexiglas or storm door glazing. It's even available in different degrees
of opacity,
allowing you to experiment with different combinations of lighting and
reflectivity.
Good luck!
Chuck Stout
Interactive Developer
Exhibits Design and Development
Denver Museum of Natural History
2001 Colorado Boulevard
Denver, Colorado 80205
303-370-8364
[log in to unmask]
Pepper's Ghost is a great technique, especially if you would like to
juxtapose smallish
objects with images. It's not so hard to make but does take a little
tweaking to make it
appear seamless and magical.
There is a short description in French in the handbook, L'Interactivite au
Musee, a
publication of the Musee de la Civilization in Quebec City. Here is a rough
translation
incorporated with additional comments of my own in parenthesis for clarity:
(Start with a
simple box. You can use any convenient cardboard or plywood box for
prototyping.
Purchase a piece of glass or half silvered mirror and place at a 45 degree
angle in the
box, with top edge nearest you and bottom edge furthest from you.)
Using two objects, or two photo transparencies, with one placed behind a
half silvered
mirror. (The transparency for example could be placed in the back of the
box, the other
object or transparency can be placed at the bottom of the box. Later you
will want to
adjust how deep it is placed in the box and the size of the port hole into
the box so you
can't see it right away. The light off of this object will reflect off the
45 degree surface,
like a pool ball would bounce off the same angle, and come straight out,
appearing as if
it is also behind the glass)
When one object is lighted, the other is not visible. The first is replaced
so the second is
in the view of the visitor. (that is to say that the first object is now "in
the dark" and
another light source is lighting the second object. Use two light bulbs
plugged into
dimmers to fool around and see what it looks like)
The effectiveness of this interactive is highly dependent on the quality
of the mirror.
This simple technique always makes an impression. Photo transparency
lighting is under
remote control. The reflection on the glass appears in the view of the
visitor.
(You can have the light source for each object automatically fade in and
out on timers
alternately OR give the visitor control with a button, for example to reveal
the answer to
a question)
Paint black throughout interior of the box. (Make sure to control light as
much as
possible by painting the inside of the box flat black and/or using black
felt and
minimizing reflective surfaces other than the mirror/glass.)
Hope this is somewhat intelligible and helps you get started.
Claire Pillsbury
Exhibit Developer
Connecticut Historical Society
860-236-5621 x 257
These are fairly common devices. The Milwaukee Public Museum has one in
their
geology hall. I'm fairly certain the Field Museum of Natural History in
Chicago has one
in their Pacific galleries. You might contact these folks.
Eugene Dillenburg
Lead Developer, Philippine Coral Reef Exhibit
John G. Shedd Aquarium
1200 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Ill. 60605
V) 312 / 692-3136
F) 312 / 939 - 8001
e) [log in to unmask]
The Minnesota Historical Society has a "peppers ghost" image in the new
"Tale of the
Territory" exhibit. Contact Brad Thiel (designer) or Brian Horrigan (exhbits
curator) in
the Exhibits Department about it's development (651-296-6126). The Journey
Museum in
Rapid City South Dakota also has a wonderful piece. Don't have their number
handy, but
they did have a web site.
Carie Essig, Program Associate
Minnesota Historical Society
Fort Snelling History Center
St. Paul, MN 55111
612-970-2842
[log in to unmask]
I personally haven't used this technique, but my museum has. You should
e-mail Brian
Horrigan at the Minnesota Historical Society (he was the exhibits curator
for the exhibit
that used this technique). His e-mail is [log in to unmask]
Jennifer Lanning
Audience Research
Minnesota Historical Society
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