A pioneer of ghost shows rests at Père-Lachaise, beneath a tomb depicting his terrified audience. What kind of show had he invented?
The answer
Étienne-Gaspard Robert, known as Robertson, was projecting spectres with a magic lantern in a former convent as early as 1798, complete with smoke and sound effects: the phantasmagoria show. His tomb shows terrified spectators in bas-relief — the inventor of this optical thrill had his own auditorium carved onto his grave.
This question belongs to the “The Strange and the Paranormal” series of the Père-Lachaise quiz: ten questions, a story behind every right answer.