Étienne-Gaspard Robert

Étienne-Gaspard Robert
Robertson's phantasmagoria, Paris, 1797
Born	15 June 1763 Liège, Prince-Bishopric of Liège
Died	2 July 1837 (1837-07-03) (aged 74) Paris, France
Nationality	Belgian
Other names	Robertson
Occupation	Stage magician, physicist and balloonist

Étienne-Gaspard Robert (15 June 1763 – 2 July 1837), often known by the stage name of "Robertson", was a prominent Belgian physicist, stage magician and influential developer of phantasmagoria. He was described by Charles Dickens as "an honourable and well-educated showman". Alongside his pioneering work on projection techniques for his shows Robert was also a physics lecturer and a keen balloonist at a time of great development in aviation.

Born in Liège Robert studied at Leuven and became a professor of physics specialising in optics. He was an avid painter and intended to move to France to pursue a career in art. He moved to Paris in the 1791 and maintained a living as a painter and draughtsman. While there he attended lectures in natural science at the Collège de France as well as those by Jacques Charles, a fellow scientist and important figure in ballooning history. Charles would go on to become a mentor for Robert.

In 1796, during the French Revolution and three years after the declaration of war between France and Great Britain, Robert met with the French government and proposed a method of burning the invading ships of the British Royal Navy. Based on the myth of the mirrors of Archimedes he wanted to employ enormous mirrors to direct intense amounts of sunlight onto the approaching vessels. The government turned down his suggestion.

Robert experimented with various areas of physics, giving public demonstrations about his research into galvanism and optics in the 1790s and early 19th century.

Robert attended a new form of illusion performance in 1793 in the form of a magic lantern show by Paul Philidor (then under the name of Paul de Philipsthal). Philidor was one of the earliest known performers of such shows having adapted what he himself had seen by Johann Georg Schröpfer. With his understanding of optics, Robert realised the potential of what would become "phantasmagoria". His further technological developments were combined with his skills in painting and showmanship, developing a pre-cinema horror show.