All Hallows: Robertson's Phantasmagoria

 

A phantasmagoric bas-relief from Robertson's tomb, Cimitière du Père Lachaise, 20th Arr.

I took the opportunity to create another entry for Atlas Obscura. This one was for the tomb of 18th century scientist and pioneer of spooky stage entertainments, Étienne-Gaspard Robertson. AO wrote a great story about Robertson years ago, but did not include particulars about visiting the tomb. It's a small thing, but I wanted to rectify it. Now I have.

I won't rehash everything that you can read on AO, except to say that his grave in Cimitère du Père Lachaise is a marvelous homage to the kinds of nightmares he inflicted on audiences in the darkened crypt of the Convent of the Capucines.

Not your usual cherubic decor.

An engraving from Robertson's memoirs. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

As it happens, one of Robertson's other claims to fame was "aerostats," i.e., he would ascend in a hydrogen-filled balloon to take detailed measurements of meteorological and atmospheric conditions. This is also memorialized on his tomb, but with much less fanfare than his stage shows.

I think of Robertson's contributions to aerostats every time I see Parc André Citroën's hot air balloon, which is used daily to measure Paris' shitty air quality. Visitors to the park can also take rides in the balloon for panoramic views of Paris--and maybe even see as far as Père Lachaise.

An "aerostatistical" ascent, Parc André Citroën, 15th Arr.

A ballooning bas-relief from Robertson's tomb. 

The safe return of Parc Citroën's balloon.

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