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Smoke and mirrors is a classic technique in magical illusions that makes an entity appear to hover in empty space. It was documented as early as 1770 and spread widely after its use by the charlatan
Smoke and mirrors is a classic technique in magical illusions that makes an entity appear to hover in empty space. It was documented as early as 1770 and spread widely after its use by the charlatan Johann Georg Schröpfer Johann Georg Schrepfer, or Johann Georg Schröpfer (1738? – 8 October 1774 in Leipzig), was a German charlatan, independent freemasonry, Freemason and necromancy, necromancer. He performed ghost-raising séances for which he secretly used special ...
, who claimed the apparitions to be conjured spirits. It subsequently became a fixture of 19th-century phantasmagoria
Phantasmagoria (, also fantasmagorie, fantasmagoria) was a form of horror theatre that (among other techniques) used one or more magic lanterns to project frightening images, such as skeletons, demons, and ghosts, onto walls, smoke, or semi- ...
shows. The illusion relies on a hidden projector (known then as a magic lantern
The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that used pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lens (optics), lenses, and a light source. ...
) the beam of which reflects off a mirror into a cloud of smoke, which in turn scatters the beam to create an image.
The phrase "smoke and mirrors" has entered common English use to refer to any proposal that, when examined closely, proves to be an illusion.
History
Johann Georg Schröpfer
Johann Georg Schröpfer coined the concept of smoke and mirrors as a common feature of stage magic and 19th-century phantasmagoria shows. The illusion technique traditionally uses a magic lantern or image projector and a light source to cast onto a conjured smoke in thin air to portray illusions of the floatation, existence and disappearance of objects.James Breslin
The earliest known use of the idiom came from the biography ''How the Good Guys Finally Won: Notes from an Impeachment Summer'', published in 1975. It was written by American political journalist James Breslin, who accounted theWatergate
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...
political scandal in Washington first-hand. Breslin often alludes the impeachment political sphere to semantic images of "blue smoke and mirrors", where magicians use smoke and mirrors to accomplish illusions such as making objects misleadingly disappear. Towards the end of the 20th century, the term became commonly used to describe the complex system of political culture and affairs in the media and publications across the world. The application of the idiom "smoke and mirrors" in politics also led to the book ''Smoke and Mirrors: The War on Drugs and the Politics of Failure'', published by journalist Dan Baum, and its popularity in modern media articles.
See also
* Mirror Flower, Water Moon *Pepper's ghost
Pepper's ghost is an illusion technique used in the theatre, cinema, amusement parks, museums, television, and concerts.
It is named after the English scientist John Henry Pepper (1821–1900) who began popularising the effect with a theatr ...
* Theatrical smoke and fog Theatrical smoke and fog, also known as special effect smoke, fog or haze, is a category of atmospheric effects used in the entertainment industry. The use of fogs can be found throughout motion picture and television productions, live theatre, conc ...
References
# #Further reading
* * * {{cite book , last1=Breslin , first1=Jimmy , chapter=1415 , title=Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations , year=1989 , chapter-url=https://www.bartleby.com/73/1415.html Deception English-language idioms Magic tricks