Charles-Yves Cousin d'Avallon
Fantasmagorie, Femme invisible
Charles-Yves Cousin d'Avallon, Mes promenades philosophiques et critiques dans Paris, Pigoreau | Frères Pillot, Paris 1801, pp. 49-52.
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In the chapter "Fantasmagorie, Femme invisible" the author recounts his visit to Robertson's phantasmagoria, where the "magician" claimed to make him see what he did not see: disappointed, he left regretting his petit écu. Immediately afterwards he visited a "new magician" who showed the femme invisible: a glass vessel with an opening through which the woman was questioned; she answered without any trace of a human being being visible. He reports that Parisians were divided between those who cried charlatanism and those who cried marvel, with wagers made on the secret, and draws a reflection on the fickleness of Parisians, easy prey for charlatans. Full transcription and Italian translation.
Language
French
