I have always believed in ghosts. Aliens? No. Fairy's? No. Not even the Loch Ness Monster? Absolutely not. My genuine theory is that they are simply the remanence of past humans, non-sentient shadows of those who have died. To some, ghosts act as visual representations of lost souls, trapped for eternity to suffer however, for others they are simply people in white bed sheets who couldn't think of a Halloween costume in time. Although most people today are of a sceptical nature when it comes to ghosts, the Victorians (and the early Edwardians) where obsessed with the supernatural, and it became extremely prevalent in the popular culture of the time i.e. the rise of gothic literature and the popularity of Halloween. 

In terms of the actual appearance of a ghost, most would typically picture a figure with a large white sheet draped over their head- but why is this? Despite sheets being associated with the supernatural in the Middle Ages, the traditional 'white sheet' ghost is thought to have first originated in 18th century England. The dead were typically wrapped and buried in white 'burial shrouds', a large cloth sheet usually made from organic materials which cover the person entirely and protects the body from small animals and soil. As a side note, when considering the Victorians love for industrialisation, this was a hugely ecological and cost-effective method to bury a body without many resources and is still being used today in religions such as Hinduism. Naturally, since this burial shroud was associated with death, it soon became synonymous with spirits and the supernatural and thus the 'white sheet' ghost was born. Considering the Victorian's enthusiasm for the supernatural, it became a hugely popular children's Halloween costume as it was cheap, easy and largely recognisable. In fact, the ghost costume became so recognisable that it apparently led to an increase in 'ghost-related crime' in which criminals would dress up in white sheets to scare their victims and remain unrecognisable.

The superstitious Victorians also believed that spirits could be dead family members, haunting them from beyond the grave and revealing themselves by showing up in photographs. The most famous 'ghost photographer' was an American man called 'William Mumler' who was known for his amateur portrait photography in the early 1860s. Mumler showcased his peculiar talent by capturing a photo of his dead cousin, who seemingly appears as a ghostly white apparition in the background of the image. Mumler continued to sell these portraits and became quite famous for his work, becoming especially popular with grieving families who wanted to see their loved ones. It turns out Mumler was actually using a technique called 'double exposure' in which a pre-taken image is slotted infront of the camera lens, essentially merging the two photos together to create a ghostly appearance. In the end, Mumler was actually put on trial for fraud and served a one-year sentence for his fake photographs, with ringmaster PT Barnum even speaking at the trial against Mr Mumler.