Pepper, John Henry (1821-1900), scientist and inventor

Person

Pepper, John Henry (1821-1900), scientist and inventor

17 Jun 1821-25 Mar 1900

Born in London in 1821, educated at Kings' College School in the Strand before studying at the Russell Institution as a pupil of J T Cooper. Appointed assistant lecturer in chemistry at the Grange School of Medicine. Gave first 'chemical lecture' at the RPI in June 1847, and joined the staff as a lecturer and analytical chemist in 1848. He became a fellow of the Chemical Society of London at the age of 22. His only paper to the Society, 'A new test for strychnine', was give on 17 May 1852 but not published. In 1854, Pepper took charge of the RPI, directing its programmes and taking over the financial management. He described himself as 'resident director', implying that he lived on the premises. Information about this arrangement is very sketchy. Writing much later, in 1890, Pepper referred to a period 'when he was sole lessee at the Polytechnic at a rental of £2,480 per annum, which had to be paid before a single lecture or entertainment was brought before the public.' Pepper's skills lay in his dramatic and innovative presentation of the work of others, linking performances to topical events including the Crimean War.
In 1856 Pepper introduced a comprehensive series of evening classes at the RPI, held every weekday in subjects ranging from arithmetic to French. At the end of the year students could opt to enter for the Society of Arts examinations. Pepper left the RPI on 24 June 1858 after the directors had demanded an increase in his rent which he considered unrealistic. He departed to become an itinerant lecturer, accepting invitations to speak from a variety of organisations including a number of public schools. Pepper published his most famous textbook, 'The Boy's Playbook of Science' in 1860. It was an immediate success, selling throughout the English-speaking world and running into a number of editions.
By the end of the summer of 1861 Pepper was back at the RPI when he was appointed Professor of Chemistry and Honorary Director of the Scientific and General Departments. He began to lecture on 'the Art of Balancing' and on 'the Prevention of Railway Catastrophes and Collisions'. It was at Christmas that Pepper really came into his own, mounting the first of the spectacular Polytechnic pantomimes which brought the institution to the height of its popular fame during the 1860s. In 1862 Pepper first saw the model of a new invention called the 'Dircksian phantasmagoria' which Henry Dircks had first presented to the British Association for the Advancement of Science in Leeds in 1858 but the design in its original form was impractical and could not work in any existing theatre building. Pepper's contribution - based on his practical experience of creating spectacular effects within the Polytechnic - was to adapt the illusion so that it could be presented in any hall with a small pit under the stage. Pepper's ghost first appeared at the RPI on Christmas Eve 1862, at a private view before an invited audience. He was planning to follow the demonstration with an explanation of how it was done. However, the impact of the ghost on the audience far exceeded his expectations and he changed his mind. In the beginning Pepper was careful to acknowledge Dircks as inventor, but as the illusion continued to grow in popularity Dircks's name disappeared. Dircks complained about what he saw as unfair treatment for the rest of his life.
Although the pressure of public expectation drove Pepper to devise ever more elaborate optical illusions, he continued to see himself as a serious man of science. At a time when spiritualism was much in vogue, he was careful to present magic at the RPI in rational, scientific terms. In 1869 Pepper commissioned a new electrical machine, the great induction coil, which could produce a spark as long as 29 inches (74 cm). Pepper was an accomplished performer and brought together all the resources at his disposal at the Polytechnic - dissolving views, liver performers, music, singing, sound effects, ghosts and spectres, illuminated fountains and fireworks - to give audiences what they wanted to see. His extraordinary combination of technical expertise, imagination and verve underlay the popularity of the RPI during its heyday in the 1860s.
Pepper left the RPI abruptly in early 1872. He moved with Tobin to the Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly but lost money. Pepper then embarked on an international lecture tour. Returning from America in 1878 he made a series of guest appearances on the Polytechnic stage, where he performed his 'metempsychosis' illusions - including one in which he turned oranges into pots of marmalade. In 1879 he left for Australia, accepting a position as a public analyst in Brisbane where he remained for ten years.
Pepper's last connection with the Polytechnic came in 1889, following the closure of the RPI and the purchase of the Regent Street building by Quintin Hogg. Hogg invited Pepper to present his illusion on the stage of what was now the Polytechnic Young Men's Christian Institute. The performance formed part of the annual industrial exhibition which took place in the fortnight after Christmas. After the Polytechnic season was over, Pepper retired into private life.

Professor Pepper, 'The True History of the Ghost and all about Metempsychosis' (London: Cassell, 1890)
Brenda Weeden, 'Education of the Eye: History of the Royal Polytechnic Institution 1838-1881' (Cambridge: Granta Editions, 2008)
E H Wilkie, 'Professor Pepper: a Memoir', Optical Magic Lantern Journal and Photographic Enlarger, 11 (1900)
The Times newspaper; Henry Dircks, 'The Ghost! (London: Spon, 1863)