The Appearance of Ghosts: shrouds, sheets or see-through? Dr. Susan Owens

The idea that the dead can return to haunt the living is deeply rooted in the British imagination, and ghosts are central to countless plays and paintings, stories and ballads, photographs and films. But why has the appearance and behaviour of ghosts in art and literature altered over time? When did they stop wearing shrouds and put on white sheets or become see-through? And what do these changes reveal about them – and us? Dr. Susan Owens, former Curator of Paintings at the V&A, is the author of The Ghost: A Cultural History (Tate Publishing, 2017).