# When did ghosts start wearing sheets? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 28, 2024, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365 "2024-10-28T21:58:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/1 "2024-10-28T21:58:31Z")
A couple of days ago I saw a comic in which ghosts were supposedly using a nude beach, and there were sheets hung over the fence. It made me wonder when the current representation of ghosts as a sheet draped over a body form, with holes for the eyes and mouth, began. How were they portrayed (if at all) previously? My personal historical research goes back no further than memories of Casper the Friendly Ghost cartoons, in which Casper himself was a translucent humanoid figure, whereas some of the other ghosts IIRC were of the sheet variety. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/2 "2024-10-28T22:11:45Z")
It’s a burial shroud, innit? But I don’t know when it started. Edward Gorey certainly used it quite a bit, but he didn’t really predate Casper. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/3 "2024-10-28T22:20:08Z")
Some quick poking around suggests that ghosts wearing burial shrouds, which look like sheets, started in the 18th century and seemed to have morphed into what we see today. 1804 is the date I’m seeing for the first time a ghost was depicted wearing an actual sheet. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/02/Hammersmith_Ghost.PNG/220px-Hammersmith_Ghost.PNG) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/02/Hammersmith_Ghost.PNG/220px-Hammersmith_Ghost.PNG) > **[Hammersmith Ghost murder case](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammersmith_Ghost_murder_case?useskin=vector)** > > The Hammersmith Ghost murder case of 1804 set a legal precedent in the UK regarding self-defence: that someone could be held liable for their actions even if they were the consequence of a mistaken belief. > Near the end of 1803, many people claimed to have seen or even been attacked by a ghost in the Hammersmith area of London, a ghost believed by locals to be the spirit of a suicide victim. On 3 January 1804, a 29-year-old excise officer named Francis Smith, a member of one of the armed patr... > **[Ghost](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ghost&useskin=vector)** > > Reportedly haunted locations: > In folklore, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or non-human animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes to realistic, lifelike forms. The deliberate attempt to contact the spirit of a deceased person is known as necromancy, or in spiritism as a séance. Other terms associated with it are apparition, haunt, haint, p... > the sheeted ghost began to gain ground on stage in the 19th century because an armored ghost could not satisfactorily convey the requisite spookiness: it clanked and creaked, and had to be moved about by complicated pulley systems or elevators. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/4 "2024-10-28T23:00:54Z")
When did they start wearing sheets with eyeholes? ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/5 "2024-10-28T23:10:18Z")
In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, I’m going with “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” (1966). Prove me wrong! ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/6 "2024-10-29T00:24:16Z")
> [@P-man](#): > > When did they start wearing sheets with eyeholes? When they got tired of bumping into things. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/7 "2024-10-29T00:36:09Z")
When you’re a ghost, bumping into things isn’t a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/8 "2024-10-29T00:36:46Z")
When? When moms got tired of coming up with new Halloween costume ideas. “Here is a sheet, you are a ghost.” “Put this pillow case on your little sister and get going.” I have to stay here and drink vodka with your aunt Sue, and hand out candy. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/9 "2024-10-29T00:39:50Z")
According to the TV Tropes entry for [Bedsheet Ghost](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BedsheetGhost), “Oscar Wilde’s short story ‘The Canterville Ghost’ [1887] originally popularized this trope.” ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/10 "2024-10-29T01:03:10Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > According to the TV Tropes entry for [Bedsheet Ghost](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BedsheetGhost), “Oscar Wilde’s short story ‘The Canterville Ghost’ [1887] originally popularized this trope.” Thanks. That is EXACTLY what I wondered. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/11 "2024-10-29T01:11:51Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > According to the TV Tropes entry for [Bedsheet Ghost](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BedsheetGhost), “Oscar Wilde’s short story ‘The Canterville Ghost’ [1887] originally popularized this trope.” I mean, that’s what it says, but here’s the payoff line: > He selected Friday, the 17th of August, for his appearance, and spent most of that day in looking over his wardrobe, ultimately deciding in favour of a large slouched hat with a red feather, a winding-sheet frilled at the wrists and neck, and a rusty dagger. Eh. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/12 "2024-10-29T01:28:33Z")
> [@P-man](#): > > When did they start wearing sheets with eyeholes? 1963, by my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/13 "2024-10-29T01:35:12Z")
If I read it correctly, the “bedsheet ghost” in “The Canterville Ghost” isn’t Sir Simon (who wears a burial shroud) - it’s the fake ghost that the family sets up to scare him: > Something had evidently happened to the spectre, for the light had entirely faded from its hollow eyes, the gleaming falchion had fallen from its hand, and it was leaning up against the wall in a strained and uncomfortable attitude. He rushed forward and seized it in his arms, when, to his horror, the head slipped off and rolled on the floor, the body assumed a recumbent posture, and he found himself clasping **a white dimity bed-curtain** , with a sweeping-brush, a kitchen cleaver, and a hollow turnip lying at his feet! Unable to understand this curious transformation, he clutched the placard with feverish haste, and there, in the grey morning light, he read these fearful words: - > YE OTIS GHOSTE. Ye Onlie true and Originale Spook. Beware of Ye Imitationes. All others are Counterfeite. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/14 "2024-10-29T01:44:31Z")
Ah, I see. It does feel in the ballpark, though still not the same as a person wandering around with a sheet over their head, with holes cut out for the eyes. That Wilde was a funny fellow, though. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/15 "2024-10-29T01:52:44Z")
> [@P-man](#): > > When did they start wearing sheets with eyeholes? When they started getting rocks in their Halloween bags. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/16 "2024-10-29T04:29:13Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > When they got tired of bumping into things. [![](https://y.yarn.co/7b172a58-5c59-4151-af29-df42fa19972e_text.gif) ](https://y.yarn.co/7b172a58-5c59-4151-af29-df42fa19972e_text.gif) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/17 "2024-10-29T12:20:31Z")
I remember in a later ghost story the ghost explaining that they wore a ‘winding sheet’. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/18 "2024-10-29T14:16:15Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > That Wilde was a funny fellow, though. Funny “ha-ha” or funny… never mind. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/19 "2024-10-29T14:22:44Z")
Bumping _through_ things? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365/20 "2024-10-29T14:47:27Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > /Hammersmith\_Ghost\_murder\_case Sheesh, I see that people have been hairsplitting over self-defense and manslaughter vs. murder long, long before the George Zimmerman & Trayvon Martin case. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > [https://y.yarn.co/7b172a58-5c59-4151-af29-df42fa19972e\_text.gif](https://y.yarn.co/7b172a58-5c59-4151-af29-df42fa19972e_text.gif) Unfortunately .gifs don’t seem to be embeddable, there’s the link for anyone interested. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ghosts-start-wearing-sheets/1009365.md?page=2)