An excerpt from the Diary of Professor Matthias Jeremiah Braithwaite; a Victorian investigator of the paranormal, on his travels around York, a city most haunted.
Dear Diary,
“It is with a great sense of foreboding, dear reader, that I recount to you this latest tale.
Having gone in search of “Moss” the ghostly cat, who I felt had been aware of my presence at our last encounter, I went to the gardens at the rear of the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall where we had previously met. I was scouring with my lantern to no avail when, suddenly, as I stood on the bank of the river Foss, I spied a most gruesome scene with many souls from the afterlife.
Spotting Moss sitting on the bridge adjacent to the drapers, I attempted to establish what had captivated the cat’s attention. A female figure wearing a shroud with a dandelion embroidered upon it drifted into view. She proceeded to climb atop the bridge wall and then disappear into the murky waters below. As I strained my eyes out over the water in search of her, a boat, propelled by seemingly invisible oars, floated gently into the middle of the river. A shrouded form resembling a night fisherman sat in his boat peering over the side. Illuminated by his lantern, several glowing forms with ghostly eyes stared up to the surface of the rippling waters surrounding the boat, lost to this world.
This shrouded lady has been witnessed on many occasions and is a common tale. She is known to drift from the graveyard of St Crux, along Fossgate, stopping only to look in the window of the toy shop, and then make her way to the bridge where she disappears. I can only assume that the night fisherman watches over these poor souls lost to the river - his grim duty to care for the forgotten.
My attention was then taken by a figure upon the bridge who was staring directly at me and who I knew I had seen before - a bandaged-faced man wearing a top hat and white Masonic gloves. Meeting his gaze I felt an overwhelming sense of doom, a dark hostility I cannot easily describe. He pointed a thin gloved finger at me shaking it slowly and malevolently before disappearing from sight.”
Prof Matthias. J. Braithwaite
Dear Diary,
"What Devilry is this? My sketches and impressions of these unworldly beings have been enchanted by some form of witchcraft. It seems a ghoulish hand has been at work mimicking my own and changing the very nature of my picture. Viewed using a strange light purchased on my adventures in the Far East, an unnatural glow emanates from the very soul of the spirit I have drawn. It is my belief that this light will let me see into this world of spirits beyond our own - it will require much further study and experimentation."
The enchanted edition of the print is larger than other formats - presented in a black mount with outer dimensions 18x14." When viewed under black light, the ghostly image glows. This special effect has been hand painted and signed by the artist.
Two versions of the enchanted edition are available; The Shrouded Lady, and Celestial Lights.
Black lights are readily available from many suppliers.
The diary entry, printed on parchment effect paper, is in the reverse.
Also available in smaller sizes in monochrome and colour edition.
© The Artist
