Reflection Illusions - The Cold Candle

PIRA 6A10.60

Place two identical candles on opposite sides, and equidistant from, a vertical pane of clear glass as shown at right.  Adjust their positions so that each lie at the image point of the other for reflections off of the glass.  If only one candle is lit, it appears as if the other one is lit as well, if the observer is on the same side of the glass as the lit candle.  This works best on a wheeled cart that can be turned to show the view from different angles and from the other side.

An amusing variation is to have one of the candles inside a beaker, but still at the image point of the other candle.  With the other candle lit, the beaker can be filled with water to make it look as if the candle is burning underwater.

This is the basic idea behind a whole series of vaudeville stage illusions, such as the "head in the box" and the "ghost king on the throne" tricks.  The Haunted House at Disneyland uses this quite a bit too.  David Copperfield used this to make the Statue of Liberty "disappear".