Art and artifact collectors, like the objects they possess, come in all shapes and sizes. Some collectors seek wood carvings, or lithographs, paintings, dolls, memorabilia, stamps or coins. A lesser-known obsession for some collectors, however, are those objects that have paranormal pasts, haunted histories, or cursed beginnings.
The former New Orleans mansion of alleged serial killer Marie Delphine Macarty or “Delphine LaLaurie.” Are those ghosts in the windows? Photo copyright: Leila Amineddoleh
One collector of the macabre is the always eccentric and very talented Nicholas Cage, an actor extraordinaire who has made headlines with his haunted purchases. One of the most famous, a haunted New Orleans mansion of a former female serial killer, was just sold again – this time for $6 million. The house has exchanged hands frequently since arson investigators uncovered a human graveyard in the attic. The killer, socialite Delphine LaLaurie, supposedly murdered countless slaves in the house in the 1800s before fleeing (allegedly to France) during a fire in 1834. The house has been featured in shows like American Horror Story and is the stuff of local legends. It has been called the most haunted house in America.
Nicolas Cage also drew attention for the construction of a pyramid-shaped tomb in a haunted New Orleans cemetery. The pyramid, which some say resembles the logo of a famous Cage film National Treasure, has been the subject of fierce controversy among locals since its installation. Some say the actor made secret deals with the Catholic church to destroy the historic graves underneath and install the tomb. Regardless, the tomb is seen as a kind of sacrilege to local historians who have struggled to preserve the historic St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. But Cage doesn’t seem fearful of spirits. In fact, he even slept in Dracula’s Castle while in Romania.
Another famous long-time collector is John Zaffis. He shares a similar fascination with haunted objects and locations. Zaffis is the director of the Paranormal Research Society of New England, host of the former SyFy show, Haunted Collector, and the owner and curator of the Museum of the Paranormal. Objects at the museum range from an antique clown, to a grandfather clock, to The Book of Shadows. All artifacts have a creepy, haunted, or cursed provenance.
Not surprisingly, Las Vegas is also home to a Haunted Museum full of notoriously haunted objects. The museum is curated by American paranormal investigator Zak Bagans and holds something called the Devil’s Rocking Chair and a cursed wine cabinet called “The Dibbuk Box.” That cabinet inspired a book by the same name. The true story, written by the curator of a Missouri medical museum, Jason Haxton, details the terrifying series of events that unfolded after he purchased the box on Ebay. The box, said to be inhabited by a spirit, was also the inspiration for the Hollywood film Possession.
Famous (yet controversial) paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren who inspired the Conjuring were also collectors of haunted objects. The Warren Occult Museum is said to hold the original “Annabelle” doll and other objects, although reviewers say the entire experience is a scam. However, their “Annabelle” doll isn’t the only one with reported powers.
Robert the Doll reclines in a chair. Courtesy: robertthedoll.org
“Robert the Doll” has been haunting people’s imaginations (or realities…) for decades. He was created at the turn of the century in 1904 by the Steiff Company who gifted the doll to a Key West boy named Robert Eugene Otto. The doll stands around 40 inches tall and is filled with wooden wool. It once was painted with features similar to a jester, but over time those features have been worn away. Robert the Doll is dressed in a sailor outfit that once belonged to Otto.
Otto developed a unique relationship with the doll. Reportedly they were “best friends” growing up. Local lore says voodoo played a large part of Otto’s formative years, which may play into the doll’s alleged mystique. During that time, Robert the Doll was said to be involved in “strange and somewhat alarming events.” Otto’s parents often heard their son speaking to the doll and getting responses back in a totally different voice. Robert also supposedly changed his expressions when Otto spoke to him.
Despite disturbing stories of his childhood, Otto grew to become a prominent artist and designed the art gallery at the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West. The doll remained with Otto throughout his life, and stayed with Otto at his residence called the “Artist House.” Otto’s wife was reportedly frightened of the doll and banished it to the attic. Soon after, neighborhood children report seeing the doll looking out the window and mocking them as they walked by. Still today, visitors to the Artist House allege hearing footsteps in the attic and childish giggling.
A close-up of the Great Bed of Ware. Courtesy: Victoria and Albert Museum
Haunted objects aren’t just kitsch, but they have made their way into world-class museums. The Great Bed of Ware at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London is another allegedly haunted object. The bed, constructed around 1590, was most likely made as a tourist attraction for an inn in Ware, Hertfordshire. Guests carved their initials in the wood or applied red wax seals to mark their stay in the bed, all of which are still visible today. It is said, however, that the bed’s occupants did not find much rest. The carpenter that built the bed supposedly haunted any non-royal guests who seek rest under its canopy. Guests would allegedly find themselves scratched, pinched, and beaten about. Some even woke up with bruises.
The Great Bed of Ware is unusually large. The flamboyant design, typical of the late-Elizabethan period, includes various Renaissance symbols like acanthus leaves, strapwork, lions, and satyrs. Figures carved in the headboard and underside of the wooden canopy have traces of paint, which indicate that the bed may be brightly colored.
The first mention of the bed in literature was in 1609, when Ben Jonson referred to it in his Renaissance comedy Epicoene. The bed was even mentioned in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night when Sir Toby Belch describes a sheet of paper as “… big enough for the Bed of Ware!” The object is the most expensive to be purchased by the museum, and it still attracts curious onlookers today.
This Halloweek, we hope you enjoyed some collections of spooky and possessed. We implore you to read some more of our blog posts about cursed provenance, if you dare. Happy Halloween from Amineddoleh & Associates LLC!