The Untold Story

A multi-media exhibit at Blenheim Palace, 'The Untold Story,' employs new media to explore private family relationships and behind-the-scenes narratives, offering tourists intimate glimpses into three centuries of family history. The exhibit uses a projected apparition of the first duchess’s lady’s maid, Grace Ridley, as a ghostly female narrator who embodies the tourist's perspective—a feminized outsider fascinated by gossipy family tales. This approach contrasts with traditional heritage narratives that emphasize public triumphs. A comparison with another exhibit, 'The Ghost of the Castle' at Baton Rouge’s Old State Capitol, reveals similar storytelling techniques and the portrayal of female ghosts for heritage purposes, highlighting a shared outlook in using spectral figures to engage audiences with historical sites.

(Ed.). (2018). The Untold Story. Subversive Spirits. https://doi.org/10.14325/mississippi/9781496815569.003.0006