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"Spitalfields Nemesis" (2022)

Image description: Papa Emeritus IV appears as a red-tinted ghost in an alleyway, floating through the air with a knife in one hand. He is wearing a cornette. A ghoul mask sits on the ground by a set of stairs.

Artist: Noah Cutter Meihoff, @ncmeihoff on Instagram

Availability: Currently sold out.

Design origin: "Spitalfields Nemesis" is Meihoff's second design for Ghost, having previously designed the cover for the compilation EP [MESSAGE FROM THE CLERGY].

Artist commentary: "This one is based on my favorite Impera track Respite on the Spitalfields, so naturally it’s themed to Jack the Ripper. However that track is really more about how people perceived Jack and the lingering fear even after he stopped killing, so I wanted to draw specific reference from that. The artwork is thus paying homage to an iconic John Tenniel editorial illustration which accompanied the article “The Nemesis of Neglect” from 1888 about the murders, depicting the unknown assailant as a phantom. Likewise with the track, his feared presence still haunted Spitalfields long after the last kill… like a *Ghost*

—Noah Cutter Meihoff, via their Instagram

Reference: "The Nemesis of Neglect" by John Tenniel, which appeared in the September 29, 1888 issue of Punch magazine.

Additional reference information: Tenniel's original illustration features a ghost with a knife wearing a hood that says "CRIME." It was accompanied by the following caption: "There floats a phantom on the slum’s foul air / Shaping, to eyes which have the gift of seeing, / Into the spectre of that loathly lair. / Face it – for vain is fleeing. / Red-handed, ruthless, furtive, un-erect, / 'Tis murderous crime, the nemesis of neglect." This caption attributes the murders and crime rate in the Whitechapel district to political and social neglect (Ripper Records).

As an additional fun fact, John Tenniel is best known as the original illustrator of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Reference image below the cut.

[ghostshirtsarchive]

"Mondo Mucha" (2022)

Other titles: "Mucha Papa"

Image description: Papa Emeritus IV stands holding a bloodied knife. He is wearing a cornette and black robes. In front of him are the skulls of Papa Emeritus I, II, and III along with a brown rat.

Artist: Robyn Roth, @nomadicalart on Instagram

Availability: US store (black hoodie), UK/EU store (white tee).

Design origin: Roth designed "Mondo Mucha" independently and sent the design to Ghost's merchandise team (Nomadical).

Artist commentary: "When I was a teenager, if I wasn’t learning every bass part in a Metallica song then I was drawing album covers for bands I made up in my head. I made heavy metal album covers and punk rock album covers in hopes that one day I could have a career as an artist like Pushead or Derek Riggs. Now, 34 years later with a career in tattooing, I had forgotten about that adolescent dream I had until I discovered the Swedish rock band Ghost.

"What started as something fun to create inspired by my favorite Mucha piece and a band I adore has turned into something grand and beyond what I ever expected. I am humbled and honored to be one of the artists that have made official artwork for Ghost. In a world where most doors are immediately closed unless you know someone on the inside, it’s nice to be noticed for your craft. Thank you to those that loved and shared the original artwork and those that guided me and helped push this forward. Thank you Ghost for waking up that 13 year old kid I used to be. Din musik har gett liv åt min kreativitet."

—Robyn Roth, via Nomadical Art and Tattooing by Robyn Roth

Reference: Medée (Medea) (Poster for a performance by Sarah Bernhardt at the Théâtre de la Renaissance, Paris) (1898) by Alphonse Mucha.

Additional reference information: Medea is a figure in Greek mythology best known for killing her two children in response to her husband's infidelity. Sarah Bernhardt, the actress playing Medea in the original poster, was a frequent subject of Alphonse Mucha's work. (Mucha Foundation)

Reference image below the cut.

[ghostshirtsarchive]

About the blog

This is a project to collect artist information and fun facts about every shirt designed for the band Ghost. Ghost has a lot of fantastic shirt designs, but artist information isn't readily available. My hope is that this blog will help people learn a little more about the design process for Ghost merchandise and find the artists behind their favorite shirt designs.

You can submit shirt designs you'd like to see featured. I plan to discuss every shirt eventually, but if your submission includes any of the following information, it will be posted faster:

The artist's name or social media handle.

The title the shirt was sold under. Example: "Mondo Mucha," "Papa IV Theatrical," etc.

What the shirt is referencing, if applicable. Example: the design is parodying a specific painting, poster, album cover, movie scene, etc.

In general, it's best to use the submission form if you know a lot about a specific shirt and you're interested in sharing what you know. However, please keep in mind that if you do not include links to your sources and I am unable to verify specific pieces of information, that information will not be included.

If you'd like to submit a shirt, please use this form.