  We have used FORS1 at the ESO VLT to search for light echoes in imaging
polarimetry from four historical supernovae in the face-on nearby spiral galaxy
M83 (NGC 5236). No echoes were detected around our targets (SN 1923A, SN 1945B,
SN 1950B and SN 1957D). This implies that the interstellar medium in their
environs is rather tenuous (a few particles/cm^3), possibly as a result of
previous supernova explosions that could have cleared the immediate vicinities
of our targets. The merits and limitations of searching for light echoes in
imaging polarimetry are discussed. From the photometry of the sources detected
at the supernova locations, we estimate star cluster masses of 720, 400, 300 Mo
for the cluster progenitors of SN 1957D, SN 1923A, and SN 1950B, respectively,
and an upper limit of few tens of solar masses for SN 1945B.
