Victorian Magic

The Victorian era (roughly 1850 – 1910) is considered to be the “Golden Age” of magic.  During this period, magic evolved from simple presentations on street corners and fairgrounds to sophisticated theatre productions.

​

You’ll learn more about several key performers from this era, including:

​

• The “professor” who could produce ghostly figures on stage, and the surprising ways the technology is still used today

​

• The French clockmaker inspired to create magic when he received the wrong shipment of books, and is now considered to be the Father of Modern Magic

​

• The Scotsman who stole that Frenchman’s act, and popularized the world’s most iconic magic trick

​

• The English watchmaker who teamed with a cabinetmaker to discredit fake Spiritualists – and then  went on to perform magic in their own London theatre for 30 years

​

• The performer who was fatally wounded on stage during his “bullet catch” trick, and how his greatest secret was revealed by his final words on stage

​

• The shoemaker’s son who became a magician and bought a magic theatre, and then went on to revolutionize motion pictures

​​

Along the way, there will be demonstrations of their tricks, both on video and in live performances.

​