Name changing to The Magic Detective

A few months ago a good friend of mine called me with an idea. He asked if I would consider doing a talk on the history of magic for his annual convention. Most people who know me know I'm a huge magic history buff, fantastic, whatever. It was his suggestion to call me The Magic Detective. So at the 2010 Kid-Abra Conference, during a late evening, I hosted an event on Magic History. There were several speakers besides myself. These included Jim Kleefeld, Terry Evanswood and the adorable Adele Friel Rhindress. Jim is a full time performer with a strong interest in the history of magic. Terry is the second most famous person in Pigeon Forge TN and is a huge collector! Adele was a former assistant to Harry Blackstone Sr. and she is simply a treasure.

They all spoke on various topics. Jim and Terry showed pieces from their collections. I actually opened with a short powerpoint presentation of previous 'Magic Detectives' as well as some cool historical locations I've found that were related to magic. I also brought some handcuffs and a few other things.
Adele charmed the crowd with her recollections of a young Harry Blackstone Jr.

It was so much fun. People came up afterwards to check out the various items and to chat with us further.  Because of that and because this blog has taken a turn towards history, I'm changing the name of blog to Carnegie: Magic Detective. It fits a bit better and frankly I really enjoy hunting down these pieces of history. Honestly, any of us involved in the history of magic, whether research or collecting are 'magic detectives'!

Cloak of Invisibility

Before there was Harry Potter and Mac King, someone else apparently invented The Cloak of Invisibility. This dates back to 1949 and was the creation of a fellow named Felix Korim. It's clever to say the least. Basically the effect begins with a girl being covered with a jet black cloak/cloth. The cloak gradually changes color and becomes transparent. The cloak is then removed proving the girl has actually vanished. I love the fact that the illustration doesn't give away the method, but in a subtle way it does. A very visual effect for 1949 and quite ingenious.

Hardeen's Commercial Endorsement

Before there was Michael Jordan or Tiger Wood there was Hardeen! It seems Hardeen was way ahead of his time. Here is an ad that appeared in the October 20, 1905 edition of the London Daily Mail paper. The huge ad is for Zam-Buk Medicated Ointment and there is a drawing of Hardeen on both the left and right sides plus his name is in the headline at the top of the ad. If you're interested you can still get this produce today at http://www.zam-buk.com/
Click on the image above to see a larger version and find out what Hardeen has to say about Zam-Buk!
(by the way, Hardeen's brother, some guy by the name of Houdini, also was a spokesman for the product)