Karl Germain The Wizard

Today I get to talk about one of my favorite magicians of all time. I became fascinated with this gentlemen when I first saw one of his breathtaking posters (see above). It was hanging in the American Museum of Magic years ago and I was awe struck. The poster was tall, a 3 sheet poster, with an image of a witch and black cat leaning over a fire. The smoke from the fire revealed an image of Germain who himself, was conjuring a spirit. And across the top of the poster the words, GERMAIN The Wizard. I read what little I could find on Germain in books, and then learned there were two biographies written on Germain, but a the time they were long out of print. When I finally was able to get a copy of them, I read them cover to cover. Germain truly seemed like a real wizard. I think you too will become fascinated by Germain just as I did, after reading this article. 

Our subject was born Charles Mattmueller on Feb 12, 1878 in Cleveland Ohio. Technically he should be Charles Mattmueller Jr. as his father was  also Charles Mattmueller. David Price’s book, MAGIC A Pictorial History of Conjurers in the Theatre, explains The name Karl came about during his school years when several other boys in his class also had the name Charles. The teacher decided this Charles would be called Karl. It must have pleased young Karl Mattmueller because he kept the name. 

He became interested in magic in his youth, but I’m not sure what the specific event was that peaked his curiosity. I have a feeling that his interest in magic came directly from his father, who had seen magicians in his native Germany and often told young Karl about the feats he had witnessed. Also, I know young Karl had a copy of Modern Magic by Professor Hoffmann which was given to him by his father when he was 14. At age 15, in 1893, he sketched out a design for a possible poster inside his copy of Modern Magic, on a blank page no doubt. His name in the design  is listed as Chas. Mattmueller. The following year he would create another sketch for a potential advertising piece but this time his name was listed as Karl Mattmueller-Magician. 

Young Karl’s early magic career, in fact, his entire magic career, would be a family affair. Census records from the time list his father as being a machinist and also working in the picture framing business. He was clearly a skilled craftsman. Karl’s father would make many of the props that Karl would use in his show. Another family member would be a regular part of Karl’s show and that was his sister Ida. She would act as assistant and would participate in his mind reading experiments. More on both of them later.

He would have several stage names before settling upon the best one. First he was Charles Mattmueller, then 

Karl Mattmueller, then for a time he went by the stage name Alexander, but upon being selected to perform for the Central Lyceum Bureau in 1899, he chose the name Germaine. Actually the chose the name GERMAIN without the ‘e’, but due to an error by a printing company, he became Germain with an e at the end. They didn’t have spellcheck back then sadly. 

Now before I can get into his magic, I must point out something that I read in several different articles and books on Germain. When describing his act, many people use the word ‘artistic.’ The first time I read it was in David Price’s book, and then I also saw it in The Annals of Conjuring book. In several magazine articles on Germain, they also use the word ‘artistic’ to describe him. On the surface it might seem that these various magic authors are simply being lazy and copying each other, which happens a lot in magic literature. But having looked over the material in Germain’s show, and seen photos of the incredible props, plus having seen a number of them in person, I can attest to the fact that ARTISTIC is probably the perfect word to describe Karl Germaine.

Beyond the look of his props, why do so many say Germain was artistic. I truly believe it was because he was highly creative, presented many of his own original creations. When he did regular magic routines, he always added something to the routine to make them unique to him. His patter was different from the standard performer of the time. Of course, he dressed immaculately, as did his on stage assistants. And this appears to be the case from the very start of his career right up to the end.

Germain’s bread and butter seems to be the Lyceum and Chautauqua circuits. As mentioned he began in 1899 and continued for several years. In the book, Germain the Wizard and His Legerdermain by Stuart Cramer, he shares the story of an event that took place in July of that year. The Germain company was onboard a train heading for their next destination. They were part of a larger troupe of performers. Germain was there with his sister Ida. Unknown to the passengers, a cargo train off in the distance was on the same track as the passenger train. No one knew, and the sudden realization did not prevent a disaster from happening. The two trains collided, sending various cars crashing, and some tipping off the tracks. The passenger car that Germain and his fellow performers were on, was further down the line but still suffered from the impact. The result was that their car came to an abrupt stop and tilted at an angle off the tracks. No one was hurt, though everyone was very shaken up. 

After helping other passengers out of the wrecked cars, Germain realized it would be impossible for him to make his show unless he made other arrangements. I’m not even sure how they pulled this off but they were able to get a buggy to take them and their luggage and equipment to another train and booked passage just in time to make it to their destination. They also made it in time to do give their performance!

Another story from the Germain The Wizard and His Legerdermain book, tells of Germain’s appearance at the Opera House in Wheeling WV. The company was unaware that the entire area had flooded, but the organizers met Germain at station with a raft to bring them to the theatre to do the show! Unreal. 

If you’re wondering what kind of magic Germain did, well, he was capable of doing most anything. He had primarily stage or platform style tricks, but he kept a number of very deceptive close-up tricks on him at all times. He also excelled at mentalism, which included his sister Ida. And one of the bigger surprises for me was to discover that Germain also presented illusion magic, as in Grand Illusion. At this time period, Grand Illusion was really in it’s infancy, but there were some truly marvelous creations that came out of this period. One early illusion was called The Mystery of Malabar. The thinking behind this routine was brilliant. The effect was a two sided platform which was set up in front of the audience. A top went onto this two sided platform and then a basket similar in style to that of the famed hindu basket effect was placed on top of this platform. You could see above, below, and to the sides of this platform. Next, Germain put on a robe and mask or beard and climbed into the basket. Only seconds later, walking down the aisle in the audience was Karl Germain. He vanished from the basket and in impossible time, appeared at the back of the theatre! He wouldn’t be the first or last to present this type of effect, but his method was quite clever. 

Each year Germain added new an amazing mysteries to his show. Let’s take a moment to examine some of his other unique effects…

The Block. This is an incredible effect with a crazy method but completely original. From the perspective of the audience, this is what they see. There is a block of wood, probably about 12 inches long and maybe 2.5 inches square. This is handed out for examination. In addition is a wooden board, 16 inches long, twelve inches wide, and a quarter inch thick, which is also given out for inspection. Germain then took the block and held it against the board and mysteriously it passed right through. He then pulled it back out, and placed the block at another position on the board at a different angle and once again, the block passed through the board. He repeated it a third time. To the audience it appeared he could push the block through the examined board at any spot and it would pass through, like a knife going through butter.  The image of Germain passing the block through the board is just crazy. In it’s most basic form, this is a penetration effect, and there are many of them in magic. What makes this one so diabolical is the fact that the items are handed out beforehand. Also their appearance is quite organic, meaning they don’t look like magic props but rather normal pieces of scrap wood. They also don’t appear to leave a hole in the board once the block is  passed through. Keep in mind, I do not reveal methods on this podcast, but trust me the method is wild. In the book, CONJURING by Jim Steinmeyer, he has two effects of his own creation that are inspired by Germain’s Block trick, if you are interested.

Another incredible Germain effect is his Butterfly. Again, this was one of the early Germain photos that totally had me intrigued. Keep in mind, this is totally original. Here is the effect: Germain would tell the audience he was about to produce a somethingness out of nothingness. And then he reached up and produced a 14 inch silk. He continued to do this again, and again until he had a dozen or so of varying colors. All of this was done to patter. The dozen silk scarves were then rolled into a sort of ‘cocoon’ and suddenly the bundle of fabric sprung open to reveal a very large butterfly with fluttering wings. I don’t know the actual size of the butterfly but in images it looks to be approximately 3 feet wide. Very large. Once it was produced it was handed off to an assistant who carried it away. Sadly, it almost seems that the better approach would have been to have it float or fly away on it’s own!

Flowers have figured prominently in the acts of many magicians. The Kellar Flower Growth is a wonderful routine where two planters of dirt, eventually sprout two large bushes of flowers. Kellars routine used several tables and two large metal cones which were first showed empty. I have mentioned this in previous podcasts, there is a video of Nickolas Night presenting the Kellar Flower Growth on Youtube, it’s a must see! Oh, and the technique that is used in this video is an improvement suggested by none other than Karl Germain!

Germain’s personal favorite routine was his own Flower Growth. This was the creation of Karl and his father. You see, according to the book Germain the Wizard by Stuart Cramer, Karl’s father had seen a magician in Germany do a similar trick and it always stuck in his brain. So now father and son went about creating a version of their own. In fact, Germain would create several different flower productions before working on the actual Flower Growth idea.   It went through various renditions until the final version, the ultimate one was finally realized. This is how it appeared to the audience. On stage sits a gold Louis the 14th Style side table. It is away from the curtain, and has a clear view above and below the table. On a second table sits an empty flower pot. Germain shows the empty flower pot and proceeds to fill it with dirt. He carries the now full flower pot to the other table and picks up a fan that was resting on the table. Without any covering, no tubes, no curtains, Germain simply waves the fan in the direction of the flower pot. Almost immediately a small tiny green sprout is seen. Germain then continues to wave the fan and move or dance around the table. Gradually, the tiny sprout blooms and gets larger. As Germain continues his fan dance, the plant grows higher and higher until the audience sees large roses on the table. The plant grows to a height of several feet. Germain then takes a pair of shears and cuts off some roses at their stems and passes them out the members of the audience, thus proving he has just made a LIVE rosebush grow right before their very eyes.  

I have been very fortunate to see the Germain Flower Growth prop LIVE in person. It resides in the collection of Ken Klosterman. It is a thing of beauty. The elder Mattmueller hand made this table, with ornate carvings on angels on each leg of the table. The method is diabolical, there was nothing like it when it came out. Many have said it was superior to Kellar’s Flower Growth, at least, that is what I’ve read in a couple books. I swear I saw a video of it being presented online, but now I can’t seem to locate it anywhere. There are three Germain Flower Growths that exist, one , as I mentioned is in Ken Klosterman’s collection, another other is in the collection of David Copperfield, and a third earlier version is in the collection of TELLER.

There is another effect of Germain's that is purely his, and that is his Egyptian Water Bowl Mystery. I recently wrote about it on this blog, so here is a link to that article.

Earlier I mentioned Ida Mattmuellar. This was Karl’s younger sister. She was born in 1880 and thus was 2 years younger than Karl. She provided the music in the show by playing the piano, and served as an assistant to Karl since his earliest days as a magician. In his first tour in 1899, she is listed on the brochure, along with her photogragh, as Ida Germain. She is also singled out as helping him in his ‘Telepathy’ Act. She continued in this role until Karl was offered the chance to perform in England. 

In June 1906, Germain set sail for England. He arrived 7 days later, after an awful sea voyage which left him sea-sick the entire time. But he recovered quick enough and was soon performing. He would tour all over England and Ireland. Eventually he ended up in London where he appeared at the New Bedford Palace Theatre. Germain was very popular in London, as was magic in general. Many of the greats of that era where in town the same time as Germain, folks like Chung Ling Too, Houdini, Lafayette and more. 

In 1907, Houdini and Karl Germain were both in England. Germain, happened to run into Houdini at a banquet and decided he wanted to amaze his friend. He then proceeded to present his favorite pocket trick, the term that was used then for close-up magic. The trick was called The Spirit Writing On Cigarette Paper.  The effect was a blank piece of paper was pinned to the end of a pencil. The spectator (HOUDINI) was asked to name someone, and the signature of that person appeared on the previously blank paper. Houdini watched like a hawk, but in the end was amazed by the presentation.

The highlight of his time abroad was working at St. George’s Hall for Maskeylne and Devant. He was there for a quite a long run. By December 1907, he was back home in Cleveland…..after another LONG sea-sick filled ocean voyage.

On Feb 26th, 1908, Germain’s friend Edward Maro passed away from Typhoid Fever. You can learn all about Maro by listening to podcast ep#11. Maro’s real name was Walter Truman Best, and his wife Allie was abruptly left a widow. Germain did not find out about the death until after Best had been buried.

Allie Best asked Germain for help in dispersing her husbands show props. Germain agreed and headed north to Maronook, on the shores of Lake Lelanau, in Michigan. While going through the various props. Germain naturally got first dibs on things he wanted. He came away with Maro’s Meteroic Ribbon effect, and he came away with a very famous piece that had once belonged to Charles Bertram. And he almost came away with Allie Best! Apparently, that relationship did not last. But let me backtrack to the Charles Bertram item. This was Bertram’s Spirit Lock, that no one knows how it ended up with Maro, but here it was in Maro’s collection. Germain apparently tried to purchase it while he was in England a few years before but was unable. And now it was his. And as he always did, he made it his by creating a unique routine. He told the story of Dr. Faust who was in prison, this lock held the prison door shut. He held up a picture of a lock and then held his fingers as if they were a key. A shadow was cast on the picture of his fingers and as the shadow entered the lock, he turned his hand and the real lock sprang open. 

Thanks to an article in the Dec 2005 issue of MAGIC magazine by Tim Moore, he said no one knew what Bertrams routine was, nor did they know what Maro’s routine was.  So here was Germain, making this clever trick his own by creating a mystical and memorable story. 

Curiously at the conclusion of his tour in 1909, Germain gave what he called ‘His Farewell Performance’ at Marktinka’s theatre in NYC. FAREWELL PERFORMANCE???? It seems rather abrupt, and premature to say the least. 

However, in only a few months an event would happen to make him want to leave the stage for good. On Jan 30th, 1910, Ida Mattmueller died from a tumor on her spine. She had been in declining health ever since he returned from England a few years before. But now, her death left a huge void in his life. He began to reassess his priorities. The lure of the road and stardom no longer appealed to him  . The reality of the road was that it could be brutal and miserable more than it was good. And as far as stardom, despite the constant demand for his shows, he had not achieved the kind of celebrity status like Kellar, Herrmann, or Houdini. 

It was time to look for a new profession, something that would keep him home, near his father, who was still alive and near friends and familiar surroundings. He was able to convince the president of Western Reserve Law School to allow him to attend classes, despite not having graduated high school nor ever attending college. What would happen to the show you might ask? Germain trained a new person to be Germain. Paul Fleming, who was an up and coming magician was chosen to take out the show and fill the many dates that were already booked. He would hit the road as Paul Germain. On the rare occasion Paul was unable to fill a date, Germain himself went out and presented it. He was not completely out of the magic world, but he was heading in that direction.

In 1914, Karl Germain became a lawyer and opened a practice in Cleveland. He dealt with probate law and had a partner in his practice. He intended to be out of magic at this point, and leave the performing to Paul Fleming. But for whatever reason, Germain couldn’t  leave magic alone. By 1916, he accepted another Chautauqua Tour. This one however, would prove to be the final tour for Germain. During the 2 month tour he was having issues with headaches and blurriness in his vision. He went to see a specialist who recomenneded he go to Boston to see another specialist. The verdict was a tumor in his brain pressing against the optic nerve. An operation was nessesarry or else he could go blind and mad. But the operation could also cause him to go blind. Germain agreed to the operation and when it was completed, he had zero vision. It turned out to be temporary to a point. He never regained his full vision. This predicament also caused him to leave his law firm and also put an end to show business. His father, would assist Karl for the remainder of his life, at least until he died in the 1940s. 

I’m not sure the date of this, but the story comes from Germain the Wizard by Stuart Cramer. In the story,

Houdini was in Cleveland performing and had contacted Germain about some curtains he had for sale. They worked out an agreeable price, but before settling on the deal, Houdini said he needed to see them hanging in the theatre to get a better idea of their condition and if they’d work for him. The curtains were hung and Houdini went on with his show. After the show, Germain was waiting in his dressed room and Houdini said he’d be happy to take the curtains but the offer was now half what had been agreed upon. Germain vanished for a bit and when Houdini went to look for him, he had departed, along with his curtains. The curtains eventually found their way in Paul Flemings show and today they hang in the mini-theatre in Ken Klosterman’s collection. And I’m assuming these are the plush green curtains that are there. Though for some reason I was thinking they were the black curtains that hung in Germain’s show.

In 1922, Germain decided to put together a talk/lecture on spiritualism. This was something he had been interested in his entire life. In fact, many of his shows featured a spirit cabinet, different versions, or other spirit effects. It was a perfect topic for Germain to talk on. But a tour never developed. It could be he didn’t have the name recognition that HOUDINI had and this made it near impossible for him to get hired to deliver the talk. Plus, his partial blindness was very apparent, so I can imagine that figured into people’s decisions not to go with his program.

 This remarkable man, who created so much original magic had been dealt a terrible blow with this partial blindness. But things would get worse. In 1938, while crossing an intersection, a truck ran into him. He survived the accident, but was left completely blind. 

There was one saving grace and that came in the form of a young amateur magician who befriended Karl Germain, his name was Stuart Cramer. If it had not been for Cramer, the final days of Germain would have been much worse. If it had not been for Cramer, we likely would know very little about Germain, other than what was little was written in magic magazines. 

As it was, Stuart Cramer was with Germain in the hospital in his final days and his final moments on his planet. Karl Germain Mattmuellar died on August 9th, 1959. He is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Cleveland Ohio. He was 81 when he died, and he lived with his blindness for 43 years, more years than he was full time magician. A sad ending for such an incredible performer.

I was surprised by one thing, the Mattmueller family plot, has all 4 Mattmuellars buried there. On Germain’s grave it has this on the tombstone, “Karl Germain Mattmuellar”, but on the fathers grave it has “Karl Mattmueller” as well. However, in Census records he is always listed as Charles. I can’t help but wonder now if his name was actually Karl, as this is a German name, and it was changed when he immigrated to the United States. It also stands to reason why his son, Charles, continued to use KARL throughout his life. And it also makes me wonder about the ‘school house’ story. 

Like his friend Edward Maro, Germain’s posters did not include the devilsh imps, which were standard for the time. Instead, much like Maro, he had mythical creatures like elves, fairies, witches and the like. It appears that Germain had one full color lithograph, it must have been printed sometime between 1899 and 1905, as the poster has the spelling of his name, G-E-R-M-A-I-N-E. His other posters all have a red/black color scheme, or red/black/white color scheme. And they are very striking posters. I am not sure, but the long poster with Germain conjuring the spirit, I have seen this poster in a reddish color, yellowish color, as well as orange. I’m not sure what the original color was, or if there were indeed several versions of different colors. Also, Stuart Cramer reveals in his book that a stash of posters was found in the attic of Germain’s home after he died and these included 1 sheet, 2 sheets, 3 sheets and 8 sheet posters. I have NEVER seen one of these 8 sheet posters, so I can only imagine what that was like. 

A final point I would like to make about Germain. I believe Germain may have given the very first TED Talk. If you don’t know what a TED Talk is, I suggest you look it up on google. On May 9, 1949, Germain spoke before SAM Assembly #10. He was at the home of magician John Grdina and unknown to Germain, Grdina made an audio recording of the presentation. So Germain’s trust had been betrayed, and when he later found out, he was quite livid. But for posterity sake, that recording still exists, and thankfully so. I have not heard the recording, but in the May 2002 issue of Genii Magazine, a transcript of that speech is featured. It’s a bit heavy, and frankly for an audience, probably even boring. But if you read the content you really should be enriched. The point of the talk was to be a true artist, you must be original, and to be original you must be yourself. So to present a trick, word for word, move for move is not art, but copying. And please, I know there have been countless debates on this very subject. But I’m talking about Germain’s opinion here, and I think he has the moral high ground when it comes to talking about originality. His point was not to change everything in a given routine, but to include yourself, your personality, your thoughts, your opinions in the routines. A great example of Germain taking a standard trick and adding himself was his approach to The Misers Dream. IF you are not familiar with the Misers Dream, you should listen to Podcast Ep#23 about T. Nelson Downs the man who revolutionized that trick. But suffice to say, many people perform the Misers Dream in much the same way. Germain added something that I just love. At the conclusion of his routine, after having pulled countless coins from the air and from other places, he turns all the coins into candy. The method can be found in the Stuart Cramer books, and it’s genius, and rather simple.

Another example would be Germain’s approach to The Kellar Flower Growth. He never presented this, but he recognized it could be stronger with one simple change. In Harry Kellar’s hands, this routine was a thing of pure beauty. How it looked when other performers presented it I do not know. But Germain suggested changing the table drapes to a mesh-like fabric, in this way the audience could see through them. And proof of the brilliance of this one simple change can be seen in the Nicholas Night performance on Youtube of Kellar’s Flower Growth!

I wish I had the ability to include Germain’s recorded speech here on the podcast. Maybe in the future, I can track down a copy and then get permission from whoever the owner is. I would LOVE to hear Germain speak of originality in his own voice. Wow. 

I wonder how many magicians in the past 100 years have had a similar approach? Off the top of my head, I’d say Slydini, Tommy Wonder, for pure originality. And as far as putting themselves into their magic, one only has to look as far as the top performers in the field, Henning, Copperfield, Siefried and Roy, Penn & Teller. Sure there are lots of others, but the point is, those performers were unique, and they were unique because they were themselves.

It may come as a surprise to many of you, that Karl Germain would not approve of this particular episode. He was very much against people writing or talking about him after his death. In fact, he was even against people writing about him after he retired but was still alive. 

He told Stuart Cramer that he would come back and HAUNT him if he dared write about him after his death. And Stuart wrote two books, The Secrets of Karl Germain in 1962 and Germain the Wizard and his Legerdermain in 1966. 

Paper Mache Bust of Germain (Klosterman Collection)

 This is the transcript from the Feature of Episode 25 of The Magic Detective Podcast. It has been slightly edited to conform to this format.

Research Materials for This Episode Included:

Stuart Cramer GERMAIN THE WIZARD by the Miracle Factory

David Price     MAGIC A Pictorial History of Conjurers in the Theatre

Prof. Hoffmann MODERN MAGIC

Sidney Clarke  The Annals of Conjuring

The Linking Ring Vol 40 #12

M-U-M Vol 104 #4

M-U-M Vol 204 #9

MAGIC Vol 15 #4

MAGIC Vol 24 #6

MAGIC Jan 1997 Conjuring Column

David Devant All Done By Kindness

 

(Devant painting by Dean Carnegie)

To say it took longer than normal to finish this podcast, well that is an understatement. I was working on this for weeks. And in the end, had to pull so much content from the podcast to keep it within my normal range. I've got enough material for a second podcast on Devant at some point. Very quickly though, there were a couple minor mistakes, which will be corrected in the podcast transcript below. I mentioned his book Woes of a Wizard as Woes of a Magician, and there was another book that I got the title wrong. Everything else was right on the money. There will be some links in this article to previous pieces I wrote, so enjoy those along the way. Below is the transcript from the Oct 4th podcast, with minor alterations.

Today’s feature was born David Wighton in London, on February 22, 1868. We would know him by his stage name, David Devant. His family moved around a lot in his early age. In 1878, when he was a mere 10 years old he saw his first performance of magic presented by a man named Dr. Holden.  He was a local performer who had the rare treat of having performed before the Queen. According to his book, My Life of Magic,  Devant was impressed with the magic, but it had not yet taken hold of him as it would in a couple years.

Young David had many odd jobs in his youth, like:  being a pageboy, next was running a refreshment stand, next was as a telephone operator.  And along this journey of jobs he also became fascinated by magic. He would often practice his magic in leu of doing his job, which got him fired or reprimanded more than once. 

He had local magic shops that he frequented like Joseph Blands Magic and Herr Proksauers. David had a chance meeting of a magician named Kasper the Great Court Conjurer who was performing in town. David discovered besides performing magic he also had tricks he sold. So David was there every weekend to buy something new from Kasper. Then, at some point, Kasper made an offer that was impossible to refuse. He said, “If you can get your friend the artist to paint a picture for me, I shall show you how to get all the secrets of magic! ….actually what he really said was, “Why, I’ll teach yer all the blooming tricks there ever was, is or could be” 

The story takes up several pages in his autobiography. Kasper wanted a painting of himself performing for the Queen, with the Royal Family responding with oohs and ahh and surprising looks on their faces.”  

The painting was eventually done. David paying the artist and in turn he could get ‘All the Secrets to Magic.’  Well, all the secrets to magic turned out to be a copy of the book, “Modern Magic by Professor Hoffmann, and a copy of Houdin’s Masterpieces by Robert Houdin”. And he didn’t even give him the books, he just told David to get copies and you’ll have all the knowledge you’ll need. David doesn’t seem to be the least bit upset about this, as the information contained in the books was beyond eye opening!

His early life would benefit from 3 important things. One I just mentioned, the book, Modern Magic by Professor Hoffmann. The next was visiting Egyptian Hall where Maskelyne and Cooke produced countless magical programs. The last was another book, Sleight of Hand by Edward Sachs. Here was all the education a young budding magician would need.

The day would eventually come when young David would present his first public show. The year was 1885, David was a mere 17 years old. He was performing at a bazaar, a sort of an outdoor fair on Kentish Town Road. He would not be performing as David Wighton, but rather as David Devant, his new stage name.  Where did this name come from? According to the book, Devant’s Delightful Delusions by S.H. Sharpe, Quote, “Devant decided on his very attractive stage name through seeing a painting by a french artist of David and Goliath, named, “David Devant Goliath”, which means “David in front of Goliath. This caption caught his imagination, and he at once decided to adopt the name David Devant to help him to keep “in front” as a magician.”

This next story is recounted in numerous books, chief among them, My Magic Life, his autobiography. David was about to present his final performance at the bazaar when he spotted two friends in the audience. Both of them were magician friends and an elderly gentleman sat between them. David does not mention what he presented in his show, but he does say that the three gentleman stayed following the show. They approached him and introduced the stranger among them. The man turned out to be none other than Professor Hoffmann himself!!! Devant was so thrilled to meet the Professor, he went on to credit him for all the material in his show and even gave him a pat on the back….which turned out to be so hard he almost knocked the poor mans glasses off!!! I can’t really say I blame him for his enthusiasm. It was probably good that they waited until the show was over for the introductions. Nerves have a way of wreaking havoc upon a performer.

Professor Hoffmann was kind to the young man stating, “if you go on as you have begun, one day you will become a great conjurer.”  So we can assume he did a reasonably good job. At least he didnt get one of these so called complements, “well I can say, you’ve never been better!” OR the classic, “your set pieces are fantastic!”  lol

Years later, Professor Hoffmann would write about his first meeting with Devant in the pages of The Magician Annual 1908-09. He described the encounter, and pointed out how pleased he was that Devant kept a copy of Modern Magic with him. He felt that even though Devant was a teenager at the time of their first meeting and performance, he, Devant did deliver a fine performance. And then he points out when they met a second time, David Devant had become the most popular magician in England.

In his autobiography, Devant talks a bit about the fact that no one was doing illusions in music halls, until DeKolta. Bautier presented the Vanishing Lady. Now, I’ve done a podcast on Dekolta, which is episode 31. But Devant proceeds to give a very in-depth description of DeKolta’s Vanishing Lady. And it makes the modern adaptations seem like feckless knock-offs.

“Bautier walked forward with a newspaper in his hand; this he unfolded and spread out in the centre of the stage. He then picked up a light, ordinary looking chair, of which, by the way, he showed all sides, and placed it in the center of the newspaper. He then brought a lady in and she seated herself on this chair. Bautier proceeded to cover her  up with a piece of purple silk, pinning it round her head and shoulders, dropping the rest and draping it to the floor. No part of this silk was allowed to lie outside the newspaper. There was a pause…Bautier came down the stage, looked at the draped figure, took hold of the silk with two hands—-one about the waist and the other at the head—and threw the silk up into the air ; it seemed to leave his hands in a flash. Both woman and silk utterly disappeared. Again the chair was lifted off the newspaper, and in doing so Bautier showed it back and front. He then picked up the newspaper and folded it together."

WHOA!!!!

The reason there is such an emphasis on Dekolta and others is Devant was being educated in the many approaches to magic. He saw these illusions in Egyptian Hall. He would see countless conjurers in this iconic location and he learned something from every act. 

He mentions Dekolta one more time, this time in regards to the Vanishing Birdcage. Apparently Dekolta’s first cage was oblong in shape. And it was ripped off by many a performer. So he created a round cage which he held in his upright hand. He tossed it upwards where it simply vanished. THEN, he tore of his coat and threw it into the audience to have it inspected. No trace of the cage could be found. Upon taking back the coat, DeKolta reproduced the cage. Again, so very different from what we know today.

This was also the time when many conjurers were doing the Vanishing Cage and killing birds in the process. Devant points out that Bertram had a clever solution. He allowed the bird to fly free. Then he said, “You have flown way, have you? Well, take the cage with you.” and then he caused the cage to vanish. I should point out that Robert Heller did a similar thing by having the bird fly away, then having no use for the cage, he made it vanish.

But lets get back to Devant…

In his book, My Magic Life, he describes a funny incident that occurred in his early days as a magician. He wanted to present DeKolta’s Vanishing Lady, but he did not want to do it the way DeKolta did. So Devant devised his own unique method. To that he also added his own unique presentation, the highlight of which was causing the Vanished Lady to suddenly appear in the back of the Hall or theater. For this new method he would require two women that had a similar appearance. Devant describes the difficulty in finding two women that were alike. He said that sometimes he would find them, but one would have light hair and the other dark hair. So he’d try to convince the women to either darken or lighten their hair as the case may be. And in every case he was turned down and likely told off. 

Just about the time he was ready to give up, he saw two very beautiful twin sisters walking down the street. They were both dressed alike and had the same hair styles and such. But now he had a new dilemma, ‘how to approach them?????’.  He tried many different things, even considered hiring some friends to intervene, but in the end, his frustration led him to simply stop the ladies on the street and proclaim, “Would you care to become vanishing ladies?” LOL

There’s a pick up line if I ever heard one, lol. And their response was something along the lines of you are a crazy beep beep beep…..and he quickly apologized and tried his best to explain himself. Amazingly the women believed him……believed that he was a conjurer and in need of some women to assist him with a trick. They fought over who would be THE vanishing lady, and they told him they would only do it if they Both were involved. Well, that’s exactly what Devant wanted, so he heartily agreed. 

This next part of the story….oh my it rings so true. It was true then, true today…..After 2 rehearsals the women proclaimed they got it and didn’t need to rehearse any more. Devant struggled to get it through their heads that continual rehearsal was the only way they were truly going  to be proficient at the illusion. 

The day came when they got it down! And their first presentation before an audience went something like this.  Devant had a chair sitting upon a raised platform. He had his assistant walk into the audience and then back onto the stage so they could see she was a real human.

She sat on the chair. Devant covered her with a cloth and then whisked it way and she was Gone! And then seconds later, the woman yelled from the back of the theater, “HERE I AM!!!”

Truly, a mind boggling effect for the time. 

Everything was going well until the Vanishing Lady or Ladies began receiving fan mail and gifts and proposals. One night according to the book, The Lady in the chair was covered, but when the cloth was yanked away, she was still there. And yet, only seconds later the other lady burst forth from the back of the theatre to yell, “HERE I AM!”   Apparently the two sisters were having a fight over some of the gifts. Eventually Devant let the sisters go as they became more trouble than they were worth. 

And if I might point out, Devant’s books are very enjoyable to read. He is an excellent storyteller.

By 1890, when he was just 22 he had already risen in the show business ranks to be working the best music halls in London and the surrounding areas. In 1893, he debuted one of his original illusions called Vice-Versa. Here is a description of the effect from the book, Devant’s Delightful Delusions by S.H. Sharpe:  “A man stood isolated in a simple cabinet which consisted of a top and a bottom with curtain sides and standing on legs about four feet high. Around his waist was tied a long ribbon, the ends being passed out to members of the audience to hold. Upon the four curtains being simultaneously lowered by a single string and raised a few moments later, it was seen that the man had been transformed into a woman, The ribbon was then cut from her waist, and tossed to the audience to examine the knots.”

This illusion actually played a very important part in Devant’s career. He was using Vice-Versa with great success. Audiences and theater managers alike enjoyed it. So he felt it was time to step up his game and invite no less than John Nevil Maskelyne to see a performance with the hopes of getting booked at the famed Egyptian Hall. 

Arrangements were made for Maskelyne to catch a presentation of Vice Versa. And to his delight, Maskelyne actually liked the illusion. However there was a problem. John Nevil Maskelyne recognized the size of the illusion was such that it would be impossible to play at Egyptian Hall, as the stage size was smaller than the venue they were currently at.  If only Devant could come up with something similar that might fit into the Egyptian Hall stage…and thus The Artist’s Dream Illusion was born. They were both based upon a similar method, but the effect was different and also the size of the props were smaller. Devant showed Maskelyne a proto-type and he loved it, and it was then built in the Maskelyne workshop.

In September of 1893, Devant debuted what would be his most popular creation, The Artists Dream. Here is a description of the illusion from Devant’s book Secrets Of My Magic:  “The Artist’s Dream’ was a pretty little sketch in which an artist was discovered working on a picture of his late wife. Over-tired, he covers the picture with a small curtain and falls asleep on a couch, when the Spirit of Mercy enters, mysteriously produced at the back of the stage. She approaches the picture, uncovers it, and it is seen to be alive, in fact the woman comes down and embraces her husband, then goes back and disappears in the same way. The artist wakes up and rushing to the picture, tears it down from the easel, and turning, sees the Spirit of Mercy. He approaches her, but the moment he touches her she disappears in a flash and the artist falls dead on the stage-a very dramatic finish.”

Maskelyne signed Devant to a 3 month contract. Devant’s wife would play the part of the woman in the Artist’s Dream. But much to my surprise, Devant was not in the routine at all. Many routines presented at Maskelyne and Cooke’s Egyptian Hall were done like mini-playlets. So they had a script, actors, music and the like. In this case, an actor was chose to play the part of the artist. Considering that the artist falls asleep on a couch during the routine, I guess that makes it all ok. 

The next illusion I’d like the mention is a piece that Devant created in 1895. It’s called The Birth of Flora. It began with a bowl of fire, or a vase of fire. Some rose petals were then dropped into the flames. This then turned into a huge vase of flowers and from within the mass of flowers a woman emerged. It sounds like a wonderful illusion.

In 1896, David Devant gets involved in a new medium…what was called back then ‘animated photographs.’ In other words, early motion pictures. He tried to purchase a machine from the Lumiere brothers but they weren't selling. After trying to purchase machines from others, he finally settled upon a kinetoscopic machine from Mr. R.W. Paul.  Devant had to go all in on this himself, as Mr. Maskelyne refused to see the lasting novelty of it. But thanks to Devant’s persistence, Egyptian Hall was the second theatre in London to show Animated Photographs to sold out audiences. The first exhibition being the Lumiere Brothers at the Empire Theater. 

This next part I found fascinating. Devant claims he sold several machines to George Mellies of the Robert Houdin Theater and Mr. Mellies then began a business of manufacturing films and machines. Devant further goes on to say that HE was Mellies sole agent  for selling his films and machines in England. This all from Devant’s book, My Magic Life. Devant also made films of his own that we know of. And in 1897 he was showing films by the Lumiere Brothers and even Thomas Edison.

According to the book, Devant’s Delightful Delusions, the Animated Photographs was more of a side business, but a very lucrative one. It turned out to be more work than he could handle and soon he had several troupes in the provinces  showing Animated Photographs. The time came when he had to chose between magic and films, and Devant chose magic.

The Provincial tours would feature the films as well as magic, mentalism, hand shadows and illusions. By 1898, John Nevil Maskelyne decided to get on board, so he partnered with Devant. In fact the full partnership would be, Devant, John Nevil Maskelyne, G.A. Cooke, and Nevil Maskelyne.

They called this, The Maskelyne and Cooke Provincial Company and it would include David Devant’s Entertainment. Even when Devant wasn’t in the show, it was still listed as “David Devan’t Entertainment.”

I discovered several paragraphs that I think help to put us into the head of David Devant, the way he thinks of magic and frankly it’s practitioners. It’s from the book, Magic Made Easy by David Devant. The same information can also be found in Chapter 9 of his book, My Magic Life.

A Man can study every work on conjuring or magic which has ever been published, he may take lessons, work hard, and achieve a certain manual dexterity, but at the end of it all he may still possibly be ignorant of what magic is. His knowledge of secrets will not help him to discover that secret. Magic is an art, by means of which a man can exercise a kind of spell over others, and persuade them into believing that they have seen some natural law disobeyed.

I do not hold the opinion that any man who can get up and do a few tricks—even though he may do them well enough to entertain his audience—is necessarily a conjurer, because it is quite possible that he may be a mere exhibitor of tricks.

I regard a conjurer as a man who can hold the attention of his audience by telling them the most impossible little fairy-tales, and by persuading them into believing that those stories are true by illustrating them with his hands, or with any object that may be suitable for the purpose. 

I want to show that a good actor who has the knowledge of a very few secrets of conjuring can be a very good conjurer, but that a man who has learnt all that can be learnt from books about conjuring may never be a good conjurer if he be an indifferent actor.

HE goes on….. “The presentation of the trick is everything; the little secret round which the performance has been woven is comparatively unimportant.”

I think I agree with most of that, though I don’t agree with the part about the actor having a few secrets can be a good conjurer. As we all know there are so many aspects to being a good magician, manual skill, speaking ability, acting ability, and on it goes. A few secrets doesn’t give an actor enough knowledge to become a very good magician……unless they have a background in it already. IN MY OPINION

In 1904, Maskelyne began alerting his patrons that Egyptian Hall was to be torn down. They would relocate to a new property called St. George’s Hall. And upon relocating he was going to introduce them to something that Maskelyne had only dreamed about, producing his own full length magic play. And sure enough Maskelyne was true to his word, The Coming Race, the name of the production began at St. George’s Hall on January 2, 1905, having missed the Christmas rush by a week.  The reviews for the play were not so great. Folks went to a Maskelyne and Cooke production to see magic, and this play had very little of that.

IF that wasn’t bad enough, in February of 1905 Maskelyne’s partner George Cooke passed away. Maskelyne had gambled heavily on The Coming Race.  But audiences did not take to the full production the same way they did the smaller sketches or playlets.  I suppose sometimes they just wanted to see the trick! Something needed to be done, and done quickly because they were loosing a lot of money.

David Devant to the rescue. Maskelyne needed Devant in more ways than one. The company was in a financial mess, so part of the agreement was for Devant to help them out of that in exchange for partnership in the company. Now the shows would be produced by Maskelyne and Devant!!! One of the first things they did was swap roles. Maskelyne went out to play the provinces as Devant had been doing, and Devant now came in to run and perform at St. Georges Hall, The New Home of Mystery. 

Among the items Devant brought with him was his Mystic Kettle. This was a routine that he toured the provinces with since 1902 and made a great showing of. It was the old Inexhaustible Bottle, with an updated method and updated looking device, a tea kettle. Yet he was still able to pour virtually any drink or liquid called for. It was a huge hit then, and it still is a huge hit today in Steve Cohen’s Show in NYC.

Devant also included a routine he called The Sylph, which was the Aga Levitation. He made one change to the routine, rather than have the girl rise up from a casket, he replaced the casket with a couch, thus giving the routine a very modern feel.

We always hear of Harry Kellar taking things from Maskelyne, well here is an example of David Devant actually getting something from Kellar. Back in 1902, Devant was visiting the US and saw Harry Kellar perform his Demon Globe Trick. This was a ball that would roll down a plank, or up a plank or go down and stop and then continue, always apparently under the control of the magician. Kellar’s inspiration was seeing a similar thing done with a giant ball in a circus. But his method was crazy, he used electro magnets and it was complicated. Devant instantly saw the potential in the trick and spoke to Kellar about it. He asked him if he could take the idea, come up with a better method and if so, he would share it with Kellar, and of course, Kellar would give his blessing for Devant to do the effect. Sure enough, David Devant went back to England and developed a much simpler method. He called his version the Golliwog Ball. For some reason, I’ve always been intrigued by the images of both Kellar and Devant presenting this effect. But I believe that it has been recreated, with again, possibly a slightly different method, by Teller of Penn and Teller and it’s called The Big Red Ball. Tellers routine is far more elaborate and frankly quite magical.

Next we have a unique piece called The Problem of Diogenes. This begins with a barrel that is open on both ends. Two sheets of paper and two metal rings are displayed and placed against the barrel and the pounded in place. Once the first piece is put on, the barrel is spun around so the audience can see that clearly there is no one inside. Then a second piece of paper is placed on the opposite end, the ring pounded in place. At this point, a light on a cord is introduced and lowered into the barrel from the bung-hole. The illuminated barrel proves no one is inside. The barrel is again spun around and the light dropped inside. This time, a shadow figure begins to appear and breaks through the paper! It is Diogenes himself, the famous Greek philosopher! This is an early version of the Shadow Box.

The Trick Without A Title was a clever piece of marketing as well as a clever illusion. The price of 50 pounds was offered to anyone who could come up with the best name for the illusion. The winner was The New Page. In this unusual illusion a long upright box was brought out on stage and showed on all sides. Then the front was open and a fellow dressed as a page boy stepped inside. He was strapped to the inside of the box with metal bands or perhaps leather straps. The pageboy remains in a standing position, while 4 ropes are introduced through

four rings in the roof of the box. It is then raised several feet in the air. The doors are closed and a small doll dressed like the pageboy is introduced. The magician explains that whatever happens to the doll will happen to the pageboy. Slowly the magician turns the doll over on his head. The doors to the box are opened and there is the pageboy standing on his head, having somehow reversed his position, just like the doll.

I want to break for a moment from the bigger illusions to one that I just love from Devant’s extensive repertoire. The effect called simply, Boy, Girl and Eggs. The routine is fun and quite hilarious. A hat is shown empty, and yet the magician reaches in and makes an egg appear. This is done over and over. Each time one appears, he hands it to the young girl and she in turn hands the egg to the boy. He must hold the eggs in his arms, and before long, there are too many for him to hold and then the eggs begin to fall to the stage floor and crack open. Hilarity ensues as the boys predicament increases. This is one of those pieces that I believe won’t work for everyone, but it surely worked for Devant. Apparently also worked for Lance Burton on his first network special. There is a hilarious poster that was designed for Devant and the title of the trick is, The Egg Trick. The poster shows the boy with 30+ eggs in his arms, one having fallen to the ground. And amazingly, Devants name is not even on the poster, but everyone knew who it was for. (UPDATE: There appears to be more than one version of this poster, as I did find one with Devant's name as well as Maskelyne & Devant presents...)

The next piece comes from the pages of OUR MAGIC by Nevil Maskeylyne and David Devant. The Chapter is titled Chapter 10 With Fish and Letters, or The Educated Fish. I simply adore this premise. blocks of wood with letters painted on them are openly dropped into a fish bowl. 

Four so-called educated fish are introduced and dropped into the bowl. Next a word is chose from a newspaper. The magician states that inside there are 4 educated fish and they will now spell out the chosen word. One by one, a letter floats up to the top of water. As it comes up it’s set in a tray……until…….the fish spells out the entire word!

Next we have something called Hypo-TY-posis or The Magic Mirror. The description from Devant’s Delightful Delusions….”A spectator sees visions of his past and future in a large upright mirror.  In the reflection there appears a devil who changes places with Devant while he is at the spectators side.”. I believe this is the effect that appears in the movie The Illusionist with Edward Norton and Jessica Biele. 

Next is BIFF, the first vanishing motorcycle illusion in history. Here we have a motorcycle and rider driving into a large wooden crate. The doors are closed on the crate and the entire thing is raised into the air. Upon the command of the performer, the box falls apart with slats of wood falling everywhere upon the stage, but leaving an empty framework hanging in the air. The motorcycle and rider have vanished.

The final illusion I wish to cover dates back to 1905. It was developed into a sketch or playlet. The effect is famous, as years later it was recreated for the Broadway show MERLIN starring Doug Henning. In this wonderful illusion you have a woman dressed as moth who dances around the stage and then suddenly vanishes in full view!!! The method for the Mascot Moth, was complicated, diabolical, and involved several people. It also needed precise timing to execute properly. It is without question a beautiful illusion.

During his time with the Maskelynes, David Devant receives a great honor. The year is 1906 and a new magic organization is being created, The Magic Circle. David Devant becomes the groups first President! More on this in a moment…

Over the course of the next ten years, Devant creates an incredible amount of magical material which is shown at St. George’s Hall. Things like: The Homing Bells, The Magic Mirror, The Giant’s Breakfast, The Three Vases, Beau Brocade, Dyno, A Lesson in Magic, The Chocolate Soldier, Bogey Golf, The Window of the Haunted House, Ragtime Magic, and many more.

Now we come to 1915, June 14th to be specific. This is when David Devant officially retires from the Maskelyne and Devant company. Or does he? The truth of the matter is a bit stickier. It turns out the Maskelyne’s and Devant were not exactly getting along. Devant preferred the more straight forward approach to magic, as did modern audiences. The Maskelyne’s, John Nevil, Nevil, Archie and others, preferred the sketches and playlet approach. They were not seeing eye to eye. So the Maskelyne’s voted David Devant OUT! This according to the book, The Secret History of Magic by Peter Lamont and Jim Steinmeyer. But all was not lost because David Devant has hugely popular at this time, so he went out and spent the next four years touring the variety theaters in Great Britain to enormous success.

From the book, The Illustrated History of Magic by Milbourne Christopher we have this story. “One December night in 1919 during his four week engagement at the Midlands Theater in Manchester, Devant told the small boy who volunteered for a “Lesson in Magic” routine, to hold a handkerchief and cut it exactly as he did—- just as the magician had done with  hundreds of other children. The boy followed the instructions and shook the handkerchief  from side to side. Devant looked down in horror at his own trembling hand and quickly brought the feat to a close. This signaled the end of his career. “ The book, MAGIC by David Price says, “Devant was forced to retire in 1920 on account of ill health and never returned to the stage.  He was only 52 when he was forced into retirement.

In his retirement he continued to write and give lessons. But in 1936, a particular article that he wrote for the Windsor Magazine caught the attention of The Magic Circle. Apparently, in the article Devant exposed some of his own secrets. He did this to entice readers to purchase his latest book. But The Magic Circle had a standing rule, known as Rule 13, and that was not to reveal magic to the public. They contacted Devant to see his side of things and then made their judgement, which read:  “Dear Mr. Devant, I submitted your letter of Dec 18th to the Council at their last meeting and after long and careful consideration, it was decided that Rule No13 had undoubtedly been infringed by the exposure of magical secrets in your article in the December number of The Windsor Magazine. The council has no alternative but—with the greatest possible regret—to ask for your resignation, Signed the Honorary Secretary William Minns”

So the organization for which he was their first President, now expelled him for exposing his own tricks. 

Getting back to his illness, What exactly was wrong with him is difficult to decide. Various books say things like, “progressive ill health”, “ill health”, “a nervous disorder”, “paralysis agitans”. There have been rumors that Devant had actually contracted Syphilis, but I can find no documentation other than a mention of it in a Max Maven Column from Genii Magazine October 2004. However, there are two sentences in the book, Paul Daniels and The Story of Magic by John Fisher that, well are curious. It reads, “After 1920 he(Devant) could no longer perform on stage and was eventually forced to end his days in the Royal Hospital for Incurables at Putney. Ironically, modern medication could easily have treated his disease today.”  As there is currently no cure for Parkinson’s Disease, this statement makes me wonder about the rumored diagnosis. 

However, I began to look into his symptoms. I discovered that the term Paralysis Agitans, was an obsolete term. The new word is Parkinsons Disease. Add to that, shortly after finding that I found a reference in the book The Secret History of Magic, which states the same thing, that Devant actually suffered from Parkinsons. 

For a time he lived in his own home but, as just stated, he was finally moved to the Home for the Incurables where he died October 13, 1941.

Over the course of his life he wrote many books including: Magic Made Easy, Secrets of My Magic, My Magic Life, Woes of a Wizard, Lessons in Conjuring and more. 

In regards to The Magic Circle. The incident is part of history and I wish to shed no amount of shame upon them. Clearly, whatever issues they had with Devant have more than been corrected over time. Though I am not a member, by all accounts they are a wonderful organization and still are thriving and growing in the 21st Century.

October 13th 2021, is the 80th Anniversary of the passing of David Devant. Let’s remember him on that day for all the greatness he brought into the world. His slogan, “All Done By Kindness” really speaks volumes.