![]() ![]() If you were a fan of magic during its heyday, you were almost certainly familiar with the great Servais LeRoy, the diminutive Belgian who many credit with inventing the famous “levitating lady” illusion that is still used by magicians today. For the best of the best, magic could be a lucrative business. ![]() In addition to their live performances, some magicians earned money by publishing books about magic, writing plays that revolved around magic acts, staging private magic demonstrations for wealthy patrons, and selling magic tricks and instructions to amateurs and aspiring professionals alike. Some of the lesser-known men and women in the field were often the ones responsible for actually inventing the illusions and tricks that were purchased – or copied – and subsequently performed by their more successful colleagues. These familiar names were just some of the many entertainers who toured the world as stars of the emerging genre. Such luminaries as Blackstone, Kellar, Thurston, and, of course, the Great Houdini, were household names and celebrated figures at the grandest theaters, houses of aristocracy, and courts of royalty around the world. In what became known as the Golden Age of Magic, magicians were among the world’s most famous celebrities. The dawn of the 20 th century was a period of great scientific advancement, but at the same time, there were still a great many unknown and mysterious things in the world, and people were willing to believe the feats performed before their very eyes, even if they were manifestly quite beyond belief. In a word: magic! Theaters specializing in magic acts flourished during these years, and elaborate shows toured the world, each promising something more exciting and special than the last. Between the 1850s and the 1930s, the world was transfixed by a proliferation of staged illusions purporting to be supernatural wonders, mystifying tricks, or death-defying escapades.
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