Magicians N - Z
SANDERS, FETAQUE
FEtaque Sanders, World’s finest MAgic Show
Printer Unknown, Circa 1931-1958.
Fetaque (pronounced "FEE-take") was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. He began his professional career at the age of eighteen, performing at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, known as "The Century of Progress." Throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, he was the most successful Black magician in the country. Fetaque toured with the USO during World War II, entertaining Black troops in the segregated US Armed Forces. He was also featured in a gala event on Broadway directed by Orson Welles and performed table magic at nightclubs alongside famous music acts such as Ella Fitzgerald and Cab Calloway. In 1958, Fetaque suffered a stroke that impaired his vision, leading to his early retirement. Despite this, he remained active in the magic community as a collector and mentor to young magicians until his passing in 1992.
Read more about the career of the great Fetaque Sanders.
SCHULIEN, MATT
ASSORTED EPHEMERA
Schulien’s branded Scotch Whisky, The Magic of Matt Schulien, Schulien’s free drink token
Matt Schulien was a Chicago restaurateur and magician. He is the father of the "Chicago Style" of magic. This style of magic comes from his "blue collar" working style of fast tricks and jokes, driven by his oversized personality. He often boasted he could do five tricks before a regular magician did one. Most importantly, the magic was intimate and close-up, under the noses of the audience, and with riotous, often bawdy humor.
Want to learn more about Matt Schulien, the progenitor of Chicago-style magic?
SOO, CHUNG LING (William Ellsworth Robinson)
A gift from the gods
James Upton Ltd., Circa 1915.
A rare type of magic poster that doesn't advertise any magic. Chung Ling Soo was, in reality, an American magician named William Ellsworth Robinson in a Chinese disguise. Ching Ling Foo, the original and real Chinese conjuror, was such a sensation that dozens of copycat acts, mostly Caucasian performers, flooded vaudeville.
Read more about the complicated life, career, and infamous death of William Ellsworth Robinson.
examine the complex history of stage magic and cultural appropriation
Talma, Mercedes (Mary Ann Ford)
Comedians de Mephisto Co. The Most Dexterous Hand in the World. Talma. Queen of Coins.
Hamburg: Adolph Friedlander, 1905.
This very rare half-sheet lithograph bears a close-up view of Talma’s right hand, poised to catch coins floating in the air before it. Her skill with sleight of hand was equal to the legendary coin magician T. Nelson Downs.
Learn more about the life and career of Talma, Queen of Coins.
THURSTON, HOWARD
EAST INDIAN ROPE TRICK
Otis Lithograph Co., Circa 1927.
Perhaps one of the most legendary tricks in magic. Thurston's version was achieved by projecting a film, and later a glass slide, onto a cloud of smoke. It rarely worked perfectly, but when it did, it was a miracle and expensive. Thurston was required to pay for a union projectionist to show about five seconds of film.
THURSTON, HOWARD
KELLAR’S SUCCESSOR
Printed by Strobridge Litho in 1908.
Commemorating the fact that young Howard Thurston had been named Kellar's successor. When this poster was used, the two great magicians toured together for Kellar's final season. Thurston became famous for performing Kellar's masterpiece, the floating lady illusion known as the "Levitation of Princess Karnac."
Read more about the line of succession known as “Mantle of Magic.”
THURSTON, HOWARD
THURSTON AND DAUGHTER JANE
Otis Lithograph Co., Circa 1929.
Howard Thurston's stepdaughter, Jane, joined the show in 1928 at age sixteen. She sang, tap-danced, and did magic. Jane remained in the show until her father had a stroke in 1935. This colorful poster features practically everything in the Thurston show at that time, including his menagerie of animals and a large saw representing the popular Sawing a Lady in Half Illusion.
LEArn more about Howard Thurston, The LAst Greatest Magician in the world.
VONETTA (Etty Thompson, Winifred Etta Travers, Von Etta, Countess de Russe, Countess Wilet)
The incomparable Vonetta
David Allen & Sons, Circa 1910.
Early on, Vonetta performed in British pantomime shows as a singer and dancer while her husband projected magic lantern slides. They developed a fast-paced act of illusions, dancing, conjuring, and the quick change seen in this poster. Vonetta performed 24 costume changes, many reflecting classical studies: The Birth of Venus, the Bath of Psyche, and Cleopatra.
Want to learn more about the most mysterious female magician of the Golden Age?
WOOD, WILLIAM B.
WOOD’S GREAT SENSATION EDNA
Donaldson Litho., Circa 1900.
You want action? This poster has plenty of it. What looks like a cremation is actually a levitation effect invented and patented by Will Wood. In this effect, his wife, Edna, would rise into the air, turn head over heels, and revolve in every direction. A slightly misleading image but a beautiful one, nevertheless.
Read more about William Wood, his promising career, and mysterious disappearance at sea.