The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-09-09
WOMEN AS MAGICIANS.
Are Especially Deft in Use of Secret
Pockets.

I
not taken up conjuring as business.
Women nowadays are doing nearly ev-
lerything that man does in the way OF
making living. and there is no good
reason why they should not succeed
both artistically and pecuniarily, in the
role of wizards. AS matter of fact,
woman is gifted by nature with the
chief requisite of the art-that of mis-
direction, which is vastly more valua-
BILE than mere slight of hand. Dexter
| ity will come with practice, but the
power to divert the minds and eyes of
an audience, pretending to do one thing
and in reality doing another, must be
born in one and cannot be acquired.
know many men whose manipulation
of cards and coins borders on the mar
velous, but they could not deceive a
ten-year-old child when it comes to
creating an illusion. To a woman this
psychological branch of prestidigitation
| is as natural as swimming to duck
and though only moderately skififul In
sleight- of-hand she is able to get a
great deal more out of an illusion than
most men.
when 1 started in the business OF
manufacturing magical goods. twenty
years ago. there were few professional
women magicians. They could De
counted on the fingers of one hand
| Women amateurs were unheard or. an
the last five wears. however, conditions
have materially changed. There are
many women on the professional stage
wizards, though there is only one where
a hundred could make a good living.
And on my books have the names of
many women who are enthusiastic
amateur performers, and they buy a
great deal of expensive apparatus. the
number is increasing every year. and
am confident that in a few years there
will be almost as many women anna
tours as men. 1 have letters nearly
every day from women who make in
quirjes about taking lessons in the art,
and nv wife makes this branch of the
business a speciality. She teaches
sleight-o hand and instructs her Gus
toners in the use of apparatus. and.
what is a matter of even more import
ance. she fits her customers with the
proper clothes in which to perform
their tricks. To do this successfully re-
quires considerable skill, for the
dresses must contain number of
change so rapidly that it is impossible
to lay down exact positions for these
necessary receptacles.
In this country Nine. Hermann is
recognized as the most skillful woman |
magician. The leading professional in
Germany. the home of magic, is Flea
nora Orlowa. She had the honor of ap-
pearing before Queen Henrietta of Bel |
GUM and Queen Victoria. Mile. Nicolo |
is the leading woman conjuror in France
and Okita, a clever Japanese magician, |
has made a successful tour of the |
world.
1.-The most prominent as well as the
most skillful woman amateur was the |
late Queen Henrietta of Belgium. She |
was a pupil of the famous Carl Herr |
mann, who, while taking the baths at |
Ostend, in 1882. was requested by the
queen to give her lessons in sleight-of- |
hand and in magical art For six |
months Herman was a guest at the |
royal palace at Brussels, and four hours |
were spent daily in drilling the queen |
in the rudiments of the art. The royal |
pupil displayed remarkable aptitude |
for the art. She was aSsiduouS in prac- /
ticing the thousand and one details that |
are necessary to a mastery of the art,
and when Carl Hermann at length re-
stunned his professional tours, the queen
magic almost as well as any profession
al conjurer in Europe. The queen had a
stage built in her palace, and in this
little theater she practiced for the |
amusement and recreation of her family
and attendants. Through all the pathos
and sorrow of her later years, Queen
Henrietta never lost her love for magic,
and in it she found never failing
solace.
las a general rule. however. one goo
sized pocket at the back of the skirt just
over the hips can generally be managed.
If belt or sash forms a part of the /
costume, it provides an opportunity for
several little pockets which may be let I
into it of sufficient size to hold a coin
or any other small object. If there are
revers on the bodice. each may conceal
a little pocket behind it, Sometimes
straight or sinuous embroideries Of
tucks or flounces run across or down the
skirts, and these will admirably conceal
the openings of pockets of greater or less
size. In evening dress a pocket may be
let into each side of the opening at the
chest. 1t is obvious that a great deal
of ingenuity is necessary in order to
clothe a woman conjurer properly With
men is it different. They wear the con-
ventional dress suits the world over, and
it is necessary only to insert a couple
of pockets in the tail of the coats, cou-
pie of big pockets are sewed inside the
coat under the arms. and at each side
of the back of the trousers is placed a
small pocket just above the thigh.
Among professional women magici-
ans at the present time the most noted
is Mime. Patrice, an English woman,
who in private life is Mrs Lang Nell.
and writes six languages perfectly and
possesses great skill in sleight-of-h
She is a favorite with the royal family
and has appeared many times in pri-
vate before King Edward and his fam
lily. She was the first woman in the
world to present De Koita S famous il
fusion, The Vanishing Lady and it
created such furore that she was COM
manded by the king of England (then
the Prince of WaIes) to give a private
performance in the ball room at San
dringham. Patrice was assisted by Prof.
Bertram, a celebrated English conjuror. | ,
On this occasion Nine. Patrice, when
asked by Bertram whether she should
be rnystically transported was request
ed by the Princess of Wales to go to the ,
drawing room and bring her a bouquet.
She was seated usual upon the chair, | :
and hey presto: in flash she had gone. |
Inside of ten seconds she ran up the ball T
room with a beautiful bouquet of flow
efs which, in a few words in German.
she presented to her royal highness. This I
success at SandrinKham esta blished i
rIu~ tn l.