Christian Fechner

CHRISTIAN FECHNER
The Magic of
ROBERT-HOtJDIN
"An Artist's Life"
CHRISTIAN FECHNER
The Magic of
ROBERT-HOUDIN
"An Artist's Life"
Robert-Houdin is not only the

emblematic figure of the history of magic but
also one of the most remarkable artistic
personalities of the 19lh century. His creative
genius expressed itself with equal
enthusiasm in the fields of watch-making,
mechanics, conjuring, science and literature.
The life of this exceptional artist, whom his
contemporaries christened "the master" and to
whom, in total unanimity, historians gave the
flattering title "the father of modern magic," is
a veritable tale of adventure where triumphs
and setbacks coincide in a particularly rich
existence, full of all sorts of events.
In a France prey to repeated political crises
such as war and revolutionary upheavals, we
will follow the calm but determined social
ascension of the young worker watchmaker
from the Carroir du Malassis in Blois to the
prestigious Academy of Sciences in Paris,
from the triumphs of Soirees Fantastiques at
Palais-Royal, to his performances on the
stages of the largest European theaters, and
before the courts of kings and queens, as well
as his "pacification" mission in Algeria. This
historical study also evokes illustrious or
unknown conjurers and tricksters of the first
golden age of the history of magic, who
inspired Robert-Houdin, and who were his
clients, friends or even adversaries.
This biographical essay written for all
supporters of the art of magic shakes up the
legends and falsehoods that result from
glory and posterity, and tries, for the first time,
to grasp all the facets of the secret,
charming, and complex personality of a
creator of legendary illusions, of an artist
whose renown was universal, and of an
author whose writings are the foundations of
modern magic: Jean Eugene Robert, known
as Robert-Houdin.
CHRISTIAN FECHNER
The Ma&ic of
"An Artist's Life"
BIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY
Translated from the French by Stacey Dagron

Edited by Todd Karr
Editions FC F 39 rue des Tilleuls - 92100 Boulogne, France
I affectionately dedicate this work

to my friend
GEORGES PROUST
Remarkable magician,
Learned publisher of magic literature,
Inventor and manufacturer of exceptional tricks,
Director of the Academie de Magie,
Infallible expert,
Knowledgeable historian whose immense collection
is truly "inexhaustible,"
Creator of the first Musee Frangais de la
Magie et de la Cunosite,
And tireless ambassador of
the art of magic in the world
In
memory of
twenty-five years
of friendship sealed by
our common passion for magic
As a sincere testimony of admiration
and gratitude for his talent and generosity
THE WATCHMAKER, MECHANICIAN,

AND CONJURER
...grant
me a few pages' patience,
reader, as an introduction to my
artistic life, and what you seek in my
book will be displayed before your eager
gaze. You will know how a magician is produced, and you will learn that the tree whence
my magic staff was cut was only that of persevering labor, often bedewed by the sweat of my
brow; soon, too, when you come to witness
my labors and my anxious hours of expectation, you will be able to appreciate
the cost of a reputation in my
mysterious art....
Memoirs of Robert-Houd in. Philadelphia. Geo. G. Evans. 1859. p. 26.
Introduction t>y Jacques Voignier
Act I
. 00-1805 - From Louis Robert to Jean Eugene Robert
17
.1805-1823- A Confiscated Childhood and Adolescence
18
. 1823-1825 - From Dr. Carlosbach to Maitre Pardessus
23
. 1825-1828 - From Maitre Roger to Jean-Martin Robert
28
. 1826-1828 - The Apprenticeship of the Artisan Watchmaker
. 1828
and the Aspiring Magician
33
The Mysterious M. David of Bordeaux
34
- The Count de Grisy, French Conjurer, known asTorrini
40
. 1828-1829 - Return to Blois, Mademoiselle Houdin
51
Notes to Act I
59
Act II
.1830
- Paris, Here I Come
77
. 1830
- "Father Roujol"
87
. 1809-1833 - M. Comte.The King's Conjurer
95
.1800-1832- Olivier, Conjuring Professor of Paris
111
. 1830
- A Marriage of Love During the July Revolution
117
. 1831
- The First Son
120
. 1831-1832 - The Componium
123
1832-1835 - A Long Depression
126
1833
129
- Giovani Bartolomeo Bosco
. 1835-1836 - The Fall of the House of Houdin
137
. 183""-1844 - The Mechanician and the Watchmaker
141
. 1837-1844 - The Salon Conjurer
153
. 1842
- The Little Parisian Curiosity Shows
160
. 1843
- Philippe Talon, known as Philippe
163
TT
. 1840-1846 - Vaucanson's Duck, Von Kempelen's Chess Player, and
Robert-Houdin's Writing and Drawing Automaton
169
. 1843-1844 - A Cascade of Mourning and A New Marriage
181
. 1844
187
- The Exposition and Phineas Taylor Barnum
Notes to Act rr
Act
195
in
1844-1845 - The Big Leap
219
. 1845
- The Secret Machinery of the Theater
235
. 1845
- Robert-Houdin's Soirees Fantastiques
245
.1845-1846- Second Sight and The Inexhaustible Bottle

.1846
- First Foreign Tour and the Conjurer Louis Courtois
259
/
.1845-1852- Promotion and Advertising
281
.1847
287
- The Fortune-Teller Alexis Didier
. 184~-1848 - The Ethereal Suspension
291
. 1848
297
- Moreau-Sainti - Andre Voisin
. 1848-1849 - Revolution in France and Triumphs in England
307
. 1849-1851 - Return to Paris; Pierre Etienne August Chocat,

known as Hamilton
.1850
- The English Connection or the Legrand Trial
335
. 1851
- Letter on Education; Shows and Children
347
. 1851
- Roberti de Brescia, De Linsky, Deveaux, Berneuil, and

The Electric Light
. 1852
- Farewell, My Dear Parisians"
. 18524853 - The Final Flames
327
351
355
368
Notes to Act III
383
<& I n d e x o f N a m e s
417
Acknowle
/ would like to thank:
Monsieur Andre Keime Robert-Houdin, great-grandson of
the illustrious conjurer, who generously opened his family
archives and whose wise and objective advice was a great help to me;
Baroness Reille for her confidence in me in sharing the precious, intact
archives of Robert-Houdin, which were the basis of this work;
My friends Georges Proust, Pierre Mayer, and Christine and Didier Moreau (Morax),
highly skilled collectors and magicians whose support and constant participation in all
levels of this long adventure have proven to be, as always, essential and important;
facques Voignier. who consented to preface this work and whose remarkable erudition I solicited on many occasions, and who allowed me to include in this essay some of the rare, unpublished documents in his collection;
Mme. Madeleine Malthete-Melies and Mme. Antoinette Marteret, as well as Mr. David M. Baldwin,
Mr. John Gaughan, Mr. Volker Huber, Mr. Ken Klosterman, M. Marcel Laureau, and M. Frangois
Voignier, whose collected pieces are among this biography's most beautiful illustrations;
Mme. Tania Bonin, M. Raymond Bourgeat, Mr. Mario Carrandi, M. Richard Chavigny, M. Gerard
Comte-Offenbach, M. Jacques de Drouas, M. Jacques Echinard, Mme. Flude. M. Pascal Friaut, Mme.
Jane-Louise Gabillard, M.Jean Garance, Mr. Ricky Jay, Mme. Florence Jeantet, M. Jean-Claude Landon,
M. Dani Lary, M. Gilles Mageux, Mr. Jay Marshall, M. Jean-Luc Mutter, Mme. Monique Nemer. M. Jean
Regil, M. and Mme. Roger and Eva Rouet (RogelloJ, M. Philippe Saint-Laurent, M. A.H. Saxon, and
M. Philippe John Van Tiggelen for their efficient and friendly help;
Gerard Kunian, Professor Wonderfool, magician and also particularly competent documentarian
whose support and sense of humor were appreciated during certain "investigations" which we carried out together;
Anne-Marie Terranova for her superb photographs;
Claudine Camors, my precious assistant, who deciphered and typed the innumerable successive versions of the manuscript of this work for six years without ever losing her smile;
Richard Vollmer, whose books have brought the best texts of American magicians to the
French public and who agreed to supervise the American translation of this work;
and
Jean-Guy Fechner, my brother and indispensable alter ego, who contributed his time and talent for the 1200 iconographic elements
of this biography, which he scanned and restored with precision and respect, and which Roger Faloci sumptuously "st
dgements
I also wish to thank the following libraries, associations, archives, and public institutions, as well as
their amicable curators:
Bibliotheque Nationale, Archives Nationales, Archives Departmentales
de Paris, Bibliotheque de I'Arsenal, Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers,
French Association of Research in Watchmaking, Bibliotheque Historique de la
Ville de Paris, Service Historique de VArmee de Terre, Bibliotheque du Musee de
VArmee, Musee de la Police, Archives Paroissales de I'Eglise Saint-Roch and Eglise de
la Madeleine, Bibliotheque Sainte-Genvieve, B.P.I. (Centre Pompidou), British Embassy
Library in Paris, Archives Nationales dAix-en-Provence, Bibliotheque Saint-Charles and
Archives Municipales de la Ville de Marseille. Archives Departementales des Bouches-duRhone, Archives Municipales et Departmentales de la Ville de Bordeaux, Musee Paul-Dupuy de
Toulouse, Bibliotheque Abbe Gregoire and the Chateau de la Ville de Blois, Archives
Departementales du Loir-et-Cher. Archives Departmentales du Loiret, Archives Departmentales de la
Somme in Amiens, Bibliotheque Royale Albert ler de la Ville de Bruxelles, Musee Instrumental du
Conservatoire Royal de Musique de la Ville de Bruxelles, Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense in Milan,
Foreign Office London, United Kingdom Public Record Office, Kew Richmond-Surrey, and the Harry
Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas, Austin.
I would like to express my gratitude to them all.
The American edition of these works was made possible thanks to :
William Kalush, who has greatly proven his friendship by consenting to be my first American reader
and who devoted much erudition to the early versions of the translation of this biography. His wise
comments and suggestions were invaluable help to me. Thank you with all my heart, dear Bill.
My thanks also go to Richard Kaufman and David M. Baldwin, whose encouragement and advice
proved to be both essential and precious, and to Todd Karr. who applied his remarkable editorial
talent to the translation of this book to ensure it was as faithful as possible to the letter and spirit
of the original version. Without Todd Karr's perfect knowledge of my native language, his attention to detail, and his constant efforts in the release of this biography, this book would
never have been published in this form in the United States.
I ivould finally like to add that, no matter what the extent or quality of his discoveries,
any author interested in the life and work of Robert-Houdin owes a great deal to
the brilliant writings and works of former researchers and especially to the
works offohn Braun, fean Caroly. fean Chavigny, Father Chesneau, Max
Dif Camille Gaultier, Dr. Guy Henry, fean Hugard, William Manning,
Georges Melies. Raynaly. Henry Ridgely Evans, Robelly, Maurice
Sardina, Michel Seldow, and Sam H. Sharpe, to whom I am
and to the three H8bts fm}' ufe
happy to render a proper homage and to whose
Solange. Alexandra, andMaxime.
Christian Fechner
memory I respectfully pay tribute here.
December 2002
f you ask the public who RobertHoudin was, the answer will probably be: he was a great magician
from the nineteenth century, famous for his
automata and magic tricks. Ironically, he is
sometimes confused with Houdini! At
times, he is credited with wild exploits
which he never performed, such as destroying the watch-chronometer of a cardinal of
the Roman curia with a mortar and pestle,
and then miraculously finding it intact in
the Pope's pocket. For today's initiated public and especially for magicians, RobertHoudin was much more: he was simultaneously a highly skilled mechanician, a genius
creator in the field of illusions, a savant recognized by his peers, and a writer whose
success has lasted for over 150 years!
These are quite a few qualities for one

individual, you will say. Well, it is true,
and Christian Fechner's book. The Magic
of Robert-Houdin, "An Artist's Life," is
proof of this, because his plan is to reveal
all aspects of the personality and genius of
this exceptional man. Robert-Houdin.
The reader cannot realize how much work

and time must be spent to gather historical
elements essential for the narration of a
lifetime as full as that of Robert-Houdin.
Although Jean Ghavigny, an archivist and
man of letters, made way for this by writing Robert-Houdin's first biography more
than fifty years ago, Christian Fechner's

book is a monument. It is both historical
through the abundance of its original documents and an iconographic landmark due
to the quality of its illustrations, of which a
large part have never appeared in print.
For several years, Christian Fechner has
consulted national archives, notary documents and accounts, period newspapers,
advertisements and playbills, and private
archives, especially those of RobertHoudin's family, not to mention the
Tablettes journalises de Robert-Houdin
(Robert-Houdin's daily notes), which he
discovered and which we get a first glimpse
at here. These are precious notes in which
the artist confided his impressions and
daily activities.
One must therefore not be surprised
that the result is equal to the research. On
every page, new unpublished documents
are examined: some refute accepted ideas
or groundless affirmations that have developed over the years. With solid logic,
Christian Fechner "starts over from zero."
He returns to the sources and original documents. In this manner, we learn of
Robin's real role (not very positive) with
respect to Robert-Houdin and his other
colleagues. We discover when Andre Voisin
set up as a trick manufacturer on Rue
Vieille-du-Temple, thereby ending various
speculations published in magic literature

as to his real relationship with RobertHoudin. Each one of Robert-Houdin's contemporaries is portrayed in his proper
place, in the context of the time, thus
highlighting the unique originality of the
artist and conjurer's creations.
The Magic of Robert-Houdin, "An
Artist's Life" is also a vast panorama of
French magic of the nineteenth century, in
which the reader goes from one surprise to
the next in an aura of mystery. We learn the
importance of Louis Apollinaire Comte, the
Conjurer of the Three Kings (Louis XVIII,
Charles X. and Louis-Philippe), an important personality whom Robert-Houdin very
quickly made his ally. The reader also discovers Robert-Houdin's initiator into
magic, who was perhaps a mysterious person from the Bordeaux region and whose
role still remains enigmatic. Another surprise (and this is a big one) concerns
Robert-Houdin's return to the stage to replace Hamilton, who was on tour (but the
reader will discover the real reason!).
Finally, Christian Fechner corrects an
important mistake, reprinted by all of
Robert-Houdin's commentators, based on
Jean Chavigny's book; although Robert-
Houdin lived in The Priory in St. Gervais

after selling his theater to Hamilton, it was
not at all a place of retirement to permit
him to devote himself entirely to scientific
research. The reader will realize to what
extent this little-known period of RobertHoudin's life was, on the contrary, very rich
in all sorts of creations. It was not exempt
from "theatrics," literally and figuratively.
The scientific and artistic activity must
not make one forget the man. Who was
Robert-Houdin really? The reader will discover a deeply human and generous man.
who suffered and was put through tribulations by life. He lost several of his children
at a young age and his first wife, Cecile
Eglantine, died at the age of thirty-two.
She who gave him half of his artist's name
never saw him on a stage. The Tablettes
journalieres show a Robert-Houdin completely devoted to his family in spite of his
numerous occupations.
Robert-Houdin revisited! Yes, of course,
but an entirely new Robert-Houdin. closer
to us. as the reader will discover. Thanks
to his relentless work and driving passion,
Christian Fechner today gives us this biography, which, I am certain, is the definitive work on Robert-Houdin.
Jacques Voignier is a Ph.D. in nuclear physics, historian, and emeritus collector of magic art. He skillfully presides over the activities and works of the A.F.A.P. French Magic Collector's Association.

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1700-1805 From
Louis Robert to Jean Eugene
Robert p. 17 1805-1823 A
Confiscated Childhood and Adolescence
p. 18 1823-1825 From Dr. Carlosbach to
Maitre Pardessus p. 23 1825-1828 From Maitre Roger
to Jean Martin Robert p. 28 1826-1828 The Apprenticeship of
the Artisan Watchmaker and the Aspiring Magician p. 33 <* The Mysterious
M David of Bordeaux p. 34 1828 The Count de Grisy, French Conjurer, known
as Torrini p. 40+ 1828-1829 Return to Blois, Miss Houdin p. 51 Notes to Act I p. 59
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Illustration 6 - Birth of Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin.

First page of the future conjurer's birth certificate.
16
Aci
From Louis Robert to Jean Eugene Robert

We cannot be certain of the region of France
from which Louis Robert and his wife Francoise
Loyer came. In 1700 they settled in the peaceful
city of Blois, where their son was born the following year. Like his father and grandfather before him, the young boy was named Louis, [i] As
soon as he was old enough to work, Louis
learned the trade of pastrycook with Maitre Jean
Leroy, whom he succeeded and whose daughter
Marie he married on May 20, 1723. Marie Leroy
died a few years later.
Louis Robert then married Jeanne Martinet [2]
on April 26, 1735- They had a son named
Toussaint [3] who wisely followed the paternal
footsteps in the bakery and who married Marie
Anne Millet M on June 21, 1763- The two children
of this union probably did not show interest in or
a predisposition for the trade of pastrycook. The
eldest, Jean Toussaint, [5] who seemed destined
for the bakery, became a cloth manufacturer,
while his younger brother. Prosper. M chose the
profession of watchmaker. [7]
The Robert brothers set up shop in the Carroir
du Malassis, where the most skillful artisans of
the little town resided. The younger brother's
house and boutique were situated at 68, Grande
Rue, and the business of the elder was just across
the street at number 63. Prosper Robert earned
his certification as a master watchmaker, and Jean
Toussaint's business soon extended beyond the
canton. Of the two brothers, Toussaint married
and became a father first. Silvine Alloncle, [] his
spouse, bore him a son, Jean Martin, [9] on

Frimaire 11, year VII.
The marriage of Prosper Robert, age thirtythree, to Marie-Catherine Guillon [10] on Nivose
20, year VIII of the French Republic -January 10.
1800 - caused much ado as the master watchmaker's father-in-law, Jacques Guillon, [11] was
one of the twenty-four notables of the city.
This former carpenter, son of a notary serving the aristocracy, had left his native town of
Peysac, a diocese of Poitiers, with his talent
and his tools in hand, among other riches, and
owed his tidy fortune to a rare business sense.
In 1769, having become a master carpenter, he
married Marie Francoise Billon, [12] the daughter of his former employer, Nicolas Laurent
Billon, "building contractor in carpentry for the
king."
Jacques Guillon knew how to take advantage
of the opportunities at the royal site of the
Chateau de Chambord and, in 1773, shortly after
the death of his wife, settled in Blois with
Francoise Marie, [13] his daughter. He then wed
Marie-Francoise Maulny, N] with whom he had
two children: Jean Francois, who became a merchant in Orleans, and Marie Catherine, who was
to give birth to the most famous offspring of the
Robert lineage.
Jacques Guillon - contractor, councilman,
deputy to the mayor of Blois, and zealous servant of the King of France - was a clairvoyant
man; he anticipated political events by using his
17
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Carroir du Malassis. In a century where one did

not dream of marrying outside of one's own social class and where it was believed that, to form
a harmonious couple, the spouses should have
comparable wealth, this union, which nonetheless seemed like a marriage of love, was quite
surprising.
We do not know exactly what Jacques
Guillon thought of his son-in-law, especially
since he could have easily chosen a very desirable match for his daughter's twentieth year.
The family chronicle is silent on this point, but
a tender letter from 1800. addressed to Prosper
by Marie Catherine, clearly shows us the romantic feelings of the young bride, who signed
with lovely handwriting: "femme Robert" ("Mrs.
Illustration 7 Robert-Houdin's childhood home in Blois.

Picture taken Sunday. April 3. 1949 during the speech of
Dr. Dhotel, president of the Association Francaise des Artistes
Prestidigitateurs. for the ceremony placing a commemorathe plaque on the house where Robert-Houdin was born
The store of the artist's father, the Blois watchmaker
Prosper Robert, v, as situated at the location of the jewelry
store on the right-hand side of the photograph.
Robert"). [15]
Their first son was named Prosper, [16] and his.

sister was Marie Celine. [17] The master watchmaker's happiness would have been complete
had not each of these pregnancies severely diminished his wife's health.
talents to serve first the Republic, then the

Empire, to benefit both his co-citizens and his
business ventures.
If his daughter's marriage ceremony sparked
much public curiosity, it was not only because of
Marie Catherine's fragile beauty, which some said
was a sign of her poor health, nor because of the
flattering reputation of the artisan from the
The birth of the future conjurer Jean Eugene

Robert on Frimaire 16, year XIV - Saturday,
December 7, 1805 t18] - took place at four o'clock
in the evening in a room on the third floor of the
family home.
A Confiscated Childhood and Adolescence

thanks to or because of numerous humorous,
dramatic, or private events. His talent, personality, patience, and charm were already developing. The surprising maturity of the young boy
foreshadowed the young man who, at barely
eighteen years of age, would plan the path of a
career he intended to pursue in a brilliant, influential, and profitable manner.
In his memoirs, Robert-Houdin dedicates only

sixteen pages to the period ranging from his
birth to the end of his studies. [19] Nonetheless,
his childhood and adolescence, so quickly
glossed over by the author of the Memoirs, must
have permanently influenced him. Indeed, an irresistible vocation took shape at a very young
age, and nothing and no one could hold it back,
j8
ACT
We know that Prosper Robert was a

skillful artisan [20] and a hard worker
whose main ambition was to provide a decent life for his family, and whose other
goal was to give his children the possibility of climbing the social ladder. Paying
for studies was a heavy burden which the
watchmaker from Blois was ready to accept with its inevitable sacrifices, because
he wanted his eldest child to have a serious profession. After marrying off his
daughter, he wanted to entrust his boutique to Jean Eugene at the end of his apprenticeship.
These neatly packaged destinies were
shattered by the death of his son Prosper at
the age of two. After this crisis, his wife
would never be the same again and her
health rapidly declined. She became bedridden, had periods of suffering interrupted by
short remissions, and became dangerously
thin. Marie Catherine Robert passed away at
twenty-eight years of age on March 27.
1809.
Jacques Claude Metivie, [21] her half-sister's spouse, a court clerk, was named surrogate guardian of the two children, who
were still in shock and had been shuttled
from grandmother to cousin and from aunt
to neighbor.
Marie Celine and Jean Eugene suffered
from these frequent separations from their
father, who could not handle his domestic
affairs and those of his business at the same
time. A few months later he had to consider
remarrying.
On January 19, 1811, he married Marguerite
Rosalie Metivie [22] - twenty-five years old,
daughter of Prosper Robert's neighbor
Pierre Rene Meth ie, a silversmith merchant
on Grande-Rue, and the niece of his two
children's surrogate guardian. Either through
pure coincidence or a cause-and-effect relationship, at the moment when destiny of-
Illustration 8 - Marguerite Rosalie Metivie (1785-1872).

Prosper Robert's second wife and Robert-Houdin's
stepmother, who raised him as her own son
This photograph was taken about 1868 by the Blois
photographer Mieusement. to whom we are indebted for several very beautiful images of RobertHoudin
19
ROBERT-HOUDIN
former commander [23] in the armies of the King

and the Emperor, taught him some little tricks
and sleight-of-hand stunts that prisoners used
to fight boredom.
Eventually, his father's workshop became his
preferred playground, and the workbench tools
his first toys...and his only friends. He began to
be seen as a child prodigy and amazed many
with his learning capacity and his talent for applying what he was taught.
This is how Robert-Houdin describes the beginning of his calling:
Je venais me retpemper a l'atelier patepnel. (P. 18)
Illustration 9 - Robert-Houdin in his father's workshop.

Engraving from La vie dun artiste du XIX' siecle.
Souvenirs personnels du celebre prestidigitateur RobertHoudin, Maison du Bon Livre. Lille - CEuvre Saint-Charles,
Grammond/Belgium.
fered him a second mother, Jean Eugene fell

gravely ill. He had just turned five.
At a time when infant mortality was fearsome,
very little chance of survival was expected for
Jean Eugene, who was confined to bed for more
than a year. Robert-Houdin does not enlighten
us about either the nature or the duration of this
illness, which he described as "dangerous" and
followed by a "long convalescence." At age six,
the child had to remain shut away at home during a convalescence whose length the doctor
could not specify.
He was deprived of outings, games, and
friends his age, but for several years family
members came to his home to share some of
their knowledge with him. In order to distract
the boy, Prosper Robert's friend Rene Bernard,
I am inclined to believe that I came into the

world with a file or hammer in my hand, for, from
my earliest youth, those implements were my
toys and delight; I learned how to use them as
other children learn to walk and talk. I need not
say that my excellent mother had frequently to
wipe away the young mechanic's tears, when the
hammer, badly directed, struck my fingers. As for
my father, he laughed at these slight accidents,
and said, jokingly, that it was a capital way of driving my profession into me, and that, as I was a
wonderful lad, I could not but become an extraordinary workman.
I do not pretend that I ever realized the paternal predictions, but it is certain that I have ever
felt an irresistible inclination for mechanism. [24]
Jean Eugene's bright outlook on his talents

would not change Prosper Robert's determination to have a well-read son and, having transferred the ambitions he had for his deceased
eldest child onto his youngest, he decided to
remove his son from the theater of his early exploits. Knowing from experience that the profession of watchmaker rarely led to fortune, he
was convinced that the child's gifts would be
better applied towards studies, so he enrolled
him in boarding school as soon as his son's
health was no longer at risk. The young boy
thus went directly from a childhood in forced
isolation to the confinement of boarding
school. Jean Eugene learned his first lesson in
freedom...trapped within the walls of a school.
ACT I
When he left, he departed Blois for junior

high school in Orleans and was registered as
"local student in sixth grade." The young man
was thirteen and a half - and not eleven [25] and found himself back in another boarding
school. The late date of his admission to this
school in Orleans puts the length of his illness
and his convalescence at three or four years.
Jean Eugene Robert turned out to be a good
student and his name appeared in the school's
records of achievement and awards. Admitted
to junior high in the second half of 1819, he
won "first prize in history" in 1820, and a "second certificate of translation" and a "second
certificate of Latin translation" in sixth grade
with Professor Birot. In August 1821, he won
the "second prize in Latin translation" in seventh grade with Professor Feraud. In August
1822, he was awarded the "first prize in Greek
translation" in eighth grade with Professor
Lurat, and in August 1823 the "third certificate
of Greek translation" in ninth grade with
Professor Marmontel.
Among the documents of the junior high of
Orleans, part of the Departmental Archives of
the Loiret, the lists of awards from this period
have been located only for the subjects of
translation, Latin, Greek, and history. It is
therefore more than likely that Robert-Houdin,
QUATIUfiME
M. L U R A T , Professour.
Version
grecqua.
1" Prix. Jean-Eugene l\obeiit de Blois, olevc commim,

2* 1'vix. Louis-Alexamhe Feurhcr, deux f'lis nonime.
j " Accessit. J. Leonarcl-nepaire/>yMne, line f. nomnie.
2 Jccessit. Casiraii-Etienne Guirin, deux fois nomine,
5 ' Jccessie. Louis-Anloine Fauvckt-Ac C/uaioniuiiv, line
fois nomine.
4" Jccessit. Florent BeniieT, une fois nomme.
Illustration 10 - Extract from the honor's list of the Orleans
junior high s c h o o l for the year 1822. (Archives depariementales
du LoireO
21
already honored in these subjects, had obtained other prizes and certificates of merit.
The name Jean Eugene Robert is not in the
subsequent records for achievement in 1824 and
1825, which seems to support the hypothesis
that, in spite of his good grades, the young man
must have left the Orleans school after ninth
grade with the equivalent of a grade-school
diploma. Moreover, Robert-Houdin did not specify - and this is probably deliberate - whether or
not he obtained his baccalaureat. On the other
hand, he did state that he was eighteen years old
at the end of his studies: "At length, the moment
arrived for my leaving college; my studies were
completed - I was eighteen years of age." He
was really seventeen and a half.
In reading this passage in his memoirs, the
reader, not knowing at what age Jean Eugene
started school in Orleans, has the impression
that, being a serious student, the young man
obtained his diploma at the end of his studies.
The author, however, avoided confirming this
subliminal suggestion and played on the unsaid
in order to maintain throughout his memoirs
the exemplary tone that is one of the main
characteristics of his writings.
Concerning these four or five years of junior
high school. Robert-Houdin shared some amusing anecdotes studded with moral considerations
about bad students, whom he advised not to trust
"because in order to hide their own bad conduct,
they strove to make all weak characters their accomplices." Such thoughts confirm his desire to
appear exemplary, as we have mentioned.
The Memoirs' author nonetheless let us believe that this scholastic period was less than
stimulating: "Let who will sing the praises of
school life; for my own part I can safely state
that, though I was not averse from study, the
happiest day I spent in our monastic seminary
was that on which I left it for good." [26]
Robert-Houdin's youth seems to have been
characterized by a lack of freedom and the strict
ROBERT-HOUDIN
repression of his artistic aspirations. On the other

hand, his years of struggle against illness, his
forced solitude, and his strict upbringing helped
make him mentally and physically mature. He
learned to keep his feelings to himself and be
the master of his own body, and although he
had a fragile constitution his entire life, he submitted it to an exhausting work schedule. His intelligence and thirst for knowledge blossomed
during his school years. He discovered the ancient authors and began to develop his insatiable
interest in science and literature, which would
remain with him throughout his life.
Paradoxically, Robert-Houdin's difficult beginnings forged an unswaying optimism in
himself, and if doubt and uncertainty also accompanied him along the way, he fought their
effects by dazzling his contemporaries and
making them laugh. Throughout his life,

Robert-Houdin was never the hare of the fable.
Armed with infinite patience, he moved forward slowly and surely, and, like the reed,
knew how to bend but would never break.
During these early years, which the author recalled through some carefully chosen happy
episodes, he forged his solid determination, part
of the complex and seductive personality that
only a few intimate friends knew but were never
able to unravel.
A friend of the great English novelist Charles
Dickens, whose beginnings in life were also difficult, said: "He had in his character a vein of
hardness that was like an iron bar in his soul."
This observation could perfectly apply to
Robert-Houdin, and would not be the only point
he had in common with the famous author. L2V]
Illustration 11 Small student chest used by

Robert-Houdin.
This little chest in which the schoolboy carried
books and prcnisions was used by Jean
Eugene Robert throughout his studies at the
Orleans junior high school.
(Chaleau de la \ llle de BlolsJ
11
ACT
From Dr. Carlosbach to Maitre Pardessus

One can imagine how
happy the young man felt
upon returning to his
hometown. Curiously, he
did not know it as well as
the surrounding countryside, where he had spent
his summer vacation every
year, at Grouets, near Blois,
in his grandfather's cottage, La Guillommiere. [>]
He used his newly found
freedom to stroll through
the city streets, which he
was eager to discover, having become, he confided,
the 'Teal amateur 'penny-aliner' of [his] native town."
According to his memoirs,
it was during an afternoon
of October 1823 that the
author discovered a new
show, which was nonetheless fairly common at the
time. On the promenade or
esplanade that borders the
Loire, a group of curious
people had just gathered
around a traveling performer who had been
trumpeting to attract customers. The man, whose
accent identified him as a
native of the Aquitaine region of France, made a
nonsensical speech before
showing his skill in per-
forming a Cups and Balls

routine. [29]
Jean Eugene was very
impressed by this traveling
conjurer's trick and at the
end of the little show did
not hesitate to purchase,
for ten shillings, a collection of secrets that the
artist offered his spectators. After the young man
had feverishly devoured
the few pages of the little
pamphlet, his disappointment was as great as the
wonder that the conjurer's
show had sparked in him.
Except for the juggler's
pompous chatter, fully reproduced in the instruction booklet, the promised
explanations of the mysIllustrations 12 and 13 - The Conjurer and his teries of the art of conjurequipment by Gerard Seguin.
ing were so deliberately
From the work by Frederic Goupil. Les aventures de scrambled that, no matter
Jean-Paul Choppart. Paris, JJ. Dubochet et Compagnie,
how hard he tried, he
1845could not comprehend
them. Determined to know
more, Jean Eugene went
looking for the conjurer, who
had presented himself under
the name of Carlosbach,
but the innkeeper who
had lodged him angrily
informed Jean Eugene that
the illusionist had just vanished!
23
ROBER r-HOUDIN
: J
Les raalins ne son! pas toujours Ics plus malms

Illustration 14 - Engraving by L. Sherer.
From Les Delassements comiques by L Sherer. Paris, J Langlume. Rue des Poite\ins. 2 (n.d.).
In his memoirs, Robert-Houdin provided a

picturesque description of Dr. Carlosbach,
whose name has not otherwise been noted by
magic historians but who represents a perfect
example of the wandering conjurers found in
public squares in the cities and towns of
Doulce France at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Through this evocative tableau,
Robert-Houdin brought his readers into the
universe of magic, the wandering conjurer
being its most humble representative but not
the least skillful. [30]
Until adulthood, there were undoubtedly

many battles between father and son over the
young man's career choice. He did not emerge
victorious from all these fights and often had
to submit to the rules imposed by the paterfamilias. If we closely follow the memoirs of
Robert-Houdin, it is difficult to understand the
attitude of his father, who was so delighted by
his heir's talents and proudly considered him
to be a veritable child prodigy, but who then
brutally decided to send him to high school without allowing him to complete it - and for-
24
ACT I
bade him to enter his

workshop.
Having been unable to
convince his father of the
validity of his vocation for
mechanisms, Jean Eugene
began work as a clerk at
one of the best notary offices in Blois, that of Maitre
Pardessus, Prosper Robert's
notary. [31] With his beautiful handwriting, his task
from morning till night was
to copy the certified papers
and decisions: monotonous
and tedious work, far removed from the inventive
ideas that "continually occurred [to him]."
The little event that would
tear him away from the
melancholy of his position
as unpaid copy clerk appeared in the unexpected
form of a mechanical snuffbox recently entrusted to
Prosper Robert for repair.
On its elegant cover decorated with a landscape, one
could enjoy a tiny automated scene that began to
move when a button was
pushed. A hare appeared
in the foreground and
headed toward a clump of
grass where it had decided
to graze. A few seconds
later, a hunter walking with
his dog entered into the
miniature scene, stopped
when he saw the game,
and shouldered his rifle. A
little gunshot-like noise re-
sounded, whereupon the

hare ran away, pursued by
the dog. and disappeared
into the thicket.
RECUEIL
DE NOUVEAUX
TOURS
PHYSIQUE AMUSANTE
ET DE SECRETS TJT1LES
M DEMONTRItS AVEC CLART1S E T PRECISION
AVIS AUX AMATEURS.
\t
Le sieur FELIX, Escamoteur dc Paris , uj

JJi vend da Savon a di lacker , et Cire pour Its v
W Corsauxpieds; demon/re djoucr des Gobi lets *#
v el auties Tours dc societe , a un prix tris- T
V modele.-... II do/me des diva lissemcns cliez JB
^ US persomies qui le font demander, en U 5
1\ privenant deux heures d'avauce.
s
A. t y o n , de WmprimenV de } . M. BARRET, f\
pl^-e des Teneaux.
jfo
Illustrations 15 and 16 Booklets of Sieurs

Felix and Louis.
L ffi
.
L
DE PHYSIQUE AMOSANTE
T
QL
COMBIKAISONS
DE M A T H E M A T H J U E " ,
Doilraa?ecclartc,
il
IT
li
j&
N I. La Tahatiere magique.
Vous failes un trou sous la taboliere et
en faisant metlre la piece dedans, vous
1'eiileiez de maniere que Ton ne voilrieaj
si Ton veut que la piece soil dedans, on
la fait sonner; et si Ton vouE qu'clle n'y soit
pas, vous 1 empechea dc .sonner; enMiite,
vous la laites sorltr par le trou de la lahatiere, et le lour est lait.
No 11. La Tour des Olives.
Ayez trois petifes olives en bois, perce'es d'un bout a Paulre, et deux pelils rubans que vons pliez tous deux par le milieu, puis enfilez-les dans les olives et croisez les deux rubans 1'un dans l'autre , et le
renfermez dans l'olive du njilieu ; ensuite,
donnez les rubans a tenir a quelqu'un en
les priant de vous remetfre un bout de
chaque ruban, apres quoi les ayant, vous
This precious object,

whose owner seemed quite
attached to it, tantalized the
curiosity of Jean Eugene,
who decided in the greatest of secrecy - since he
was persona non grata in
his father's workshop - to
create a detailed list of the
mechanisms of the automaton snuffbox. Enthralled
by these ingenious workings, Jean Eugene wondered if he could carry out
a thrilling plan whose
technical difficulties he
believed he had solved.
Waking every day well before sunrise for six months,
the young man silently
went down into his father's
workshop to discreetly
work.
This undertaking was inadvertently aided by his father, who, according to the
author of the Memoirs,
was not an early riser. One
might expect Robert-Houdin
to have added deafness
and near-sightedness as
other alleged handicaps of
his unobtrusive father,
who, during the entire semester needed for the
manufacturing of the mechanical snuffbox, or, more
precisely, its duplicate, saw
nothing and was not star-
ROBERT-HOUDIN
tied by any suspicious noise coming from the

workshop, where his son worked before punctually leaving to go sit at his clerk's desk at
Maitre Pardessus' office:
Illustrations 17 and 18 - Outdoor Conjurers by Victor Adam.
The joy I experienced in finding my mechanism act was only equaled by the pleasure I felt
in presenting it to my father, as an indirect and
respectful protest against the determination he
had formed as to my choice of a trade. I had some
difficulty in persuading him that I had not been
assisted by anyone in my work, but when at last
I removed his doubts, he could not refrain from
complimenting me.
"It is a pity," he said thoughtfully, "that you
cannot profit by your turn for mechanism; but,"
he added, suddenly, as if seeking to dispel an
idea that troubled him, "you had better take no
pride in your skill, for it may injure your
prospects." [32]
26
ACT
Illustrations 19 and 20 Outdoor Conjurers.
In his memoirs, Robert-Houdin always respects the moral codes of his time, but he also
defends the image, ambitions, and dreams he
had as an impetuous young man. full of imagination, audacity, and a too-long pent-up energy. To do so, Robert-Houdin often exaggerates in sketching the characteristics of his
father, who is portrayed as blind to all his
son's w ishes and who makes us smile when he
warns his son that his talents, which the reader
knows will bring fortune to Robert-Houdin,
could slow down his progress! One must not
see any sort of post-mortem vengeance here. It
is simply one element in the careful construction of a narrative whose author has a deepseated need for the reader to believe in his
dreams.
27
ROBERT-HOUDIN
From Maitre Roger to Jean Martin Robert

Providence came to the
employer's "behavior torescue of Prosper Robert
wards him" in the office.
in the form of a country
This notary, who was
notary's honorable propo"the personification of
sition to his son. Other
probity," was a trusted
than the fact that it alcolleague of the Duke
lowed Jean Eugene to
d'Avaray, whose estate he
move from the situation of
managed. [34] Most of his
unpaid clerk to that of
time was spent handling
"second clerk" with a
the Duke's affairs besmall salary, this offer may
cause the notary transachave given his father hope
tions were few and far
that the distance from his Illustration 21 The Chateau of the Duke d'Avaray between in Avaray, and
Jean Eugene Robert's room was located directh
workshop would dispel
his clerks completed the
above the grate protecting the chateau's premises.
once and for all the irrework very quickly. For
sistible call of mechanisms
the first time in his life,
in the fertile mind of his heir.
Jean Eugene had free time that he did not
know how to spend, and his employer helped
This unexpected promotion flattered the
him by allowing him to use the library. The
young man's pride, although he quickly nonew clerk had the good fortune to discover
ticed that his employer had embellished the
Linnaeus' treatise on botany and acquire the
job description. His role in the bureau was
rudiments of that science. [35]
simply that of office boy, which meant running errands and delivering and picking up
Upon arriving in Avaray, Jean Eugene had
packages; the first and only other clerk sufpromised himself - "as much to please his faficed to take care of the rest of the business.
ther" as to "scrupulously fulfill [his] duties in
[his] new office'' - to no longer indulge in his
These menial tasks did allow Jean Eugene
passion for mechanisms, whose "irresistible
to earn a bit of money, the first his work had
attraction" he feared. Thus, after having -'relibrought him, and this made ''the pill less bitgiously kept his word," Jean Eugene had reter to swallow [for his] self-esteem." The ausolved to become a notary and had every reathor of the Memoirs describes his employer,
son to believe, he confided to his readers, that
Maitre Roger, [33] as the "best fellow in the
by entering this profession "[he] should pass
world" whose demeanor, "full of kindness and
through all [his] grades creditably and somesympathy," had attracted him the first day and
day, in [his] turn, become M. Robert, solicitor
with whom he was quite happy because of his
28
ACT
they swept away his fatherly ambitions, they

also resolved his doubts. He declared to
Maitre Roger:
"Well,"' he said, ''as he absolutely desires it, let
him follow my trade. And, as I cannot instruct him
myself, my nephew, who is a pupil of mine, will act
towards my son as I did towards him." [37]
in some country town." Chance or divine will

decided otherwise and his "stern resolutions
were routed by a temptation too powerful for
[his] courage."
His stern resolutions crumbled before an
aviary decorating the office that was filled
with a flock of canaries. As office boy, the
new employee was in charge of its upkeep,
which he maintained with such zeal that it
ended up occupying all his time. In order to
enliven the somewhat monotonous existence
of the numerous winged guests in this immense cage, he began building mechanisms
he had invented in school. The birds obtained
their food with the help of little wagons they
pulled with their beaks. They were given automatic showers and baths, and certain
perches held tempting treats and harmless
traps from which the other canaries, drawn to
them from a nearby branch, would free them.
Jean Martin Robert therefore became Jean

Eugene's teacher in mechanisms and watchmaking. To Robert-Houdin, this relative, seven
years his elder, was much more than a teacher.
He was one of his dearest friends, certainly his
only confidant, and, later on, his right-hand
man. Jean Martin Robert later managed the
many real-estate assets acquired by RobertHoudin and. in collaboration with him, carried
Although visitors admired these ingenious

mechanisms, Maitre Roger justifiably reprimanded his young clerk for spending his time
in such an unorthodox manner and admitted
that he had doubts about the young man's future as a notary. Jean Eugene poured out his
heart to his employer and revealed his frustrated ambitions and his calling for mechanical work, which his father did not seem to
want to understand or accept. Touched by the
sincerity of the young man, the notary resolved to have a talk with the father.
During the six months that his son was an
office boy in Avaray - from June to December
1825 - Prosper Robert had sold his watchmaking business to his nephew Jean-Martin
Robert [36] around September 1825 and had retired to his cottage, La Guillommiere, in
Grouets. Thanks to the warmth of his plea,
Maitre Roger's gesture was crowned with success, and the artisan, by this time retired, finally gave in. Prosper Robert understood the
good notary's wise arguments, and although
TOURTI
Illustration 22 - Jean Martin Robert (Year VII-1880).

Jean Eugene Robert's watchmaking and mechanics mentor.
Robert-Houdin affectionately nicknamed this relath e and devoted friend "Cousin Robert." The workshops of photographer
Emile Tourtin. who signed this image, were situated directly
above the Theatre Robeit-Houdin. 8 Boulevard des Italiens. in
a space previously occupied by the famous Disderi.
29
ROBERT-HOUDIN
in the midst of discussing an important deal

with one of his clients, took two volumes off
the shelves, gave them to Jean Eugene, and offhandedly dismissed him.
When the young man returned home to absorb the Traite de I'Horlogerie, he discovered
with surprise on the cover page the words
Amusemens des Sciences (Scientific
Amusements). Perplexed, he glanced over the table of
contents and read these strange phrases:
"Demonstrations of card tricks...Mind-reading...
Cut the head off of a pigeon and resuscitate it."
In his haste, the bookseller had made an error
and given him the two volumes of the Dictionnaire Encyclopedique des Amusemens des Sciences
mathematiques et physiques (Encyclopedic Dictionary of Scientific Amusements of Mathematics
and Physics) instead of the works of Berthoud.
Robert-Houdin confided to us in his memoirs: "Fascinated, however, by the announcement of such marvels. I devoured the mysterious pages, and the further my reading
advanced, the more I saw laid bare before me
the secrets of an art for which I was unconsciously predestined." The author concluded
the paragraph with this sentence: "The resemblance between two books, and the hurry of a
bookseller, were the commonplace causes of
the most important event in my life." [39]
This is the point in his Memoirs where
Robert-Houdin revealed to his readers the moment he said he discovered his true calling.
This date, to be credible, could not be too recent, but didn't the author write "...an art
which was, unbeknownst to me, more than a
vocation"? Was this really the case?
The genius of the construction of the
Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, as relentless as it is
exemplary, resides partly in the author's masterful use of theatricality while still respecting
the narrow context of the moral censorship of
his time, which left him so little freedom. It is
futile to wonder whether this anecdote took
place while he worked in Jean Martin Robert's
out numerous purchases or sales of land and

houses in the region.
Their close relationship wrongly convinced
certain researchers that Jean Martin Robert managed Robert-Houdin's fortune de facto, which is
totally incorrect. He never allowed anyone to
do so. Jean Martin Robert was a most devoted
manager, always stimulating desirable business,
and he and Robert-Houdin enjoyed more than
forty-five years of friendship based on complicity, trust, and mutual respect.
This explains the affectionate and sincere
portrait of his teacher, relative, and friend that
the author paints in his memoirs:
[My father could not have chosen a better man
for my instruction, whom I found extremely kind
and who combined the benevolence of a friend
and the science of a mentor. ]
Yet I would not have it supposed I was a model
pupil, for I had still rife in me that spirit of investigation, which drew down upon me several reprimands from my cousin, and I could not endure to
confine my imagination to [carrying out] the
ideas of another person. I was continually inventing or improving.
My whole life through, this passion - or, if you
will, mania - has held sway over me. I never could fix
my thoughts on any task without trying to introduce
some improvement or strike out a novel idea. [38]
In ''Cousin Robert," Jean Eugene had an employer who educated him, watched him, and
worked to channel his creative energy. He also
gave him one particular piece of advice that
would change his destiny.
In order to further his student's progress,
Jean-Martin Robert advised him to consult
some authoritative works about mechanisms
and watchmaking. The young man did not
have to be begged to heed this advice and enthusiastically began to study this subject for
which he already had such an affinity. Wanting
to study Berthoud's Traite de I'horlogerie
(Treatise on Clockmaking).
the apprentice
went one evening to the bookseller Soudry,
who he knew had these works. The merchant,
50
ACT I
</
DICTIONNAIRE
ENCYCLOPEDIQUE
DES AMUSEMENS DES SCIENCES,
MATHEMATIQUES ET PHYSIQUES.
Illustration 23 - Title page of Robert-Houdin's personal copy of Dictionnaire encyclopedique, on v. Inch he wrote the
following: Volume from which I drew my first inspirations in the art of conjuring (See my memoirs) Robert-Houdin. (Chateau de
la Vtlte de Bloisj
period of his youth with the birth of his calling:
shop or in that of Prosper Robert, or even in the

offices of Maitre Pardessus or Maitre Roger, because the narrative is so believable that in one
sense, it does not matter when the event took
place. If one looks at the works of Berthoud
and the Dictionnaire Encyclopedique des
Amusemens des Sciences Mathematiques et
Physiques, it seems logical that confusion
would have been likely, and as for the contents
of the Dictionnaire - a compilation of books by
Ozanam, Guyot, and Decremps - it truly would
have been the stuff dreams are made of for
Robert-Houdin, who was still a neophyte. [H
To avoid blame for setting a bad example for
future generations, Robert-Houdin, without appearing to be justifying himself in any way,
thus emphasized the fortunate timing of this
31
It may be urged that different circumstances

might have suggested this profession to me at a
later date. It is probable; but then I should have
had no time for it. Would any workman, artisan,
or tradesman give up a certainty [an established social standing], however slight it may
be, to yield to a passion that would be surely regarded as a mania? [Certainly not.] Hence my
irresistible penchant for the mysterious could
only be followed at this precise period of my life.
How often since have I blessed this providential error, without which I should have probably
vegetated as a country watchmaker! My life
would have been spent in gentle monotony; I
should have been spared many sufferings, emotions, and shocks; but, on the other hand, what
lively sensations, what profound delight would
have been sacrificed! [41]
ROBFRI-HOUDIN
Illustrations 24 and 25 - Engravings from plates of the Dictionnaire ency elope dique des amusemens
des sciences.
ACT
The Apprenticeship of the Artisan Watchmaker

and the Aspiring Magician
The apprenticeship of the watchmaker lasted
nearly two and a half years. The knowledge acquired from his father and now from ''Cousin
Robert,'' his father's pupil, constituted the fundamentals of his practice of the art of mechanism, to which he had been so drawn since
childhood. And yet Robert-Houdin did not
dwell on his progress in that science. The author, however, omitted no detail about the fever
that overcame him only a few hours after receiving the Dictionnaire Encyclopedique by
mistake, and thoroughly relates how he used
the book's precious knowledge.
The narrative begins with a tragi-comic
episode in which, needing a candle to continue
his reading, Jean Eugene decided to steal the oil
lamp of a nearby streetlight and was punished
for his theft because he ended up setting fire to
his best hat! The young man perused the precious encyclopedia for hours and in scarcely
eight days learned all its secrets.
Although this purely theoretical knowledge
opened the doors to the art in which he was to
excel, the neophyte quickly realized that without a teacher or any practical insight, his new
knowledge would be useless. To know the explanation of a trick is one thing; to know how
to deceptively perform it is a difficult exercise
of a completely different sort. Paradoxically, the
lack of a mentor proved to be fortunate for the
author, who emphasized in his memoirs: "I was
in the position of a man who attempts to copy
a picture without possessing the slightest notion
33
of drawing and painting. In the absence of a

professor to instruct me, I was compelled to
create the principles of the science I wished to
study."
Realizing that sight and touch are basic tools
of magic, the apprentice trained himself to develop these two faculties. He took juggling
classes with a podiatrist from Blois named
Maous, M and learned how to juggle with four
balls while reading a book.
After refining his powers of perception and
exercising his fingers, the young man practiced
the manipulation of cards and sought to master
palming: ''This sleight requires a great deal of
practice, for while the hand is held open, balls,
corks, lumps of sugar, coins, etc. must be held
unseen, the fingers remaining perfectly free and
limber." This basic exercise required constant
training; he therefore continued his other work
while practicing his movements in the vast
pockets of his frock coat, which sheltered him
from indiscreet stares. This habit of constantly
keeping his hands hidden made him appear
odd, because no one could possibly know that
his cardigan had become somewhat of a rehearsal space.
To avoid giving his readers the impression
that this new passion made him neglect his job,
Robert-Houdin specified in this chapter of his
memoirs [a] that he made a special effort not to
be distracted in his work or displease his employer, who thus had "only praise for [his] dual
qualities of exactitude and diligence."
ROBBRT-HOUDIN
The Mysterious M. David of Bordeaux

Collection of Several Effects of Physique
Amusante
Mainly those I often perform
First notebook: Sympathetic Inks, Goblets,
Simple Cards, Various Ideas
Although reading and constant practice contribute to the study of conjuring, the wise advice of a competent professional often allows a
beginner access to knowledge refined through
time and experience.
Here are a few clarifications on the life of a
previously unknown personality, whose passion for the art of magic seems to have contributed to the calling and/or artistic progress of
the future conjurer.
Robert-Houdin's library contained four handwritten notebooks, thirty to forty pages
each, dating from the end of
the eighteenth century. In the
pages of these books are numerous loose pages in a
smaller format, which were
also handwritten. On the cover
of each of the notebooks,
Robert-Houdin wrote the following in black pencil: "Notes
taken by M. David of Bordeaux.'' These four manuscripts
are entitled:
2. Second Notebook of effects I often perform, including Continuation of Cards,

Written Cards, Beginning of the Gibeciere
3. Third Notebook of Effects, Sleight-ofhand, Subtleties, Small Coins
4. Fourth Notebook of Effects:
Continuation of the Gibeciere and
related tricks.
Although the study of these

notebooks reveals information
on the travels, encounters,
and art of David of Bordeaux,
it is an unpublished footnote
by Robert-Houdin that reveals
the relationship of the two
men. This text is part of one
of the preparatory pages of
the manuscript of The Secrets
of Conjuring and Magic:
1
8
g21. ^_
Ar
CsJu
2/p ....
/
to
Illustrations 26 through 29 - Covers of David of Bordeaux's four handwritten notebooks. Robert-Houdin wrote the final line on
the covers of these notebooks: "Notes taken by M. David of Bordeaux."
3-1
ACT
fjb_ J /fry&?,, I*A9) - . louMala

/
-tQ*i>
Illustration 30 Handwritten page of one of the rough drafts of a chapter from Secrets of Conjuring and Magic by
Robert-Houdin. The footnote concerning Da\ id of Bordeaux is at the bottom of the page.
35
ROBERT-HOUDIN
One easily becomes a collector of any object

having to do with the art we love. In addition to
all the books specifically or indirectly dealing
with conjuring, I have managed to assemble
playbills and programs of all the conjurers from
Pinetti to the present day. Here is how this collection was formed: An old friend, M. David of
Bordeaux, a conjuring enthusiast, bequeathed to
me in 1843 a number of playbills of conjurers,
along with notes on their shows. I then decided
to complement these interesting documents
from my friend's bequeath with the programs of
all the magicians of our time, from 1843 to
today.
dence with his teacher, who kept him abreast of

developments in the art of magic. An original
handwritten letter by Gomte (collection of autographs of Monsieur the Marquis of Flers), addressed to M. David, gives an idea of their relationship. This letter begins as follows:
But who was this character about whom
When I had the honor of meeting you in Blois,

I told you that I planned to go to Yalencay to see
the princes of Spain. The prefect of Blois gave
me a letter for the governor, and I gave two performances before the three princes. I taught
them a few tricks; they presented me with a magnificent certificate and fifty louis. All the gold I
earn, I owe to you, because your tricks are the
most beautiful in my show...
magic
literature
remains
silent?
This
is a
strange paradox because it is a man who could

have legitimately been proud to have briefly
accompanied the first steps of two of the greatest names in magic: Comte and Robert-Houdin.
M. David was actually one of the first amateur
magicians, as we define them today, and the
first known collector of late-eighteenth-century
magic art.
The first and only reference to M. David is
found in the Grand Dictionnaire
du XIX
Universel
siecle by Pierre Larousse, letter C,
volume 4, page 819, in the biographical entry

on the ventriloquist and magician M. Comte,
the King's Conjurer. Here is an excerpt:
Gomte added a few conjuring tricks to his
ventriloquism, but his repertoire in this area
was very limited. Having never had a mentor, he
could perform only the magic tricks he had
found in basic works on the subject.
Nonetheless, he decided to go to Paris, passing
through the south of France. At that time in
Bordeaux was a certain M. David, a rich cloth
merchant and a great enthusiast of conjuring,
who owned all the instruments of this art and
found genuine pleasure in helping and instructing the followers of white magic. Upon his arrival, Gomte met David, who taught him many
interesting tricks. While traveling, the artist
from Geneva maintained an active correspon-
Orleans, May 13, 1809"

APOLLINAIRE GOMTE, ventriloquist and professor of scientific amusements, who, two years
ago, was almost a victim of several Swiss peasants who, believing him to be a sorcerer, beat
him and wanted to burn him by throwing him
into an oven, etc.
Monsieur David, Bordeaux,
And later:
My intention is now to have four trunks of
magic effects. I will present only magic at the
two first shows. For the third, I will present the
larger effects and lure my audience with ventriloquism. The next day, I will perform tricks
in the town and boldly announce three performances of ventriloquism. In total, that makes
six performances for towns with 10,000,
15,000, and 20,000 individuals. What do you
think?
The author of this excerpt from the biographical entry on the King's Conjurer is none
other than Robert-Houdin. The letter reprinted
above was a gift from the artist to Monsieur
the Marquis of Flers, a great autograph enthusiast who was his neighbor
and friend
in
Saint-Gervais. [44] Robert-Houdin had the correspondence between Comte and M. David in
his archives, and the fact that he had chosen
to publish a passage from this letter is a trail
we must undoubtedly follow.
ACT I
M. David was an important merchant in

Bordeaux, selling fine cloth and cashmere.
He had stores in Abbeville. Louviers, Elbeuf,
Sedan, and Andelys and associates in several
cities. For his leisure time, M. David had a
residence in Blois, where he was in business
with Toussaint Robert, cloth merchant and
younger brother of Jean Eugene's father,
Prosper Robert. This wealthy man had a passion that was uncommon in his day: conjuring, which he practiced as an amateur to
amuse his family. Although during his youth
he had given a few performances, whose
repertoire he described in his handwritten
notebooks [See Act II, Note 34], we do not
know how his interest in magic originated,
though it may have arisen during the frequent trips his business obliged him to take.
LA SCIENCE
ESCAMOTEURS,
SECKTS
BE
G1BECIERE.
<
A BORDEAUX,
\ ous prenex un pasfolet j le premier venu le

charge? d'abord a pouttre , eiisuiie vous metres Is
l^Liile dedans j cr ei3 otecr^nt 11 bourrc ^fluiicu QC IS
nêccrc dans Is couon vous piircz som cc is mc-Eirc
Born around 1770, M. David was able to

attend performances of the most famous
conjurers of his youth Comus, Olivier, perhaps Pinetti - whose programs and playbills
he preserved. [45] He wrote the names of the
less famous in his notebooks and described
their specialties - Robbe was an expert in
the multiplication of coins; Magniere presented the rising cards in a very special way;
L'Ercule, whose main tricks were the brokenand-restored watch and the coin in the snuffbox; Falconi and his cups; Olivio, nicknamed
the ''Polish conjurer" perhaps the father of
Olivier who had no equal in im isibly
transporting a coin or a watch into the
pocket or shoe of a spectator and who pri-
balie VOHS vient dans 1* roam ; vous lui dues de

titer sur vous , ec votisfaites semblaiit d'avoirpaie
vorphose dt
14. U ,
queue de lapiu par desms 4 cc vous fiiitos reprendre

Kraoutre; de maiuete que Ion Feptendfa la queue
a. hr
uut ROBERT,
demontre k putr dts
gobdets t/i trisrpeu dt ttmps t d tnseigne itussi
d autres tours de socUU, a un prix tres-rrodtre.
It donntra. dts dtvtnweniem cht^ its personnts
i h
deux hearts d'ay
REGUEIL
t BORDEAUX, dellmpiimenedstAo
vi-i-vis le Cafe 4 la Comidie, 1
Demontres avec clarte et precisions.
COMBINAISONS
AMUSANThS
TIROES
DE L'ESPRIT
DE
L'HOMME.
Pour sayoirla nom de routes ks Pemmm,

des homines que dts Femmts ;
"
,,j.
~: 1 L , ' 1
-..<.
f: 1 i t i n, >
'"
..-H c i v
- ; s~. -.-
1:1- I ; ' , - , t ! - . J ( i ElgnCf
p rcc d t
V'
, 1
ISiTi
cToîf -.lit
- ,
- : ' :
cu j
' : ,^ :
t . M . j
. v
en & j - ] i a c :
" i l l .
1 at
AvECUrte methode enncuse pour apprcndic J

devmer dins quel mois Ton est ne , en quel
jour, a qncite betire , et en qnel quantiemc ^
combion d'annees Ton a , et dans quei temps
,._,t de j o u r , SOIEde
_, .
touis da CombiTiaiTOn,de Physique,
, Uisit
. et de Monnoies:
id
Illustrations 31 to 33 Pitchbooks printed in Bordeaux

through the generosity of David of Bordeaux.
This great magic enthusiast helped conjurers \\ ho w ere passing through his city by printing brochures to be sold at thenperformances. These three opuscules, unknown by bibliophiles, were part of David of Bordeaux's bequeath to Robert-
BORDEAUX,
Houdm (Private collection)
37
RODERT-HOUDIN
-V-.
Le fameux Pilferer raonlrant soa savoir-faire sur UQ champ de foire

Illustration 34 "The Famous Pilferer."
Frontispiece of 'Ruses des banquistes des Grecs et des charlatans" in Les mille & un tours ou experiences de Physique amusante
et de magie blanche
Illustration 35 - Extract from the manuscript of the Feuilleton du Cagliostro. Revue critique, historique, chronologique et
artistique des PresUdigUateurs, Escamoteurs et Continuateurs depuis leur ortgine jusqu'a nos jours by Robert-Houdin.
"This Pilferer w as nothing more than a sort of acrobat or bohemian charlatan whose gift of gab and boldness replaced wit
and skill.'
38
Acr I
vately termed this technique "truquiser" ("to
sus registers of Blois give us reason to believe

that this event could have taken place during
the years 1812-1815.
Did Toussaint Robert introduce M. David to
his young nephew, the prodigy, thinking that
the child's inventive mind might amuse him?
Did David of Bordeaux show him a few tricks
to entertain him? Could these effects have
trickify").
David of Bordeaux, who enjoyed the creations of the conjurer-mechanician Perrin [46]
and the tinsmith Veudreille, also admired the
performance of Palatiny, [47] who clearly
fooled him, as he noted frankly in his fourth
notebook:
Q,
:
"Ji
//
I saw old Palatiny cut off the neck of a chicken in

a truly marvelous manner but I could not see [the
modus operandi] or understand it.
then unleashed in Jean Eugene that irresistible calling that makes men climb mountains? Is it possible that Robert-Houdin, in
order to maintain the exemplary morality
necessary to his memoirs, blurred and eventually replaced the image of his teacher and
friend M. David with that of the old soldier
M. Bernard, a character who was much more
reassuring and especially more conventional?
Were these meetings and their consequences
on his son's state of mind perhaps the main
reasons behind the attitude of Prosper Robert,
whose only solution was to lock up his son in
boarding school to avoid his ending up as a
traveling performer? There is no absolute
proof, and one must refrain from definitively
combining dates and facts, sometimes unrelated and which could be interpreted in different ways and a fortiori wrongly interpreted. I will let the reader make his own
decision about this subject! [49]
In reading the notebooks of M. David of

Bordeaux, one notices that he specified that he
had invented certain effects and also that he
described modifications he had made to others. The many tricks included are either accompanied by a reference to specific works,
such as those of Guyot or Decremps, [*] or the
name of the conjurer who gave him the secret.
The text of these notebooks gives no clues
as to the dexterity of M. David of Bordeaux,
although we are aware many amateurs can be
skillful. Although these various factors confirm the knowledge and passion of this rich
enthusiast of the art, none helps us deduce
the exact period when he met Robert-Houdin.
Corresponding dates, the periods when the
merchant was in Blois - M. David had residences in both Blois and Paris - and the cen-
39
ROBERT-HOUDIN
I
The Count de Grisy, French Conjurer, known as Torrini
About two and a half years had
gone by when, one morning in March
or April 1828, "Cousin Robert" declared to the young man that his apprenticeship was over. Having become an independent craftsman, he
was now qualified to receive a
salary. Following the example of the
best artisans, he pledged to work in
the workshops of the best French
watchmakers, for a few months or a
few weeks, and take advantage of
these formative stays to try to understand the specialty or specialties
that had contributed to the reputation of each successive employer.
For Jean Eugene this initiatory journey meant freedom and financial independence.
The young craftsman's journey
around France began with the watchmaker Noriet, a native of Blois who
had established himself in Tours.
Jean Eugene was employed to repair
watches:
Illustration 3~ - The watchmaker Noriet in Tours.

The workshops of Jean Eugene Robert's employer were located on the first
floor of the house, situated on the left in the photograph, at the intersection
of the Rue Change and the Place Plumereau.
40
...I received, in addition to board

and lodging, 35 francs a month.
Little enough, I grant; but it was an
enormous sum in my eyes, for, since
leaving the [notary], at Avaray, my
income had been reduced to a minimum...
Although my time was fully occupied here, I managed to continue my
pocket practice, and I daily noticed
with joy the progress I was making
[thanks to my constant exercises]. I
had learned how to make any object
ACT
Alone in the carriage, Jean Eugene, burning

up with fever, was in excruciating pain and
each shake of the coach intensified it. In his
delirium, he opened the door, jumped off the
moving coach, almost killing himself, and fell to
the ground.
I held in my hand disappear with the greatest ease;

and as for the principles of card tricks, they were
only child's play to me, and I could produce some
delightful illusions.
I confess to feeling a degree of pride in my
humble power of amusing my friends, and I neglected no occasion of displaying it. On Sunday,
for instance, after the invariable game of lot[t]o,
which was played in this patriarchal family, I gave
a small performance of sleight-of-hand, which enlivened the melancholy victims of this most monotonous of all games. I was honored with the
name of an "agreeable droll," and this compliment delighted me.
My regular habits, my perseverance [at work],
and perhaps a certain degree of gaiety I possessed
at the time, had gained me the friendship and
sympathy of both my master and mistress. I eventually became an indispensable member of the
family and shared in all their amusements. Among
these were frequent excursions in the country, [so]
The young man lost all sense of time after

fainting and remembered only "long days of
vague and painful existence" punctuated by terrible nightmares. He had the feeling of being
carried away and shaken around in a coach, although he was aware of lying in a comfortable
bed "in a small, exquisitely clean room." Little
by little, his senses returned and the first image
he saw was that of a stranger sitting beside his
bed, begging him to drink a potion, keep quiet,
and "remain as calm as possible."
This stranger, who would later introduce
himself as Torrini, was about forty-five or fifty
years old and had a tastefully decorated traveling coach. With the help of his brother-inlaw and servant Antonio, he came to the rescue of the patient, had him examined by an
apothecary, and took care of him until he was
fully recovered. Destiny had placed someone
in Jean Eugene's life with a generous heart
who would take care of the young man's
health with paternal devotion. But such divine
fate, in choosing Torrini, did much more than
simply place a Good Samaritan on the path of
the reckless young man; it also gave him a
mentor.
It is upon returning from one of these country parties that one of the most extraordinary
narratives of the Memoirs of'Robert-Houdin begins. It starts on page 55 and ends on page 135,
representing 80 pages, almost one-fifth of a
work of 445 pages. This shows the importance
granted by the author to the tale we will now
try to summarize.
After having come home with the Noriets
from a party in a neighboring town on July 25,
1828, [51] Jean Eugene supposedly fell seriously
ill from food poisoning inadvertently caused
by his employer's cook, who had served him
stew prepared in a pot in which a large
amount of verdigris had formed. His horrible
suffering made him fear for his life and
brought on a sort of delusion in the young
man, who, believing himself fatally ill, wanted
at all costs to die among his family members.
The doctor refused to allow him to travel, so
Jean Eugene took advantage of a moment
alone to run away one morning around six,
using a public coach that went from Tours to
Blois.
Robert-Houdin's tale states that Torrini was

the pseudonym of Edmond de Grisy, the son of
the Count de Grisy, an aristocrat originally from
Languedoc who was killed while defending the
King during the siege of the Tuileries of August
10. The revolution having obliged the young
count to flee France, he departed for Florence,
where he studied medicine and earned his
diploma at the age of 27. From Florence, he
went to Naples, where he found widespread
success as a doctor.
41
ROBERI-HOUDIK
" > . -
A M U S E M E N S
P H Y S I Q U E S ,
E
DIFFERENTES EXPERIENCES
DlfERTlSSANTES,
Illustration 38 - Pinetti's signature.
Par M. Jean-Jofe[th P I N E T T I , Profefeur &

De'monfhattur de Phyjique, agipege' <* ptujieurs
Acajmiis , Penfnnae de U Cour it Pmjj'e,
Tecomiiandl par plnjieurs Ron & Princes Souveraias di [Eunpe, Chnalitr de tOrdre Je iainlPkihppe, lagMar-Glognlpht & Confettir del
Finances de S, A. S. U Prince de LunboUrHcljlem,&,.&c,
TROISIEME EDITION,
AuGMFNTEE par TAuteur de quelques nouvelles
Experiences Phyfiqvses, Sc de Gravures.
Illustration 39 - The Chevalier Pinetti.

Frontispiece and cover page of the third French
edition of Jean-Joseph Pinetti's work, Amusemens
physiques et differentes experiences divertissantes
(Physics Amusements and Various Entertaining
Experiments). Paris. Gattey. Bookseller. 1791. This
portrait of the Chevalier Pinetti in a generals outfit (!) only appears in this edition.
Frix, i Uvre 16 fols.
)( phi.lat'.,
&< t'ordre ! i '
- "J
P A R I S ,
Chez G A T T E Y , Libraire 1 fous lej arcades du

Palais-Royal, N" I J & I 4 .
i 7 9 I.
The arrival in Naples of Chevalier Pinetti,

[52] the most famous conjurer of the end of the
eighteenth century, would change Edmond de
Grisy's destiny. Fascinated by Pinetti's performance, De Grisy became impassioned with
the art and after several weeks was able to duplicate the show of the "theatrical Chevalier"
for his friends, which soon perturbed Pinetti's
pride. This led Pinetti to set a trap to make his
young '"rival" lose all credibility in the eyes of
the population of Naples. This successful maneuver initially produced the results Pinetti
hoped for, but although mortified and humiliated, Edmond de Grisy swore to have revenge
on the treacherous conjurer.
I JX'rc 3fel> Pmetti, Profcflor Mathcfcos t>on 'Horn, tljttt bent (

neiiuen ûblito ju rouTm / bus St fjente SOJontags ben 29. 3ulit i-^1
mil iautet ncuen (scutfen aufiuarun, ititb melletd)t bie [et|le R i p r c - '
I (cntation ijffien luttb; um aber mid) feme 2Mente ju jeiêu, wiib (
! St CWeileu gt bit Sljtt jcljijOt, wc(e îe(i(ja6ew unb jCetmere alU i
1
fjiet in3urid) aitjutreffeti) ltd) bemiifivii. ind)t nur 2Jeroitnbertut!) 1
I fotibetu aud) btn JSotjiiil mit |id) lDejjuiteljmen.
I
.
Siejemqeu ADettcu unb Siltnen; iweldje 3l)n Uei) feiuev etfteit ;
Rcprclcntation mit SJwv eijeimjfii't 6eel)tet/ wevBen (Kjeujen, '
i betgleidicn &ucte nod) niemals nefefjen lootben; andi uivb
err pmctti fid) t'efoubcrs ciiijclegeii femt ififfvu / bic êitidniftcn !
i fattfom jit contcmitcn.
6t trt mid) mentals jctve^nt; feine fjeften &u&< Dovljtv 511 '
1 cnonateti/ fonbertt et' fudjt |id> einc S()te btc 3ufd)auete HHC iinnj ;
unenvartrten &(tm su uoeiftiden; and) i(i befiiiint, ba(i feme
Rcprelcnrarionen (tKenial ;n)ct) Stiwben bauetn.
:
Ste JJotiielliiit^ tft mtf bet fnefigeit SReifeil?3l!"f '" ^mx Si'PiTen '
2)cc ?(iifang i(t prxcifc 11111 s l!()r.
dwimlitr
(ktj
Set) beni SiililclttJ jaljlt cine QJetfpu cut (jiilbcii nctlCH 2()aler. (
SSJami Sietfjdbet SiKetS uorijet wolleii abliollen (afftn, umfid) 6et) -t
IJQ bet Sljuteu mrtt lam) Wfitijalteit/ fo linb tie 511 betounndi bee 3Jot< 1
ittttqe um 9 U()t biS Slactnmttitjt um 5 tlhi, 6ct) Slav ^mttti, j
git benm (5ct)ioetbt. No 10
'
Vx
NB. M e 35or|iciltm!?en werben our fraiijoiiub unS bttufcf) i-xplicut;
man (arm e^ aud) m anbevn (ipracben evbetitett/ fo man es ,
With a new show of much better quality than

Pinetti and more talent than the older man, De
Grisy began presenting shows in all the cities of
Italy where Pinetti was scheduled to perform.
This competition wiped out Pinetti. who, ignored by the public, was forced to leave the
country. Edmond de Grisy went from success to
success throughout Europe, accompanied by his
spouse Antonia and her twin brother Antonio.
Illustration *0 - Small poster of Chevalier Pinetti.

Small German poster of Chevalier Pinetti in 1782, from
Max Difs work Histoire et evolution technique de la prestidigitation, vol. 1, Limoges, 19"1-19T4
42
ACT
Illustration il - The Chevalier Pinetti.

This engraving, of which onh two copies are known, depicts Pinetti onstage surrounded by his apparatus, among them The
Rising Cards. The Rijle which Shoots on Command. The Infernal Tower. The Wise Little Turk, The Clock. The Magic Inkwell, The
Bowman. The Worry-Free Mill, etc.
The idyllic existence of the couple formed by

Edmond and Antonia was shattered after a horrible accident. De Grisy, in order to enliven his
show, had advertised a new trick, William Tell's
Son. in which their son Giovanni played the
role of Walter, the son of the Swiss hero. One
evening the pivotal moment, the famous scene
in which William Tell is forced to shoot at his
child, turned to tragedy, and by a fatal string of
circumstances, De Grisy ordered the shot that
would take the life of his son. The father, in despair, wanted to kill himself but the law intervened, condemning him instead to six months
of imprisonment in a mental home. During this
time, Antonia, insane with suffering, let herself
die of grief.
performing under the name of Torrini, Although

joy and enthusiasm were forever banished from
his shows, he remained a great artist whose
performance was perfect in all respects. This is
the portrait, painted in broad strokes, of the romantic and desperate character who had saved
the life of Jean Eugene, whose characteristics
and personality so reminded De Grisy of his
lost son.
During the few weeks of the young man's
convalescence, De Grisy took care of him, gave
him conjuring lessons, and even allowed him to
fix a famous trick automaton, The Harlequin,
manufactured by the mechanician Opre (sic).
[53] In addition to his teachings. De Grisy shared
the details of his life and his encounters with
many famous conjurers, and inadvertently gave
Jean Eugene the opportunity to take his first
steps onstage, in Aubusson.
After a terrible depression, at the edge of

ruin, De Grisy had Antonio sell everything he
owned, paid his debts, and had himself built,
with the remaining money, the traveling coach
with which he journeyed the routes of France
Upon arriving in this city, the artist's coach,

which transformed itself every evening into an
45
ROBEBT-HOUDIN
L'enfant, atteint au milieu du front, tombe aussitot la face eontre terre. (P. 101.)
Illustration 42 - William Tell's Son.
This engraving, from the work La \'ie d'un artiste au XIX' siecle. Souvenirs personnels du celebre presfidigitateur RobertIloudin (op. cit.), depicts the accidental death of Torrini's son during this dangerous feat
ACI I
elegant theater stage, was damaged in an accident. The horses were killed and Torrini
wounded. Not wanting to abandon his master
in such a dilemma, the student took charge of
the situation and gave profitable performances
to help the wounded magician.
Thanks to his efforts and the assistance of the
devoted Antonio, the health and financial situation of De Grisy were restored. The master and
the student parted with much sadness. Torrini,
accompanied by Antonio, left for Auvergne, and
Jean Eugene returned to Blois.
The simplicity of this brief summary does not
do justice to the brilliant and romantic narrative
of Robert-Houdin, which I urge you to read or
re-read.
In a previous chapter. I purposely used the
word "relentless" to describe the dramatic construction of Robert-Houdm's memoirs. The
Torrini episode provides a perfect example. As
he recites the triumphs and tragedies that dotted the existence of this mythical artist, RobertHoudin takes his reader through time. He allows him to attend performances of magicians
from the previous century who influenced the
history of magic - Pinetti, Comus, [54] Olivier [55]
- and the acts of charlatans like Castelli or
swindlers like Zilberman. The author also gives
a concise look at the magic repertoire of this
era: The Pyramids of Egypt. The Harlequin, The
Blind Man's Card Trick, The Dead and Alive
Bird, and The Omelette in the Hat.
All this information, which the reader mentally records, is complemented throughout the
work by accounts of shows of famous contemporary conjurers and their favorite effects, as
well as the history of famous automata throughout the centuries. Although he does not have to
become an expert on these subjects, the lay
reader will nonetheless acquire, through anecdotes told with much wit, a sufficient knowledge of these mysterious disciplines to fully ap-
Illustrations i3 and 44 - The conjurer Comus.

Engraving of Comus and rare 20-page brochure by the
artist, dated l~6l.
EXPLICATION
D ES
AMUSEMENS PHYSIQUES
ET MATHE MATIQUES,
JShJ E le fieur COMVS a donties les annees trecedentes , &
des nouveaux qu'il donnera cette annee a la Foire Saint Germain , avec un petit Traitejur
la Palingenefie dont tl doit
faire voir les effets.
De 1'Imptimerie de V ALL EYRE, rue

Saint Severin, a 1'Annunciation.
M. D C C L X I .
ROBtRT-HolDIN
0#
Illustration 43 - Pinetti's Wise Little Turk. A limited-edition stage automaton from the eighteenth century (Jacques Votgnter collection).
The text behind the automaton is from an unpublished manuscript by Robert-Houdin.
ACT
Illustrations 46 and 4" - The

Harlequin
and
The
Pyramids of Egypt.
These engravings are taken
from
the
w orks Les
Automates
trucjues b)
Adolphe Blind, Geneva. Ch
Eggimann-Paris. Editions
Brossard,
1927,
and
L'Almanach-Manuel
du
Magicien
des
Salons
Delion - Pans. Delarue.
1856.
stories and lessons of his host; it is in this context that he attended the performances of
mountebanks like Castelli in Angers. [56] When
about to leave, Torrini asked him to repair The
Harlequin, a service the pupil could not deny
the man who had so carefully cared for him.
The decision to go onstage was not Jean
Eugene's idea; the dramatic conditions of
Torrini's financial situation forced him to take
this step in order to help his benefactor.
predate the fundamental changes that RobertHoudin brought to these art forms. Indeed, if
one is not a magician, how else could one appreciate the impact of the formidable renewal
of magic that Robert-Houdin accomplished?
This pedagogical aspect is only one of the
author's goals in his narrative. The others were
explored in later chapters of his memoirs; here,
the main goal was to explore the name and personality of Torrini, the master who supposedly
revealed all the secrets of the art form that was
still only an outline to the young man. RobertHoudin depicted Torrini as a glorious artist who
outdid the greatest conjurers of his time, an elegant man of taste with a respected name,
whose teaching he proudly learned from and in
whom he found a source of inspiration.
Jean Eugene and Torrini's tale of adventure
perfectly fit the criteria of respectability that the
author established for himself and which he
flawlessly maintained. The young man did not
decide to abandon Noriet's workshop of his
own free will to follow a traveling magician; it
was only by chance, following his food poisoning, that Torrini discovered him unconscious on
the side of the road. The recovering patient's
forced bed-rest in the coach was eased by the
How could we have a more noble professor

than Torrini, an aristocrat whose father perished
in the honor of battle; a learned man; a doctor,
whose only mistake was to have chosen one
day, out of pride, the shamed profession of
conjurer, thereby betraying his social class, a
decision which caused him to lose his only son,
his adored wife, his fortune, and his honor? He
atoned for his "crimes" by performing from
town to town as the magician who, deep down
inside, he really was not, hiding his wounds
under a pseudonym while stoically waiting for
the end of his earthly sufferings and the erasure
of his sins...
The perfect construction of this episode is so
convincing that every historian studying it since
the end of the nineteenth century believed it to
47
ROBERT-HOUDIN
be romanticized but did not

question its authenticity. [57]
Finally, in 1943, Jean Chavigny,
in his work Le roman d'un
artiste. Robert-Houdin, renovateur de la magie blanche (The
Story of an Artist.
RobertHoudin. Renovator of White
Magic) issued a diametrically
opposed opinion founded on
the absence of genealogical and
historical traces of the De Grisy
family. This affirmation was not
unanimously accepted and numerous researchers believed
that the absence of tangible evidence did not prove that De
Grisy-Torrini never existed.
the creation of an image and

personality of a master with dignity worthy of Robert-Houdin.
Neither Maous, the humble podiatrist, juggler, and - apparently - conjurer from Blois,
nor the generous David of
Bordeaux and his supportive
passion for the art of magic
could have seduced as many
readers as the tragic and romantic destiny of the ill-fated Count
de Grisy.
In my opinion, the perfection

of the character of Torrini,
which too closely corresponds
to the moral and social criteria
of the time, weakens its crediJean CHAVIGNY
bility.
However, this purely theI long shared the opinion of
oretical approach is far from satthese historians and I hoped to
isfactorily
solving the mystery,
one day find proof that would
-E ROMAN D'UN ARTISTE
so I would therefore like to profinally confirm the brilliant cavide you with an additional elereer of this mythical artist.
ment for reflection which, even
Indeed, what collector in the
RownA-TToudin
if not definitive proof, does supworld would not dream of findRenovofeur
de
la
Magie
Blanche
port
the above viewpoint.
ing a playbill of De Grisy, the
French conjurer, or a prospecIf, for decades, historians of
tus, even a booklet by Torrini?
magic could not totally doubt
the existence of De GrisyOver the years, my reading of
Torrini, in spite of the absence
the Memoirs of Robert-Houdin
of valid documents confirming
has become finer, my knowlthe story in the Memoirs of
edge of the intellectual path of
Robert-Houdin.
it is because of
Robert-Houdin has greatly proRobert-Houdin's
cleverness,
gressed, and I am now inclined
and
I
would
also
say
his sense
to believe that this narrative was
of humor. The author pubformed to correspond to the
lished the French edition of
work's various requirements, as
The Secrets of Conjuring and
I have described earlier - firstly,
Magic in 1868, ten years after
the education of the reader
about the history of the art of
the first edition of his memoirs.
magic, whose context and Illustrations 48, 49 and 50 -Jean Chavigny. The author, in this treatise, no
Portrait, co\ ei of his Robert-Houdin bishape, although romanticized,
longer cajoled his readers as he
ograph\. and signature of the man of
are authentic; M and secondly,
did so well in the Memoirs.
letters from Blois in 1943.
ACT
Robert-Houdin addressed the

reader as a teacher would a
student, earnestly teaching him
the present and past of his art,
in addition to the psychological
and practical techniques on
which it is based.
Then, in the midst of a very
serious discussion of the history
of magic, Robert-Houdin skillfully planted a De Grisy "trace"
and we find the name of Torrini
next to those of Bosco, Brazy,
Chalons. Comte, Comus, Courtois,
Jules de Rovere, De Linsky,
Olivier, and Val, famous tricksters, charlatans, and magicians,
and in the context of the Memoirs,
A Master of Modern Magic
we can understand why he did
so. Although historically improper, this was a brilliant procedure to definitively authenticate his master in the eyes of his
readers. This "trace" was so careHenry Ridgely Evans. Litt. D.,
fully planted that after more than
a century, it is still there!
I have discovered in RobertHoudin's archives an unpublished thirty-page manuscript
artistically handwritten by the
master himself, destined for
Le Cagliostro, the amusing
newspaper distributed to spectators of his theater. This document is entitled
Feuilleton
du Cagliostro. Revue critique,
historique, chronologique, et Illustrations 51, 52 and 53 - Henry Ridgely
artistique des Prestidigitateurs,
Evans.
Portrait and signature of the historian
Escamoteurs, et Continuateurs
Henry Ridgely E\ ans. one of the most
depuis leur origine jusqu'a nos
fervent supporters of the work and
jours (Cagliostro's
Chronicle
memory of Robert-Houdin in the
Critical, Historical,
ChronoUnited States, and the cover page of his
logical and Artistic Review Of
1932 biography of the artist.
The Life and Adventures of Robert Houdm
49
Conjurers and
Continuators
from their Origins to the present
day) and is a scholarly narrative
on the history of magic art that
was never published in Le
Cagliostro because its content
was too serious for the readers
of the humorous little journal.
We can date this manuscript
from 1845-1850, more than ten
years before the publication of
Robert-Houdin's memoirs. There
is a major difference between
the list of magicians published
in The Secrets of Conjuring and
Magic and that written in this
manuscript. In the latter, Torrini's
name is missing...
Although the adventure story
of Jean Eugene and Torrini is to
be doubted, we cannot ignore
the much more plausible hypothesis that Robert-Houdin followed
a traveling magician who performed in fairground booths for
a few weeks or a few months at
a time. The confinement of his
childhood, the boarding schools,
the frustration of his notary experiences, the lack of interest in
his work with Noriet, and his unending, forbidden passion for the
art of magic could have easily
pushed the young man to take a
big leap into the world of traveling artists, who have always represented an image of freedom to
sedentary individuals.
The possibility of learning
his trade and practicing his art
daily before a real crowd could
have heavily influenced his
decision, and one can see it
ROBERT-HOUDIN
would have been in the best interests of a fairground magician to hire Robert-Houdin, who
had every quality that could be useful to such
an entrepreneur. Indeed, we can easily imagine
how Jean Eugene could have been key for a
small family business in which the majority of
members were uneducated. His quality education would have been a precious advantage in
the complicated relationship of nomads with the
authorities, and his talents as a mechanician and
artist could only have improved the condition of
the equipment and the show.
In the first French edition of the Memoirs of
Robert-Houdin, chapter 4, "Physionomy of the
Mountebank-Conjurer," there is a long chapter
dedicated exclusively to this type of fairground
performer in which the author shows a profound
knowledge of the customs, habits, and language

of these professionals. Although this chapter,
deleted later in certain French editions and the
majority of foreign ones, is amusing and picturesque, it nonetheless paints a very negative
picture of these performers and the level of their
artistic presentations. It is difficult to imagine that
someone who did not share the intimacy and
professional life of this "typical" family of mountebanks, even for a short time, could have written such authoritative pages that ring so true.
This chapter therefore seems to be the inverse of
that on De Grisy-Torrini, and the author leaves
the perceptive or romantic reader the possibility
of making his choice between two versions, one
idealized and the other realistic, of events that
may in fact be one and the same.
Illustration 54 Feuilleton dn Cagliostro. First page of this important unpublished manuscript by Robert-Houdin (circa 1845)
~\
ft
Oiouey
fl
VCL UK14 YJ't-i///s> t/&i/7> 6* itlW Apr- ft,(^>/3'ul/T.(v^
C'C
a i
?JL
H'
* O *A
au
/ M^cJt, 9 <// u sJ
50
it
ACT
Return to Blois, Mademoiselle Houdin

which, refined over the years, would become
one of his main qualities.
Once back home, around the month of

October 1828, it was not at La Guillommiere
but in Blois that Jean Eugene found his parents.
They had left their cottage in Grouets for an
apartment on Rue des Trois-Clefs. Prosper
Robert had recently purchased a position in
charge of employees of the hospices of Paris,
with two offices in the Loir-et-Cher region, one
in Blois and the other in Vendome. His role was
to deliver quarterly payments to the local
nurses who looked after the foundlings of the
capital under the supervision of the administration of the hospices. Marie Celine Robert, Jean
Eugene's older sister, had paid the fee required
to purchase this title. [59]
His father was "quite comfortable about [his
son's] situation" because Robert-Houdin had
taken the precaution of sending letters supposedly from Angers by the intermediary of a
"friend,'' who also had the responsibility of
sending him the responses. This is a fairly incoherent explanation (Why Angers and not
Tours?) that the reader, like Prosper Robert,
must settle for. Though the oral tradition of the
family of Robert-Houdin maintains that their
ancestor never confirmed the Torrini-De Grisy
episode to those close to him, they do not remember any other version the prodigal son
provided to account for his activities during his
six-month absence.
The rebellious adolescent had become a

svelte young man with an attractive presence
and was more than five feet seven inches tall. [60]
He carried himself in a princely fashion; his hair,
styled towards the back, hung abundantly on the
nape of his neck; and his face was framed by
fine sideburns in the fashion of the times, softening the contours of his prominent jaws.
The thin lips of his large mouth were always
smiling, and their warmth tempered the brightness of a burning blue gaze. The fascination
evoked in Robert-Houdin's audience through
his gaze would be emphasized countless times
in the media, and J. Joseph-Renaud, who in his
youth interviewed the artist's contemporaries,
discussed this subject in Le Journal de la
Prestidigitation: "The professionals in question
had a veritable cult for Robert-Houdin and considered him to be the master of masters...They
said that his gaze had an astonishing power and
allowed him to fool not only the public, but
even his colleagues and amateurs. The sharpest
eye could not avoid following his.'' For Jean
Eugene, this new period in Blois could be nothing but temporary; his destiny awaited in Paris
and nowhere else.
Whatever the young man's memories of his
early travels may have been, his return to Blois
was motivated by a number of serious reasons,
notably the poor health of his eighty-eight-yearold grandfather Guillon. Although Jean Eugene
may have hidden nothing about his journey
from his close family and made them laugh with
his colorful narratives, he could not bring him-
His peregrinations and adventures transformed Jean Eugene. He had acquired the confidence of those who have traveled and no longer
regard domestic individuals the same way. He
was reassured by the seductiveness he could
practice on his audience, a quality he already
skillfully used in daily life as well as onstage and
51
ROBERT-HODDIN
self to admit that his calling for magic had only

been reinforced by these experiences, and not
weakened.
In order to remain active and maintain financial independence, he began work with the
watchmaker Blau, [61] who employed him to
carry out the painstaking renovation and brushing of pocket watches. Replacing a spring, inserting a pin, refastening a chain, and using the
brush to shine it all again became his daily routine. To break this monotony. Jean Eugene became a member of a troupe of amateurs from
Blois who, during their leisure time, presented
comedies de societe in which Jean Eugene
played the main comic roles. Their performances were free, thereby guaranteeing their
success, and the little troupe had a strong following in town salons.
Jacques Guillon passed away on June 13,
1829, leaving as "universal heirs [One quarter for
each] Francoise Guillon [His daughter], widow of
Claude Metivie; Jean-Francois Guillon, merchant
in Orleans [His son]; and Jean Eugene and MarieCeline Robert [His grandchildren]."
[(>A The
amount of this inheritance was 117,418 francs, a

large sum for the time. The control of the succession bequeathed to Jean Eugene and Marie
Celine, as well as half of its usufruct, was attributed "for his entire lifetime" to Prosper Robert,
their father. Although he could not immediately
utilize this large bequest, Jean Eugene, as one
expression of the times put it, became a young
man of whom one expected much and who was
obliged to consider marrying.
The author's beliefs were far from this sacrament, and as for women, he flitted from one to
another, determined to give up his freedom to
none. His mind overflowed with ideas combining the art of magic with mechanisms, plans he
confided to no one:
was very vague; after that time, it gained a complete mastery over me.
Still, I was bound to wrestle against this feeling with all my energy, for it was not presumable
that my father, who had unwillingly yielded to my
passion for watchmaking, would be so weak as to
let me try a novel and most singular profession. I
could certainly take advantage of being my age,
and my own master; but, besides my unwillingness to grieve my father, I reflected, too, that as
my fortune was very small, I ought not to risk it
without his consent. These reasons induced me
to defer, if not renounce, my plans, []
This confession, with its almost raw sincerity, profoundly expresses one of RobertHoudin's fundamental character traits: his
ability to combine contrasting feelings like
passion and reason, a rare capacity that was
one of the keys to the success of his personal
and professional life. Robert-Houdin was, as
we have already written, the reed of the fable
and not the oak, the turtle and not the hare,
and to remain a bit longer in the universe of
La Fontaine - he was obviously always the ant
and never the cicada.
Taking full advantage of his moments of
freedom, Jean Eugene allowed himself to
enjoy the pleasures of the comedies de societe
and refused to consider marrying and settling
down as a watchmaker as his father insisted.
In this case again, his "stern resolutions"
would fail, but this time for his greatest happiness.
One evening, we were requested, as usual, to
enliven the visitors by one of our proverbs. I do
not remember the word proposed; I only know I
was chosen to fill the part of a bachelor gourmet.
I sat down to table, and while indulging in a meal
like those usually served up at a theatre, I improvised a warm defense of celibacy. This apology
was all the easier to me, as I needed only to repeat
the fine arguments I had employed to my father
about his double proposition. Now, it happened
that, among the persons listening to this descrip-
Before that period [That of his meeting with

De Grisy-Torrini], my inclination for conjuring
52
ACT
c
/
ii
iT^
/ V l i U b ' <5% ' *~ -zX.
Ss*-
r
&*tl't~^~&^
j4
\&J%z4p&t*^-*--*
CL^WJ
C-^V##
,r Ci\
Illustration 55 - Eglantine Houdin (1811-1843). Birth certificate of Josephe Cecile Eglantine Houdin. RoberMIoudms first wife.
55
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Illustration 56 - Jacques Francois Houdin (1784-1860).

Watchmaker, mechanician, and Robert-Houdin's father-in-law. (Pruate collection)
ACT
city hall of Blois, [a clock] that will be like the

one in the Jardin des Plantes, placed at the
Cabinet de l'Histoire Naturelle, one that is admired by foreigners and specialists of clockmaking." A few decades later an electric clock,
invented by his famous son-in-law, would in
turn decorate the city hall pediment.
In 1820, Jacques Francois Houdin was called
to Paris by the famous Breguet and "became,
with Breguet, Motel, Perrelet, Lepaute, and
Wagner, one of the greatest watchmakers who
gave such a vigorous expansion of perfection
to chronometric art...'' [67] As early as 1823,
after the death of Breguet, he established himself as '"commissioner in watchmaking" at 7,
Rue Harlay-du-Palais and sold his properties in
Blois, investing the proceeds in his business,
In Le roman d'un artiste, Robert-Houdin,
which specialized in the fabrication and sale of
renovateur de la magie blanche, Jean Chavigny
astronomical clocks, regulators, and precision
writes on page 40: "...we believe that this enpieces.
counter could have taken place at the home of
In 1828, at his request, Jacques Francois
the departmental architect Pinault-Metivie,
Houdin became a member of the Societe d'enbrother-in-law of the Roberts." Jean Eugene's
couragement pour l'lndustrie nationale. His
future wife, Josephe Cecile Eglantine Houdin,
candidature, supported by Messrs. Laresche
[65] was the daughter of Jacques Francois
and Mevillon, was presented and accepted durHoudin, [66] a former watchmaker from Blois ing the meeting of the Board of Administration
established in Paris, and the first cousin of
on June 18, in keeping with "Article II of the
Marguerite Rosalie Metivie, Prosper Robert's
First heading of the Rules."
second wife. The meeting of these two young
Certain authors qualified this artisan as the
people was most likely not by chance.
"last watchmaker," because he was the last
one to use the old methods, which required
each piece of the watch to be handmade.
Jacques Francois Houdin had brilliantly
Later artisans assembled mass-produced
begun his career as a watchmaker with his fapieces.
ther, Jacques Houdin, who already had a boutique in 1781 at 20, Place du Marche-Neuf in
Jean Eugene must have hidden nothing
Blois. The specialty of the father, which his son
from his future father-in-law regarding his amwould adopt, was large-scale clockmaking. In
bitions or his overwhelming vocation for the
his work, Jean Chavigny describes a few of the
magic art. The two men had numerous points
creations of these two men, whose work decoin common, notably their taste for science and
rated church towers of the Loir-et-Cher. We
complicated mechanisms, and a love of memay also note that Jacques Francois Houdin
chanics and quality work. Jacques Francois
was the creator of a "large horizontal clock,
Houdin embraced the views and projects of
destined to be placed at the pediment of the
his future son-in-law, whose sincerity and pastion of the blessings of celibacy, was a young lady
of seventeen, who inclined a serious ear to my arguments against marriage. It was the first time I
had met her, so I could not ascribe any other reason for her fixed attention than her desire to detect the word.
A man is always delighted to find an attentive
listener, more especially when it is a pretty young
girl; hence, I thought it my bounden duty to make
some polite remarks to her during the course of
the evening. A conversation ensued, and became
so interesting that we had a great deal still to say
to each other when the hour came for separation,
and I believe the regret at parting was not felt by
myself alone.
This simple event was, however, the cause of
my marriage with Mademoiselle Houdin, and this
marriage took me to Paris. [<>-*]
55
ROBKRT-HOUDIN
sion won him over. Jean Eugene had fallen in

love with Cecile Eglantine at their first encounter, and he thought he should go to Paris
immediately to woo the young girl and try to
make her share his wishes. This was not to be,
because he had to wait almost a year. [6]

It was with the sweetest of challenges in his
heart that the young man would finally discover the city that had nourished his hopes and
dreams for so many years.
ROBERT IIOI'DIM AND THE STREET CONJHEOB.FIRST TASTE OP THE MAGIO AJRT.
Illustration 5 7 Robert-Houdin as a child by Frank Beard.

Robert-Houdin and The Street Conjuror - First Taste of The Magic Art" from
Life and Adventures of Houdin the Conjurer written by himself and translated
from French, Excelsior Publishing House. 29 and 31 Beekman Street. New
York. N.Y. (n.d.).
56
NOTES TO ACT I
1.
4.
7.
Louis Robert, born in 1701, died

on March 25, 1743. See genealogical
chart.
Marie-Anne Millet, born in 1736,

died in Blois on November 22.
1772. See genealogical chart.
2.
5.
Watchmakers from Blois in the

sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Home of Denis Papin - inventor of the steam engine - and
Robert-Houdin, the father of modern magic, the city of Blois had the
privilege of being the world capital
of watchmaking for almost two
centuries. This period extended
from the reign of Louis XII at the
beginning of the sixteenth century
until 1660, the date of the death of
the last Count of Blois, Gaston
d'Orleans. The presence of the
Jeanne Martinet, born in 1710.

died in Blois on February 4, 1757.
See genealogical chart.
3.
Toussaint Robert, born in Blois
on May 30. 1741, died on March 22,
Jean Toussaint Robert, born in Blois

on July 20, 1766, died on October
11, 1845. See genealogical chart.
6.
Prosper Robert, born in Blois on
November 29. 1767, died on
February 28. 1844. See genealogical
chart.
59
ROBERT-HOI DIN
103 al court at the Chateau de Blois

and the rich lords living in its
shadow was a guarantee of prosperity for the masters of this art.
There were no less than two hundred artisans and watchmakers in
Blois at the end of the seventeenth
century.
Julien Coudray. who served the
court during the reigns of Louis XII
and Francois I, made the earliest
watches. This very talented artisan
was employed by the King to make
spheres, astronomical clocks that
followed the movement of the
skies; the chapter of Saint-Gatien
of Tours entrusted him with the
restoration of its automaton clock:
and the councilmen of Blois did
likewise with their town clock. The
success that crowned his undertakings obliged Julien Coudray to
build a large workshop with his
most prestigious colleagues.
In the Archives Nationales is a
document dated December 31.
1518 concerning the payment of an
order by Francois I to Julien
Coudray for "two excellent daggers
decorated on their pommels with
two golden clocks." created for the
King's use and costing two hundred
gold crowns. E. Deveille. Archives
Nationales. K.K.289. Fol. 444. note,
page 3.
With the revoking of the Edict of
Nantes and the departure of the
royalty, the majority of the watchmakers left Blois. Some followed
their noble clientele to Paris, and
some moved to Franche-Comte. in
the regions of Doubs and the Jura.
Finally, a large part mo\ed to
Switzerland and everything points
to the possibility that, contrary to
common belief, it was the exodus
of artisans from Blois that led to the
long-lasting establishment of the
French and Sw iss watchmaking industries.
8.
Silvine Alloncle. born in Blanc in
1763. died in Blois on June 11.
9.
Jean Martin Robert, born in Blois
on Frimaire 11. year VII. died on
June 5. 1880. See genealogical chart.
10.
Marie Catherine Guillon. born in
Blois on November 18. 1780. died
on March 27. 1809. See genealogical chart.
11.
Jacques Guillon. born in Peyrsac

in 1741. died in Blois on June 13.
12.
Marie Frangoise Billon, born in
1746. died in Chambord on November
17. 1773- See genealogical chart.
13.
Frangoise Marie Guillon married Jacques Claude Metivie on
Nrvose 21. year IV. See genealogical chart.
14.
Marie Francoise Maulny (or
Maun)), died in the year IV See genealogical chart.
15.
Robert-Houdin kept this letter his
entire lifetime, a relic of a prematurely deceased mother, and wrote
on the top the missive: "This letter
is from my mother; it dates from the
early days of her marriage. R.H."
16.
Prosper Robert, born in Blois on
Pluviose 7. year XII. died on April
17. 1806. See genealogical chart.
17.
Marie Celine Robert, born in Blois
on Frimaire 1. year XI. died in Paris
on January 20. 1832. See genealogical
chart.
18.
In his memoirs, through a strange
irony. Robert-Houdin initially cites
December 6. 1805 as the day of his
birth, but this is a mistake. This
probable printing error, which was
60
perpetuated in numerous French

and international editions of the
Memoirs of Robert-Houdin. led certain biographers to write that
Robert-Houdin did not know the
exact date of his birth. This is an
unfounded interpretation because
all of Robert-Houdin's official papers are dated December 7. a date
which he obviously could not have
mistaken. However, it is true that
from a very earlv age. his family always celebrated his birthday on
December 6 because of a misinterpretation of the Revolutionary calendar; thus everything becomes
clear!
19.
Two documents issued by the
civil and religious administrations,
at the request of Robert-Houdin.
are other elements of his personal
archives that have s u n n e d . The
first is a birth certificate, dated
March 11. 1851. and the second a
baptismal act. dated August 2.
1844:
Extract of the birth certificate
registers of the town of Blois.
On the eighteenth day of the
month of Frimaire, year fourteen of
the French Republic, the birth certificate of Jean Eugene Robert, born
the sixteenth of the month at four
o'clock in the evening: son of
M. Prosper Robert, watchmaker in
Blois. Grande Rue. and the lady
Marie Catherine Guillon. his spouse,
his father and mother: the sex of the
child designated as masculine. First
witness. M. Jean Dehargue. baker,
the child s cousin; second witness.
M. Francois Joulin. carpenter in
Blois. the child's cousin: adults, at
the demand of the father who is present, undersigned.
Taken note of by I. Nicolas
Bougeard Germoniere, deputy to the
mayor of Blois. for the functions of
public officer of the civil register
undersigned.
The register signed Dehargue,
Joulin. Robert Guillon. and
Bougeard Germoniere.
Authorized copy delivered.
NOTES ro ACT I
The second certificate has an

amusing surprise and deserves an
attentive reading.
Extract from the register of
baptismal acts for the year 1805.
Diocese of Blois. Saint-Nicolas
de Blois parish. Baptism of Eugene
Jean. The year eighteen hundred
and five, the third of December, we
the undersigned priest have baptized Eugene Jean, born yesterday
from the legitimate marriage of
Monsieur Prosper Robert watchmaker and the lady Marie
Catherine of this parish. The godfather is Jean Dehargue. the godmother Demoiselle Elisabeth
Aimee Bailly who, with the father
present, have signed the present
act with us...[Signed] Yilain,
priest.
Authorized copy of the register.
Blois. August 2. 1844. Signed:
L. Baschet. vicar of Saint-Nicolas
de Blois.
If we take the handwritten act
by the vicar Baschet to be exact.
Jean Eugene Robert was the first
and. most likely, the only newborn
baptized...four days before his
birth!
The reading of these two documents also enlightens us on a point
that is not without interest.
Although, for the civil register, the
child's first name is Jean Eugene,
he was on the contrary baptized
Eugene Jean. However, his family
celebrated the Saint-Eugene for him
and until his marriage. Robert Houdin signed correspondence and
official documents as E. Robert."
20.
Robert-Houdin painted this lovely
portrait of Prosper Robert, his father:
Though he did not rise to the elevation of the Berthouds and the
Breguets. my father was reputed to
be very skillful in his profession. In
fact, I am only displaying modesty
when I say that my father's talents
were confined to a single art; for, in
truth, nature had adapted him for
various branches of mechanics,
and the activity of his mind led him
to try them all with equal ardor.
An excellent engraver, a jeweler

of the greatest taste, he at the same
time could carve the arm or leg for
some fractured statuette, restore
the enamel on any time-worn
porcelain, or even repair musical
snuff-boxes, which were very fashionable in those days.
The skill he evinced in these
varied arts at length procured him
a most numerous body of customers; but unfortunately, he was
wont to make most repairs not
strictly connected with his own
business for the mere pleasure [of
obliging and free of charge].
Memoirs of Robert-Houdin. Geo.
G. Evans. Philadelphia. 1859. p. 18.
21.
Jacques Claude Metivie. born in
Blois on October 1. 1765. died on
December 6. 1817. See genealogical
chart.
22.
Marguerite Rosalie Metivie, born
in Blois on December 28. 1785.
died on August 4. 1872. See genealogical chart.
23.
In his memoirs, Robert-Houdin
"generously" gave the rank of
colonel to this soldier, whose
teachings he had greatly appreciated. Jean Chavigny. Le Roman
dun artiste. Robert-Houdin. renovateur de la Magie
blanche.
Imprimerie Lhermitte. 68. Rue des
Ponts-Chartrains. Blois - Vienne,
(1943). p. 28.
24.
Memoirs of Robert-Houdin. op.
cit.. pp. 18-19.
25.
Memoirs of Robert Houdin. op.
cit.. p. 20. Archives Departementales du Loiret. Orleans high school
and junior high school (1805-1825).
ref. 45203.
26.
cit.. 1859. p. 20.
27.
Peter Ackroy, Dickens. Stock.
1993. p. 2~2. Charles Dickens was a
distinguished enthusiast of the
magic art, which he performed at
family reunions, parties, and his
children's birthdays. During his
trips to Paris, and perhaps also in
London, Charles Dickens attended
shows given by Robert-Houdin and
published a long and laudatory
analysis of the Memoirs of RobertHoudin in his periodical Household
Words. April 9. 1859-
28.
This cottage was bought by
Prosper Robert on December 16.
1815 from his maternal aunt
Madeleine Catherine Millet, widow
of Joseph Mezange. known as
"Sansonnet." "on the condition that
he lodge the aforementioned during her entire lifetime and pay an
annual allowance of 500 francs
and 228 liters of red wine."
Archives de Loir-et-Cher. 57. Q23
and Delagrange minutes. Jean
Chavigny. op. cit.. p. 29.
29.
See the "amphigoric speech" and
the description of Carlosbach's performance in Appendix II in the article entitled 'Charlatan."
Said to be from India, although
the first written references are
found in Greek and Latin texts, the
Cups and Balls a routine in
which little balls mysteriously
change places under three cups,
join together, appear, disappear, or
multiply - is probably the world's
oldest magic trick. Its traces can be
found in Greek manuscripts where it is called psephopalxia. the
pebble game - and in Latin ones in which the performers are called
calculates and acetabulari. from
the Latin word acetabulum. meaning "cup."
In antiquity, these street artists
used small pebbles. It was the trick
par excellence shown by the jug-
ROBERT-HOUDIN
istence of a handful of artists privileged by providence, hundreds of

their colleagues remaining forever
anonymous.
The Cups and Balls routine is
made up of all the basic effects
that are the foundations of the art
of magic, from close-up magic to
stage illusions: appearances, disappearances, transpositions, multiplications, productions, changing
of color or matter, etc. The careful
combination of these effects makes
up the routine of this trick, to
which each generation of conjurers has brought new variations.
When performed by a master, the
Cups and Balls still brings the
same wonderment and fascination
today that it brought to our far-off
ancestors.
Illustration 58 - Traveling Conjurer by Victor Adam.
glers who performed in public

squares, with a cloth bag around
the waist. The trick was most often
a pretext to attract a crowd and
then sell them an ointment, medicine, or powder with mysterious
virtues. The conjurers, called entrejeteurs in the Middle Ages, then
faiseurs de tours, were unfortunately followed by purse-cutters
NATURELLE,
OU MELANGE
DI V E R T I S S A N T ,
Continent dts Secrets mervzilhux,
0 Tours pltfijhntf*
Nouvelle Edition, revue 5c co."rig('c.
Chez P. S E Y E R
& BEHOURI
Imj>t,-Libr. rue du Petit-Puits.
Illustration 59 - Pitchbook from the eighteenth century.
who took advantage of the astonishment of the spectators to steal

their money, which considerably
damaged the reputation of this
honorable trade! The most masterful illustration of this situation remains the famous painting by
Hieronymus Bosch, The Conjurer.
The dexterity of these artists
made them suspects of heresy by
the Inquisition's courts and the
innocent tricks of the conjurers,
accused of "owing their skill
solely to witchcraft and spells,"
led quite a few of them to the
stake.
Illustration 60 - The Conjurer's Folding

table and tools. Engraving illustrating
the title page of the work Amusements
et recreations de societe by M. Pelletier,
Paris. Corbet aine. Librairie 1835.
From the middle of the sixteenth century to the beginning of

the nineteenth century, the artists
of this period would conclude
their performances by selling explanatory manuals - four, eight, or
twelve pages long - on which
their names and titles were sometimes printed, followed by revelations of a few secrets. These
brochures are today very scarce,
with only a few dozen copies surviving through the centuries, the
majority of them being unique examples, but they are often the
only documents that prove the ex-
A Brief Glossary of the Cups

and Balls
Cups and Balls: A set usually
consists of three cups.
Balls: Various-sized balls of cork,
fabric, ivory, or bone.
Gibeciere: A sort of small, ovalshaped canvas bag permitting the
secret procurement and deposit of
the balls. The bag was tied around
the artist's waist.
Magic wand: This staff was often
nicknamed "Jacob's wand."
62
NOTES TO ACT I
'
'.
'
df?)
Illustration 61 7"/!>e Conjurer by Hieronymus Bosch.

Preparatory drawing for one of the versions of this famous painting. fMusee du touvra)
63
ROBERT-HOTJDIN
30.
Let us emphasize that in the
author's writings, he attended
Carlosbach's show following his
/ / / / . .
eria
Illustrations 62 and 63 - Traveling

Conjurers.
Engravings from an anonymous alphabet book (n.d.) and from the work Las
Grotesques by "In Archeologue. " Paris.
1838
studies. Robert-Houdin. in dating

this event after his eighteenth
birthday, faithfully respected the
rules of morality that strongly ad\ ised parents not to let their children attend the shows of traveling
performers. Although this edict
was destined for all children and
all social classes, it concerned
mainly wealthy families whose
offspring lived under the watchful
eye of zealous governesses.
We must remember that it was
this society, then considered to
be the elite, that carried the name
of Robert-Houdin to the greatest
heights a few years later. It was
also in these ranks that the author
found his earliest readers. Faithful
to his public. Robert-Houdin. without hiding his interest in the
skill and picturesque aspects of
Carlosbach. the "mystifier from
Bordeaux." did not hide the less
appealing aspects of his personality, from his little deception concerning the content of his booklets
to the details of his contemptible
cheating.
In reality, this colorful scene
could have taken place prior to
64
Jean Eugene's vacation, and nothing leads us to believ e that it was

the only show that our hero witnessed. At the beginning of the
nineteenth century, there v\ ere
very few fairs, carnivals, or markets
that did not regularly have magic
shows in tents or out in the open.
There is no reason to doubt
that Prosper Robert applied the
same restrictions to his children as
the upper classes did. However,
this can also be questioned.
Carlosbach and his colleagues
probably fostered his calling for
the art of magic, perhaps ev en
earlier than the author implied,
but Robert-Houdin could obviously not write this in his memoirs. In the eyes of his "noble"
readers, he would have been considered an ungrateful student, disrespectful of the efforts made by
his family for his education, and
this to indulge a pursuit considered to be supernatural. The censors of the era would have had a
wonderful time emphasizing how
this bad example could have pernicious effects on the thoughts of
the dear little children.
NOTES TO ACT I
Robert-Houdin was hardly likely

to want to give pernicious ideas to
the new generations because, even
though he had lived according to
his own rules, his attitude throughout his entire lifetime was that of a
moderate conservative steeped in
the social ideas of his time. His
real fight in this uptight society,
buffeted by major political events,
was for his profession to be as
honorably recognized as others
were. He spared no effort to
achieve this formidable task, and
through his genius he raised his
profession to the level of art.
For Robert-Houdin. the professional renown of a man who has
stepped out of his social class.
whate\er his le\el of wealth, was
not gratifying unless accompanied
by social recognition and respectability, and this was more easily granted to men of science and
literature than to artists. In order to
accomplish this impossible exploit,
given the prejudices of his time.
Robert-Houdin acted contrary to
several of his deepest convictions
and agreed to pay a heavy price to
finally be recognized by the elite as
one of their peers.
31.
Jean Chavigny. op. cit.. p. 31.
32.
Memoirs of Robert-Houdin.
cit.. p. 36.
op.
33.
Maisons at 8 o'clock. Arrived at

Avaray at 10:30 - I had lunch with
the Duke and Duchess, his son, his
wife, his son-in-law, and his daughter; the doctor, the private tutor of
the children, and the four grandchildren and the secretary - After
lunch we all went for a stroll
through the woods of the Verdelet It was quite nice weather.
The Duke showed me my old
room from when I was a clerk with
Maitre Roger - and the interior and
exterior of the chateau. We went to
Maitre Roger's son's home. I was
perfectly hosted by the Duke. I left
Avaray at 4 o'clock - Arrived in
Blois at 7 o'clock p.m.
Tablettes fournalieres of December
19. 1867. The Duke and his family
visited him at The Priory on
September 4. 1868.
inspirations in the art of conjuring

(see my memoirs)." But with both
fire and ice in his heart, his wisdom
led him to buy a second copy of this
imposing dictionary, in which he
wrote practically the same words,
w ith the same sobriety and in the
same location. One example would
go to one branch of his family, the
other to a second, and thanks to this
precaution, he thought, at least one
of the two precious historical \ olumes would certainly survive the
destruction and ravages of time.
Through a strange irony, though so
many of Robert-Houdins mementos
have disappeared, both copies have
been preserved in perfect condition,
one in the collection of the Chateau
de Blois and the other in the family
archives of his great-grandson,
M. Andre Keime Robert-Houdin.
35.
The handwritten text on the latter

copy reads as follows: RobertHoudin [Signature] I Volume in which
I drew / my first inspirations for
the art of conjuring."

cit.. p. 38.
36.
Jean-Martin Robert, son of Toussaint Robert, the younger brother of
Prosper Robert, was the husband of
Therese-Justine Renou. whom he
married in Meung-sur-Loire, around
1824 (Jean Chavigny. op. cit.. p. 33).
In the civil register the name of
"Cousin Robert' was. after his wedding, Jean Martin Robert Renou.
37.
cit.. p. id
Charles-Michel Roger, born in

Saint-Dye-sur-Lone on January 12.
1777. died on December 21. 1843.
He was mayor of Avaray from 1816.
(Jean Chavigny. op. cit.. p. 31)

cit.. pp. 42-43.
34.
Memoirs of Robert-Houdin. op
cit.. p. 44.
In December 1867. fort)-two \ears

later. Robert-Houdin paid a visit to
the Chateau d'Avaray. writing the following note in his Tablettes journalieres (daily journals) of December 19.
1867:
Awakened at 7 o'clock - I left for
Blois at 7:30 - I hired a coach at
38.
39.
40.
Many years later, certain that he
would be remembered by history,
Robert-Houdin wrote the following
lines on the title page of his copy of
the Dictionnaire Encyclope'dique:
"Volume from which I drew my first
65
41.
cit.. pp. 44-45
42.
We know very little about this podiatrist from Blois named Maous
who was also a conjurer, as related
by Robert-Houdin in his Memoirs.
It is interesting to note that Eugene
Hatin. in his mini-biography dedicated to the artist in his series in Le
Constitutionnel (which was also
published as a som enir booklet
that Robert-Houdin pulled out of
his Horn of Plent) and generously
distributed to the audience) also attributed the earl) training of the
magician to Maous. Since Hatin's
mini-biography was published
nearly ten years before RobertHoudin's memoirs, we can stress
the fact that the conjurer later preferred to insist on naming De
Grisy-Torrini over the others as his
initiator into the art of magic. This
seems to me to follow the hypoth-
ROBERT-HOUDIN
esis suggested in my chapter "The

Count de Grisy, French Conjurer,
known as Torrini":
Chance, again, this chance that
always appropriately lies on our
path, wanted Blois to have a conjurer who cumulated that art with
that of podiatry. This man excelled
in making balls and foot corns disappear, accompanied by the
singing of birds, which he also
skillfully imitated. Robert became
an assiduous student of this meritworthy juggler. He never thought
the slightest revelation was too
costly; the best fruits of his garden,
the oldest bottles of his wine cellar
went first, then he even offered
money.
This decent man was not proud;
he accepted everything, but in return, he generously lavished the
treasures of his old experience on
his generous student, who soon
knew more than his master, except
in the art of removing corns, to
whom he left the monopoly.
Eugene Hatin, Biographie de
Robert-Houdin, extract from the series of the journal Le Constitutionel,
Guiraudet and Jouaust, printers,
Rue Saint-Honore. 338 (Paris, circa
1848).
43.
Memoirs of Robert-Houdin,
cit., pp. 48-50.
op.
44.
See the complete text of RobertHoudin's articles on M, Comte in
Appendix II at the end of the volume. This letter from Comte, the
King's Conjurer, was sent to the
Marquis of Flers by Robert-Houdin
on February 24, 1869- Tablettes
journalieres,
1869, Wednesday,
February 24, S. Mathias:
Awakened at 7:30. I received a
letter from Lecesne about The
Secrets. I went to see the construction at the Pont St. Michel. I
am a little less ill now. I worked at
l'Ermite. It is very nice weather.
Was called on bv M....with his
young lady. Information on Paul,

gardener. I sent the autograph of
Comte to Monsieur de Flers.
45.
These three pitchbooks, all published in Bordeaux, come from M.
David's bequeath to Robert-Houdin.
They are not cited in the various
bibliographies of magic - including
my own!
LA SCIENCE / DES ESCAMOTEURS
/ OU / SECRETS / DE GIBECIERE /
Avec permission / A BORDEAUX,
/ De l'lmprimerie de Lawalle
Jeune, allees de Tourny, no. 20.
(18 x 10 cm.)
COMBINAISONS / AMUSANTES /
TIREES DE L'ESPRIT DE I/HOMME.
/ To know the names of all of the
People, men and Women alike; /
with a strange method of learning
to / guess in what month someone is born, what / day, hour and
date / how old someone is and in
what season someone was / born,
either day or night, etc. / several
tricks with Mathematics, Physics,
Cards, and Coins / PAR LE
CITOYEN DRIOT, Parisien / A
BORDEAUX / Chez Lavignac,
Imprimeur, Rue Porte-Basse, no. 2 /
Year XI. (21 x 12.5 cm.)
RECUEIL / DE NOUVEAUX TOURS
DE PHYSIQUE AMUSANTE / ET
DE SECRETS UTILES / Demontres
avec clarte et precision / A BORDEAUX, de l'lmprimerie LAGUILLOTIERE / vis-a-vis le Cafe de la
Comedie, no. 21. (18.5 x 11 cm.).
Under the engraving depicting an
outdoor conjurer in the midst of a
trick, which decorates the cover of
this brochure, the following text
can be read:
M. ROBERT shows how to
play / eups in a very short time;
he also teaches / other parlour
tricks, for a very reasonable
rate. / He will perform at your
home. / Ask two hours in advance.
Although the name of Robert is
familiar, it obviously has no rela66
tionship to the hero of this biography, who was not even born when
the brochure was published!
46.
Perrin, conjurer-mechanician,
"Rue de la Verrerie, at the Hotel de
Reims across from the petite Rue
des Consultes in Paris" (David of
Bordeaux, First notebook, p. 61).
Sidney W. Clarke, in The Annals of
Conjuring, highlights the passages
of the conjurer Perrin in London
between 1785 and 1789. Max Dif,
in volume 1 of his Histoire de la
Prestidigitation,
Limoges (19711974), p. 142, notes Perrin's performance during this period on the
boulevards and at the Palais-Royal,
where he exhibited a little female
dog who performed "very strange
exercises, read French and English,
and did conjuring tricks."
In 1791, Perrin performed briefly
between two plays in the Salle des
Delassements comiques. His most
famous tricks were the dove shot
through a window from a gun and
which then reappeared with a ring;
the inkwell supplying endless ink
in all colors; and the watch
crushed in a mortar and found intact (Max Dif, op. cit., volume 1,
p. 152).
47.
Jacques Voignier has in his collection two playbills of "Old Palatiny"
dated 2 Floreal, year 7 (Sunday,
April 21, 1799) and 24 Frimaire,
year 10 (Tuesday, December 15,
1801). The bill of 2 Floreal authenticates, if need be, the written
manuscripts of David of Bordeaux
because it gives specific details of
the ''BRILLIANT SHOW of citizen
PALATINY," particularly concerning the decapitation of an animal,
which has top billing:
UNDER THE SURVEILLANCE OF
THE CONSTITUTED AUTHORITIES AT THE REQUEST OF ADMIRERS
FROM THIS COMMUNE
NOTES TO ACT I
1. Citizen PALATINY will cut off

the head of a living animal, he will
throw it to one side and the body to
the other, will take the said head
and put it back on. and revive the
said animal with physical science.
2. There will be a dozen eggs on
the table; a person from the audience will take one. examine it, and
will make sure that it is raw. after
which he will ask for any sort of
bird; the egg will be broken and the
bird asked for will come out; it will
sing a song upon demand, analogous to its species; the said bird will
do acrobatics and astonish the
Audience.
3. A silver vase will be on the
table; citizens will ask for flowers
they like, one will see them bloom
in the said vase in four minutes, and
they will have the same smell as if
they had just been freshly cut.
4 A member of the audience
will hold something in his hand:
this will then change into a living
animal. This trick is so surprising
that it flatters itself in winning the
applause of the audience...
The box seats will cost 1 Franc,
20 centimes, or 24 sous; regular seats
will cost 75 centimes or 25 sous.
The show will begin at precisely 5
p.m. It is in the Pierre-Lentin theater
hall [in Orleans].
48.
Henri Decremps, born at Bedueren-Quercy, Lot, April 15 1746,
died in 1826. Lawyer and mathematician, he was an attache for
the French Embassy in the English
Court, as a secretary-interpreter.
Decremps's renown is for his
exposures to the lay public of
the tricks in the repertoire of
Chevalier Pinetti. The explanations given in his first books are
often subject to caution and rather
imprecise.
Decremps wras the author of five
conjuring works: La Magie blanche
devoilee, 1784; Supplement a la
Magie blanche devoilee, 1785;
Testament de Jerome Sharp, 1785;
Codicile de Jerome Sharp, 1788;
and Les Petites Aventures de
3, A
BLANCHE
0L1
EXPLICATION
DL'J 'liuir.t ..'illprcniinnf.^qui /iV/l clcpili.'pt-'ti
I'aJnuraluvi i/c /a uipitale ct t/e la Province,
avec di'j rc/le.ywnj stir Itt 7iai/a<:l/c ilivctladxn
led Automate*! Joiwuri d'Echecs &'c A c
PAR M. DKClUiill'S .
./i.,,/.,/,;,,,,,,u,
CMVIU .'l/k-aum,/,.,/,,,, ,/, Plif siqiK amus.mU; ,/nt

,7/v.v avoir r Mm/ < cent/res urn Carl.- </<./.'< au >
lia-aiJjclle le .A;, ,vi I'au poor ifjUaV IvpamfhV
.;, la c/ouantau mar d'un coup </< Pti-tokl
/,,,!.
Illustrations 64 and 65 - La Magie blanche devoilee
Frontispiece and cover page of Decremps's work. The engraving depicts Chevalier
Pinetti.
Jerome Sharp, 1789. These works
were published in many editions
and some were translated into several languages, according to
Robelly, Le Livre d'Or de Ceux qui
ont eu un Nom dans la Magie,
Tours, 1949.
In The Secrets of Conjuring and
Magic, Robert-Houdin narrates how
Pinetti got revenge on Decremps by
publicly discrediting him:
...During one of his performances, he [Pinetti] complained
that an ignorant person, an impostor, in order to ruin his reputation,
said that he could reveal secrets
above his intelligence. No sooner
had he said that, a man poorly
dressed and who looked unhealthy
got up in the middle of the assembly and vulgarly addressed Pinetti
and offered to prove that the explanations he gave were exact. The
public, unhappy about seeing a
performance that they liked disturbed, booed the poor devil and
may have been about to beat him
when Pinetti intervened and gently
67
sent the man on his way with a bit

of money discreetly slipped into
his hand. This man was a confederate.
49The purpose of this chapter is not

intended to give David of Bordeaux
a more important role than he actually had in the careers of Comte
or Robert-Houdin. but rather to
emphasize through his example
that professionals throughout conjuring history have often found
help and sources of inspiration
from enthusiasts who, in this manner, gave one of the finest proofs
of their passion for the art of
magic.
50.
cit., pp. 51-52.
51.
If the reader belie\ es that the
Torrini-De Grisy episode is true, this
date, provided by Jean Chavigny, is
likely and supported by facts.
RODERT-HOUDLN
52.
Pinetti: Joseph de Pinetti de
Willedal de Merci. Born in
Orbetello, Tuscany, in 1750, died in
Bertichev. in Yolhynie, Russia, in
1800. Pinetti was probably the most
flamboyant conjurer of the eighteenth century, and apparently the
most charlatan-like, if we are to believe the testimonies written about
him by some of his equally famous
contemporaries, and also the reports
of the period, which range from excellent to much less flattering descriptions. Decremps published alleged explanations of Pinetti in his
work La Magie blanche devoilee. On
explications des tours surprenants
qui font depuis peu Vadmiration de
la capitale et de la province avec des
reflexions sur la baguette divinatoire,
les automates, joueurs d'echecs, etc..
1784. In response to these exposures, Pinetti in turn published that
same year a book entitled Amusemens physiques et differences ex-
LENOUVEAU
P I N E T T I ,
ou
RECREATIONS
DE SOCIETE;
C O ^ T E N ^ T douze figures pour
Uinlelltgeiice des principes parti-'
culicrs pour les tours de cartes;
les faux melanges, faire sauter
la coupe etc. el touts sortes de
tours agrdables > suivies de diffcrentes manieres de tirer les
caries.
A PARIS,
Chez T i o F. R, Imprim.-f Jbraire f
Place Gambraj, au Piiicr litteraire.
Le Nouveau PINETTI - p. 1
PINETTi Nv. P. de G.
Illustrations 67 and 68 - Le Nouveau Pinetti

Engraving from the frontispiece and cover page of this very rare anonymous little work.
periences divertissantes composees et

executees tant a Paris que dans les
diverses Cours de I'Europe. Pinetti
claimed he was a professor of mathematics and physics and said he was
a Protege of the Royal Court of
France and Pensionnaire to the
Court of Prussia.
53.
Illustration 66 - The Chevalier Pinetti.

Engraving from the frontispiece of the
work Amusement Physiques by the famous conjurer.
The name of the mechanician Opre

is mentioned several times in Harry
Houdini's work The Unmasking of
Robert-Houdin.
The Publisher's
Printing Company, New York, 1908.
Although Harry Houdini was a
prominent artist and at that time
the greatest collector of documents
on the magic art, the use he made
of them in attempting to discredit
Robert-Houdin's memory is at the
very least questionable. Research
v\ orks by Camille Gaultier, Maurice
Sardina. Jean Hugard, Sam H. Sharpe,
and many others have shed light
on the author's re\ isionist statements and reestablished the historical truth. I will therefore refrain
from elaborating on this subject
68
and only refer to Harry Houdini's

work when I have the opportunity
to bring some new information to
the reader, or to shed light on
some specific issue.
This inaccuracy is especially the
case in the paragraphs devoted to
Opre (pp. 138-140) who was, according to Houdini, and among
other "speculations," Robert-Houdin's
mechanician! Houdini is very careful not to offer the slightest proof,
any specific date, or serious, verifiable references to the "irrefutable
documents" upon which he claims
to base his "proof" because they
are simply fictional.
One of the documents that
Houdini "discusses" with his readers, but which of course he does
not reproduce and from which he
builds a purely fictional story, is a
Dutch book that mentions the
name of Opre. Although Houdini
provides neither the date nor
other specifics about this work,
the truth about this matter would
one day be revealed.
NOTES TO ACT I
In his remarkable autobiography Illusion Show: A Life in Magic,

published by David Meyer Magic
Books, Glemvood. Illinois, 1988.
the great illusionist David Bamberg
(Fu Manchu), son of Okito and
brilliant representative of the se\ enth generation of magicians in
the Bamberg family from Holland,
reproduces the document to which
Houdini refers in The Unmasking
and which the "Handcuff King" refrains from including since his entire "case" would fall to pieces!
This work is an 1831 almanac
published in Utrecht (Holland) that
reproduces a woodcut of Eliaser
Bamberg (the first magician in the
family) performing in a public
square in Leyden, the city where he
was born in 1760. Beneath this engraving is shown a poem of that era
(the end of the eighteenth century),
of which one excerpt interests us:
Many are clever in magic :
Such as Pinetti and Opre [...]
David Bamberg adds that Opre
constructed his Bouquet Philosophique for Pinetti and that he also
manufactured automata for Eliaser
Bamberg. David Bamberg also confirms that these automata did not
leave the family, as his grandfather
Tobias still performed them and his
father Okito played with them as a
child.
It is thus apparent that for simple reasons of dates that this Opre
could never have had anything to
do with Robert-Houdin.
The truth about this ''Opre" is very
different. Robert-Houdin did indeed
write in his memoirs that Torrini
spoke to him about an artist named
Opre. We believe that this anecdote
is only partially exact, because
Robert-Houdin's interlocutor, as we
will see, was probably David of
Bordeaux instead of Torrini.
However, in 1981, Jacques Voignier.
in La Revue de la Prestidigitation, no.
339, showed that Opre was most

likely M. Aupre, a Dutchman who
presented card tricks, stunts, and mechanical tricks as well as an automaton. The Grand Sultan. He performed
in the Chapeau Rouge theater on
Thursday, January 18. 1787. [In
French "o" and "an" are pronounced
the same way, wich explains the confusion as to the spelling of the artist's
last name. Translator's note]
Jacques Voignier has also since
discovered that during this period, a
remote area of Bordeaux was oddly
named Chapeau Rouge. The date of
the playbill could thus imply that
the young David of Bordeaux had
the opportunity to attend M. Aupre's
performances. If we take this hypothesis into account, it seems
much more likely that it was David
of Bordeaux instead of Torrini
whether real or fictional - who. se\ eral decades later, mentioned this
bygone conjurer to Robert-Houdin,
who obviously could not have
played the "historical" and farfetched role invented by Harry
Houdini for the sole purpose of his
unfortunate thesis.
Here is the complete text of

Aupre's playbill of Thursday January
18, 1^8";
BY PERMISSION - NEW UNIQUE
SHOW
M. Aupre, a Dutchman, advantageously known throughout almost
all the courts of Europe for the subtlety of his Card tricks and the
beauty of his experiments based on
Physics and Mechanics invented by
himself; the great quantity that he
proposes prevents us from going
into detail.
Nonetheless, here are the descriptions of a few of them.
An automaton eight inches high,
called the GRAND SULTAN, of pleasant appearance, which will move like
a real person and gesture to correctly
answer all questions, and will attempt several Card tricks of which
the description would be too long,
and who can also answer everyone
without his Master being present;
this will be shown. He will also show
the SYMPATHETIC MILL which will
stop and go merely by having a light
placed under a vial of a liquor concocted by him. The MAGIC LAMP
will stop on command. He will do the
surprising PISTOL trick which he
will have loaded and in which one of
Illustration 69 - Castelli d'Orino and the dog Munito.
69
ROBERT-HOUDIK
iJalon le Carts e prcnoan>
Sbaratc c va I'jtneUo nella)

Casscv
locator fermas la. Carta,

daroa.
un. Lsovo.e oa.wnvvuoa, n<s
&
leva la Camiotct- & ruin
cun-o in, arrrwnuZ'
Illustration '0 - Guiseppe Castelli. Engraving of this contemporar)' of Pinetti printed from the original copperplate.
NOTES TO ACT I
the Spectators will place a ring, will

fire into the air and have the ring
brought by a turtledove, & several
other tricks which will pleasantly astonish.
The show will begin at 5:30 precisely. The first boxes will be 36 s.,
the second 20 s., the parterre 12 s.
It will be at the Ghapeau Rouge
Theater Hall.
It goes without saying that Aupre's

repertoire - like his namesake
Opre - which is along the lines of
Pinetti's, obviously has nothing in
common with that presented
by Robert-Houdin fifty-eight years
later.
54.
See the biography of Comus by
Robert-Houdin in Appendix II,
Volume II.
55.
See Act II, chapter entitled "Olivier,
Conjuring Professor of Paris."
56.
We know of at least two other performers named Castelli in the history of magic: Giuseppe Castelli,
Profesore e demonstratore di fisica
e mecanica, countryman and contemporary of Pinetti, whose entire
repertoire he had apparently duplicated - unless perhaps it was
the other way around - and Signor
Castelli de Milan (Castelli d'Orino),
who was the master of the famous
calculating dog Munito. The narrative of the performance of Castelli
that Robert-Houdin recounts is
particularly savory, this charlatan
not lacking "guts." Cf. Memoirs of
Robert-Houdin, p. 69-
58.
64.
That is, if we ignore the novelistic character of the narrative and the
inaccuracy of a few dates subject
to caution. On this topic, see the
two esteemed studies of Jacques
Voignier, "Robert-Houdin et Torrini"
and ''Torrini contre Pinetti," in La
Revue de la prestidigitation, nos.
339 and 342, 1981.
Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, op.

cit., p. 140.
65.
Josephe Cecile Eglantine Houdin,
born in Blois on April 1, 1811. died
in Paris on October 13. 1843. See
genealogical chart.
66.
59.
Jean Chavigny, op. cit.. p. 39-
60.
In the Chateau de Blois is a wax
mannequin, sculpted by Albert
Chartier, depicting Robert-Houdin
which is dressed with clothing that
belonged to the master. According
to their size, he seemed to be between five foot seven and five foot
eight inches tall.
61.
Blau was, along with Davy, Fillon,
Bastor, and Robert, one of the five
watchmakers from Blois included in
the almanacs of this period.
62.
Jean Chavigny. op. cit., p. 40.
63.
Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, op,
cit., p. 137.
Jacques Francois Houdin, born

in Blois on September 16. 1784,
died in Saint-Gervais on November 12, I860. Married to Jeanne
Adelaide Cecile Blondeau, born
in Blois on November 22, 1791,
died in Paris. See genealogical
chart.
67.
Jean Chavigny, op. cit., p. 42.
68.
If Jean Eugene met Cecile
Eglantine at the end of 1828 or the
beginning of 1829 - Robert-Houdin
wrote in his memoirs that the
young girl was seventeen years old
when they met for the first time he only saw her again a year later.
The youth of his "bride to be" was
probably the main reason for this
delay.
57.
Dr. R. Shelton Mackenzie, the author of the preface of the first
American edition of Memoirs of
Robert-Houdin (1859), questioned
the truth of this episode, which according to him particularly showed
the extent of Robert-Houdin's qualities as a novelist.
Illustration 71 Traveling Conjurer by Victor Adam. (Dicker Moreau "Morax" collectionj
71
1830
Paris, Here I
Come p.
77
1830 "Father Roujol"
p. 87 1809-1833 M. Comte,
The King's Conjurer p. 95 180(1
1832 Olivier, Conjuring Professor of Paris
p. Ill 1830 A Marriage of Love During the July
Revolution p. 1/ 7 1831 The First Son p. 120 183132 The Componium p. 123 1832-1835 A Long
Depression* p. 126+ 1833 GiovaniBartolomeoBosco/>. 129+ 18356 The Fall of the House of Houdin p. 137 1837 1844 The
Mechanician and the Watchmaker p. 141 1837-1844 The Salon Conjurer *p. 153
842 The Little Parisian Curiosity Shows mp. 160+ 1843 Philippe Talon, known as
Philippe p. 163 1840- $46 Vaucanson's Duck, Von Kempelen's Chess Player, and RobertHoudin's Writing and Drawing Automaton p. 169 1843
A Cascade of Mourning and A New
Marriage p. 181 1844 The Exposition and Phineas Taylor Barnum p. 187 > Notes to Act Urn p. 195
ROBERT-HOUDIN
iLuc
Illustration 73 - The Conjurer Miette.

Miette. who performed on the Pont-Neuf and called himself the inventor of La Poudre persane (Persian powder), was one of
the picturesque characters of the streets of Paris.
This engraving is the frontispiece of Rossignol Passepartout's work Voyage autour du Pont-Neuf et promenade sur le quai aux
fleurs. Paris. A. Imbert, Bookseller. 1824.
74
ACT
II
"Here come those who made the nineteenth century the golden age of magic: Bosco, Philippe, Gomte,
Robin, Anderson, Wiljalba Frikell, Gompars Herrmann, Dobler, Heller, Blitz, Hofzinser, Heimburger, Hartz,
Macallister, Jacobs, Bamberg, Gazeneuve, Haselmayer, Bellachini, Wyman, Sylvester, the Fakir of Ava,
Baron Seeman...One comes among them...slight...small of stature...inscrutable face...large mouth...incredible hands...glowing eyes. Conjurer...author...ambassador...greatest of his age...of any age...The
Master of all the Magicians.
JEAN EUGENE ROBERT-IIOUDIN
...His fellow craftsmen of the shadows salute him as they pass..."

John Northern Hilliard, Greater Magic.
Reading the Memoirs of Robert-Houdin provides

us with few indications as to the author's specific
activities during the years 1830-1845, that is to say,
from his arrival in Paris until the opening of his
theater. His invention of the Alarm-Lighter and his
famous Mysterious Clock are described in a few
brief lines, and only his repair of The Componium
and his construction of The Writing and Drawing
Automaton are described in any detail. In the first
volume of his memoirs, pages 216 to 374, which
cover this period, consist primarily of anecdotes
about Von Kempelen's Chess-Player and Vaucanson,
as well as descriptions of the performances and
lives of Comte, Philippe, and Bosco.
This deliberate choice of the author is directly

related to what I have previously termed the relentless narration through which Robert-Houdin,
with the talent of an experienced storyteller,
guided the mind of his reader. Whether he is a magician or layman, the reader should hardly be surprised that from one chapter to the next and in the
space of only fifteen years, the mechanician transforms himself into a magician whose outstanding
talent is immediately recognized by the public. But
this is only one interesting example of the kind of
literary misdirection one finds throughout the
memoirs of this author, who handled his pen as
skillfully as he wielded Jacob's wand.
ROBERT-HOUDIN
.... / . ,r / ' /'"
Illustration 74 - Letter from Jean Eugene Robert to Jean Martin Robert.

This letter from Februan 26. 1830. signed E. Robert, is the first known letter written by Robert-Houdm following his move to
Pans.
. /....., f, ,..r/... ,;... ^ A ,

t.,.
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0 '- s ? - ' " 1 " " ' *
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,.,,.- / ^.. - /..M */*,-.-/.,.
/-,,.
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<
/,A AiA. -./
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l.,,,ua.,,~. .... ~... .-
fc..
J.-iX.
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76
rH~-tr
*~ ^ /- y.*!.,,
ACT
II
Paris, Here I Come

We cannot begin this chapter more appropriately than by allowing Robert-Houdin to
speak through the following unpublished document, whose contents reveal his emotions
about his first days in Paris and how he spent
them, [i] The handwriting of this letter is not as
full and confident as that of his later writings,
and we discover a Jean Eugene who honestly
reveals his first impressions to his best friend,
"Cousin Robert."
Paris, February 26, 1830
My good friends:
You will not believe how much pleasure your
letter brought me, especially when I learned of
M. Frederic's success. He is happy and can ask
for nothing more. Mme. Renou, who places her
happiness in that of her children, must be very
pleased; such a mother gives me deep regrets
but perhaps one day I will be lucky enough to
find a nice mother-in-law who can replace my
real one. I would love her so much that she
would have affection for me, and if I was
Illustrations "5 and ~"6 - Traveling Conjurers.
77
granted such happiness I would never leave

Paris, which would then become my home. But
I would give up if not for a few sincere friends
whose unlimited devotion one can depend on. I
began work at M. Baullier's at the beginning of
last week; I quite enjoy it. Everyone is very
pleasant. I work a lot from eight o'clock in the
morning until 10:30 but it does not bother me
too much when I think of the future. I earn
nothing but the rent, which will cause me some
expenditure because it is costly to live in Paris.
As much as I try to save money by eating in inexpensive restaurants, I cannot spend less than
1 franc 25 centimes per day on food; I therefore
count on 80 to 100 francs per month, but this
will not last for long. At times I somewhat miss
what attached me to Blois, but I console myself
by thinking about the motive of my journey.
Sometimes I go to dinner at the young lady's
home; I had dinner there on Sunday and for
Mardi Gras. The father does not want us to talk
about anything in front of his daughter but I
hope that when alone with her, I will be able to
transgress my future father-in-law's orders.
ROBERT-HOUDIN
i'ClflT
Un Robert Houdin de l'avenir.

Illustration ^7 - Traveling Conjurer. "A future Robert-Houdirf (DidierMoreau Morax' collection
Festive days seemed quite sad compared to

those I spent in Blois. Not the slightest pleasure, and it is in times like these that I miss the
lovely little society and the pleasant evenings
and balls I used to attend, instead of working
half the day and going to the other side of the
city to play ecarte until 10 in the evening. I
could throw the cards to hell; the little games
would amuse me much more. There is nothing
new for the moment; the set time period is
going to seem very long but I do not get discouraged because I know that it is for the best.
I would be wrong to complain. My dear Robert,
I do not know how you could have thought that
I had forgotten you for an instant; you really insult me, accusing me of ingratitude...Oh,
Robert...you do not really think it...it would be
fine for a mistress, but for a friend, I would
never forgive myself. Since arriving in Paris, I
have learned that Mme. Renou Desfray [2] was
supposed to talk to me for Mile. Egret; everything was for her, but I do not know how they
will take this; I sent them their candle-rings
through an acquaintance without telling them
anything. They will be furious with me. Try to
find out what they think; I am sure that they
will not brag about their advances. Try to wipe
out all suspicion concerning me. I forgot to tell
you in my last letter...when Demance gives you
my two spheres [that he] is supposed to melt,
there is also the model that I gave [to you],
which makes three. It would give me great plea
[sure] if you have them machine turned and
send them to me when you have a chance. I beg
you not to forget to send me any and all news of
everyone as often as possible. I will be waiting
for my shirt, hat, and plinths in the next trunk.
Your cousin and friend,
E. Robert
ACT
II
Mme Robert does not need me to address her

directly to give her my regards; this letter is for
both of you.
I was with M. Baullier at the costume ball at
the Porte St. Martin where I had a fairly good
time, without dancing.
This letter indicates that the parents of Cecile

Eglantine Houdin kept her unaware of the wedding plans, a union about which the Robert and
Houdin families apparently remained very discreet with respect to their family members,
who, unsuspecting, proposed other alliances to
Jean Eugene.
M. Baullier, with whom the young man obtained his first employment in the capital, was
a watchmaker whose establishment was situa-
a (t
Hlllt
ted at 9, Rue Vendome under the commercial

heading "Baullier father and son, merchants,
watchmaking, bronzes, Vendome 9." Strangely,
COMWCttlC
Illustrations "8 and "9 - Traveling Conjurers.
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Imp litk "Feller
etc It'dif-exir (Depose ]
L'ESCAMOTEUll EN PLEIN VENT .

Yous ailez voir,Mesdamrs et Messieurs, que Tien r.e mest
par" m a ] ) e b i t e b a g u e t t e , il v a sortir de oe e p h d e t u i e n o i m e b a l l o a
line
deux trois
Voila Messieurs
aver TIC carotte .
Illustration 80
The Traveling Conjurer. Lithograph by Pcllcrin in Epinal.
ACT II
a decade later Robert-Houdin was to set up

his workshops at this same address in 1841.
Number 9 of Rue Vendome was therefore Jean
Eugene's first Parisian dwelling. As soon as his
marriage proposal was officially agreed upon
by his charming bride-to-be, he moved into the
apartment of his future in-laws at 78. Yieille
Rue du Temple.
Although the forced idleness weighed upon
Jean Eugene, it also had its advantages for a
young man whose ambition was to learn everything about the arts of mechanisms and illusion; at every crossroad of the streets of the
capital, free performances of more-or-less
known magicians could be seen. [3] Every
night in every neighborhood of Paris, one
could attend Curiosity Shows, which included
phantasmagoria, optics, physics and mathematics, wax figures, phenomena, performing animals, puppets, tightrope dancers, automata,
etc. The young man. whose skill in his art was
already the best of calling cards, apparently
had no trouble meeting all the "professors of
white magic" of the city and he was read)-, he
tells us. to "walk twenty leagues for the sake
of talking with a conjurer." Jean Eugene was
dying to see and learn everything; he forgot
no piece of advice; every new routine and all
apparatus, whether simple or complicated, remained etched into his memory. He did not
cease to practice and improve upon these discoveries. Even if he did not judge all of his future colleagues' performances equally, Jean
Eugene already understood that each one of
them offered a bit of knowledge and that one
could always benefit from observing all types
of performances. He also knew how to make
himself appreciated and uniquely repay the
lessons he was generously granted. He graciously performed certain welcome repairs
and expanded his study of and devotion to his
Illustrations 81 and 82 - Traveling Conjurers.

Engravings from the works Robert Macaire et son ami
Bertrand. (Anonymous). Paris. 1840 and (Euvres de Florian.
les fables illustrees. Collection des grands classiques francais
et Strangers, Pans et Lille (n d.).
Par elle on obtimil tout, on salt tutit, on fait Unit.

C'eit la gratule eiicvctop6die.
81
ROBERF-HOUDIN
art to the point of agreeing to act as a confederate for his new acquaintances!
Here is an unpublished text, part of the first
drafts of Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, which will
explain and illustrate his refusal to allow his
performances to employ confederates, an ageold technique that conjurers and mountebanks
had quite overused: "Of course, after the abuse
I have showered upon the use of accomplices,
I totally eliminated them. I have always regarded such trickery as unworthy of a real artist, as
it raises doubts about his skill. Moreover, having frequently acted as a confederate myself, I
recalled the unfavorable impression this role
made upon me regarding the talent of my
partner [*]."
On one of these occasions, a brief but unique
event took place. The reader, used to my parentheses, will allow me to open one here to place my
narrative.
At that time, possessed by my passion for
conjuring, I assiduously courted conjurers and
became acquainted with a certain Saubert,
whose name was not well known, but who was
nonetheless quite skillful. He gave performances
at the Faubourg St. Germain in a small hall he
had built next to the Rue de l'Ecole de
Medecine.
Hardly a day went by without my going to see
him, and each time, he gave me a small mission
as an accomplice, which I did my best to perform.
One evening I had promised to slip a card into
the pocket of a spectator. I caught sight of a
kind-faced man whose calm demeanor seemed to
ensure the success of my undertaking. I furtively
7" I*
-ife,"Ju.>
.. , my,.,..,../
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82
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LB
PURE
Illustration 83 - The Jester. Engraving from the work of Loredan-Larchey. Dictionnaire de largotparisien. Paris. F. Polo. Editor,
1873
ROBHR1 -HoLDTN
slipped behind him and, pretending to lend an

attentive ear to the performance, I explored his
pockets to see which one would be the best for
my purposes. On one side was a handkerchief
and on the other a snuffbox: an unfortunate discovery! If this snuff-user put his hand into his
pocket before the trick occured, the illusion
would be spoiled! I had a very simple idea: place
the card underneath the handkerchief; the trick
could only be improved, but instead it became
more difficult.
Now after all, I said to myself, I cannot be timid;
victory without risk brings no glory. How we will
laugh later on!
With this charming inspiration, I immediately
went to work.
To begin my difficult maneuver, I took advantage of a moment when the conjurer was dazzling
the crowd, and, having seized the handkerchief
by one of its edges, I pulled it out little by little,
when suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"Follow me, sir," quickly said an unknown voice,
which I soon recognized as that of a police officer. This vigilant civil servant, having come to
the performance as a spectator, had followed my
innocent work out of the corner of his eye and
felt obliged to do his duty in the face of such an
obvious crime.
I wanted to explain. My interlocutor did not
give me a chance but whispered in my ear the following short and peremptory warning: "No discussion or I will grab hold of you." Now, being
seized by a policeman was a humiliation I wanted
to avoid at all costs. I calmly arose to avoid attracting the attention of my neighbors and exited.
However, despite my distress, I had not lost
the card, and this card could explain everything, as Grassot would say. I made it my safety
net.
"Can't you see, sir," I cried with such sincerity that a heart of stone would be moved, "don't
you see that you are making a mistake? I am a
confederate of M. Saubert; you encountered me
just as I was trying to put a card into my neighbor's pocket as I was asked to do. You can come
to my friend's stage with me; he himself will confirm what I sav."
/u y
iv, / <- *- AVLAM J\tvk- fiZ&G GtuA,

1/
Li^p*Jf^^.
CJ-~*yu* <r<^cy~
<)*IA
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8-1
ACT
II
Deep down, the policeman was not as hardened as he seemed and, moved by the earnestness of my language and probably by the desire to
see the inside of a conjurer's laboratory as well,
consented to investigate my explanation and followed me.
We found Saubert backstage; he had seen my
exit from the theater and, suspecting what had befallen me, was preparing to chase after me to request my release.
The conjurer expressed regrets about this unfortunate mistake in terms that could not leave
the slightest doubt as to my innocence.
A glass of rum was offered, and the authority,
ceasing his severity, apologized profusely for the
mistake of which I had been a victim.
This adventure confirmed the repulsion I had
for confederates, and since then I have never had
the least desire to use them.
/fittAA
LAtii&J-a./ft\t
/ot
Cm t*Jt4i*-*/
It a*t*U
In the second chapter of volume two of his

memoirs, Robert-Houdin confirmed this talent, which derives more from the music-hall
art of pickpocketing than from conjuring. He
described his problems with a Belgian customs officer on whom he used this "unique
gift." Dedicated to his first tour in Belgium,
this chapter, like the one describing the
mountebank-conjurer, was also deleted from
certain editions of his memoirs. Was it a question of late "remorse'' felt by the author, or for
material reasons linked to the cost of printing? We will be able to return to this subject
in the chapter concerning the Paris and Blois
editions of Memoirs of Robert-Houdin in
1868.
Illustrations 84 to 90 - Unpublished chapter of Memoirs of
Robert-Houdin.
From the manuscript of Robert-Houdins memoirs.
Illustration 91 - Le Mercure galant (Gallant Mercury), an "automaton who answers all questions." from Alexandre Roujol's catalogue, no. 89 (Francois Voignier collection). Behind this lovely automaton, one can see the cover of Roujol's catalogue
(Jacques Voignier collection).
ACT II
"Father Roujol'
At the end of the nineteenth century, a
magic enthusiast arriving in Paris would have
sacrificed all the attractions of the capital for
a visit to the magic dealer Andre Voisin and a
front-row seat at the Theatre Robert-Houdin.
Fifty years earlier, the magic dealer was
Roujol and the temple of magic was the theater of M. Comte, the King's Conjurer. One can
hardly doubt that after having paid his respects to his future in-laws and to his new employer, Jean Eugene hurried to these two addresses.
Illustration 92 - Alexandre Roujol's signature.
It is difficult for a layman to imagine the irresistible attraction for a magician of a magic
dealer's store and a fortiori his storerooms or
workshops for building the unique equipment, which are only revealed to very carefully selected professionals. The illusionmaker also makes one dream through his
catalogues; large or small, or more-or-less
descriptive or illustrated, according to the
period, they are bearers of mystery and promises of success. The apparatus Roujol offered to neophytes and professionals were
christened with evocative titles: Tantale's
Cups, The Temple of Flore, The Bacchanalian
Oven, The Magic Well, The Turtledove's Star,
etc. All these marvels obviously had a price,
often too high for the "wallet of a young amateur, since the price of certain tricks equaled
one or two months of salary. The master of
the shop thus needed the talent of making the
customer forget his disappointment by selling
him lesser tricks like Solomon's Columns or
Jean de la Vigne, which would allow him at
little cost and study to quench his passion
and to shine in public.
Illustration 93 - Cover page of Roujol's catalogue (circa

1 8 3 0 ) . (Jacques Voignier collection)
CATALOGUE
DES PRINGIPAOX INSTROMENS
RECREATIVE AMUSANTE,
TOURS D'ADRESSE ET DE G1BEC1ERE,
IJUI SE FiBIUQUEST
ROUJOL
u '} ttB 5 ; vid.~^-vi<4
Par on accord henreas, Part, joiat a la nature.

Poor sorprendre les sens, lui pre*le sou secours;
De leur divers secrets la charmante imposture
Donne an air merveilleux au plus simple des tours.
K PARIS.
S"7
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Throughout the years, from "Father Roujol"

to Georges Proust and including Voisin, Aubert,
Delion, Chevallier, Marchal and Buffard, De
Vere, Caroly, Mayette, Dickmann, and Guy Bert,
the salons of these legendary Parisian magic
dealers remained the preferred meeting point of
aficionados and the major distribution channel
of magic creations.
Illustrations 94 and 95 - T h e c o n j u r e r - m e c h a n i c i a n Prejean.

Frontispice engraving a n d cover page of the very rare w ork
b\ C Prejean, Lejeu des goblets, Paris, 1793. This artist was
one of the famous clients of Alexandre Roujol's boutique.
LEJEU DES GOBLETS.

RENDV
SENSIBLE,
Mis a la porte'e des Personnes les mains
dextres , demontre' par des Principes
iheoriques et pratiques .
OB
Sectieil Prfcieux de Recreations utiles et
plaisantes, contenant en oixtre , des Tours
de Cartes , d'Adresses , des Amusemens
de Phisique et de MatWmatiqne des plus
nouveaux , invente's et composes par le
Le C. PHiiEAN.(*)
Ce n*est l*0r ui !es Diamants ,
ui decide chiprix des choses,
ouveut la moindre FIey des champs ,
lie dispute mtx plus belles Roses.
(*) Le C. PR&rEA& M/canicien, eonnu

par ses Machines d'utilitS et d'agrdment
pour la Ville et la Campagne, demeure
Rue St. Honors', lf. en face la rue
de PArbre-sea, au3" chez M". GRIVET,
Marchand de Rubam, et au Jardin de

I'Egalitif, N". aoo.
A
Del1usmiMi&IE
PARIS.
, rue Gallanie N. 79
Alexandre Francois Roujol, whom RobertHoudin affectionately called in his memoirs

"Father Roujol" or "my old friend," was born
on March 7 of the year 1776. (However, we
must add that in a notarized document of May
18, 1800, the birthdate of Alexandre Francois
Roujol is written as March 9, 1776 and not the
7th.) [5] His address was 5. Rue Richelieu and
his name was found in the business almanacs
under the heading "tinsmith." In this unassuming category was hidden the most important
French manufacturer of conjuring material,
with a catalogue that included 132 tricks ranging from the smallest conjuring prop to the
most sophisticated trick automata of his era:
"Catalogue of the principal apparatus of
Physique recreative amusante,
sleight-ofhand, and gibeciere tricks, manufactured by
Roujol tinsmith-mechanician, inventor of various amusements; 5, Rue Richelieu, across
from the Theatre Francais. In Paris." Before
Robert-Houdin, another famous magician,
Pinetti, had mentioned the name of Roujol,
spelled Rougeole, on the last page of the third
edition of Amusemens Physiques. At the shop
of Rougeole, who could well have been the
father of the aforementioned, the conjuring
enthusiast could obtain the apparatus needed
for the tricks described in the work of the
Italian chevalier: [6] "One will find these cups
ready-made by M. Rougeole, tinsmith, under
the new archway. At his place can also be
found different objects concerning the said
work." M
ACT
II
.)-,'*"'1"
ft"
Illustration 96 - Letter from the Conjurer Brasi. Letter adressed b\ the conjurer Brasi (spelled Bras) by Robert-Houdin) on July
18. I84I to the Ministry of the Interior. This artist was among ihe Famous clients ol "Father Roujol". (Archives nationalesj
PAH PERMISSION DE M. LE MAlRE.
Dimanche
CO
S PIESE
AURA L'HONNEUR DE DONNEB UNE FOIS SEULEMENT
UNE GRANDE SOIREE
HTSICI lAITMTWII
Produjcs, Transformations fderiqucs. Scenes comiqucs, Metamorphoses.
Cnflu la vai'ietc dc ceite otrce iouit; cabaliMiqne H doit latssci- aiieiin dowte
la sni'pi'isic et Ic plaisii* qu'on y goutei*a
LA BOMBE, LA CL1SIXE A LA MODE, VOYAGE AKUHf DHS MOUCIIOIR

**
LA FOIRE AUX PLAISIRS
L'OPERATION
SANS
TOUR
LES ECUS SOHCIEKS
offert aujc jcunes speclatcurs
I/INCENDIE
NECHOMANCIE
LE
SUBTILITES
COUP DE FEU MAGIQIE
LE MAGICIEN POUR RIRE
LA POUPEE DE
Eitfiu V1NGT JOL1S TOURS seroni choisis dans son repertoire pour celt'.1 brillante representation
PRIX DES PLACES

Logos,
NUTA.
; Premieres, ; Parquet,
; Parterre,
; SeconOes,
; Troisiuiries,
Les Bureaux ouvriront a 7 Inures. On coimnencrra a 81ieurcs.
M. t'wuuu a I'honncur dil prh'tftir
fond on trappes.
BABBEZIBIX.
le j id lie rju'il Irarai'h sans materiel, bottes a double
!>ir. El' L1TH. BE P . BLA1X.
Illustration 97 - Conus The Conjurer. Small bill for the famous Conus. who was among the friends and clients of "Father Roujol
along with Ro\ere, Bras\. Adrien. Chalon. Olivier and Prejean. and whose name is mentioned in Robert-Houdins Memoirs.
ACT
In the civil register, the parents of the magic

manufacturer were Pierre Roujol and Francoise
Henriette Godet.
Alexandre Francois Roujol was the spouse of
Marguerite Francoise Dannaux. The couple had
three children: Alexandre Francois Adolphe,
Louis Julien, and Marie Victoire. [>]
The boutique and the workshop of "Father
Roujol'' swiftly became a meeting place for
Jean Eugene, who encountered there every
conjurer in the capital, including Jules de
Rovere, immortalized by the invention of the
word prestidigitateur, approved by the Academie Francaise. A few modest purchases, a
demonstration of his talents, and the avowal
of his ambitions placed him in the host's good
graces, and a true friendship was built between an experienced artisan who had known
the greatest conjurers of his time, and a young
man fresh from the countryside and thirsty for
knowledge. Without having tangible proof, we
cannot set aside the hypothesis of a professional collaboration between the tinsmith and the
Illustrations 98 and 99 - The

Learned Turtledove and
The Extraordinary Persian.
These two automata a
pedales by Roujol, part of
Robert-Houdins Cabinet
de Physique, were sold
to Hamilton's successor
Cleverman after the artist's
death.
II
watchmaker. Their combined talents may have

accounted for the quality of certain pieces
sold in the little shop and it is very likely that
it was thanks to "Father Roujol" that the young
creator entered into contact with a few artists
to whom he sold certain tricks of his invention
which contributed to the quality of their repertoire and perhaps their fame as well. Jean
Eugene had plenty of time; extra money
would be welcome; and working with or for
Roujol would have meant, for the neophyte,
the immense advantage of discovering all the
subtleties of these automata and conjuring instruments and therefore quench his thirst for
knowledge. Until his death Robert-Houdin
kept two trick automata with rudimentary mechanisms, which appeared in RoujoFs catalogue; the important document that we are
going to partially describe, although it does
not confirm this possible collaboration, at
least shows a close friendly and professional
relationship.
In Robert-Houdin's archives is a manuscript
in large format with the title Recueil de
ROBKRT-HOUDIN
Illustration 100 - Poster for the conjurer Victor Adrien.

One of the members of the glorious phalanx of regulars of the boutique of "Father Roujol"
c#
EM PH
ACT
Recreations de Physique amusante indiquant en abrege la maniere d'executer

differ entes de ces recreations (1831). This
artistically handwritten manuscript by
Jean Eugene describes 97 of the 132 experiments, tricks, and automata proposed
in Roujol's catalogue. [9] The teachings
that one can glean from this document
have an incalculable value for the history
of conjuring apparatus and the state of
the art of magic prior to Robert-Houdin's
time. The manuscript contains the effects
and explanations of numerous experiments in Pinetti's repertoire such as The
Towering Inferno,
The Wise Little
Turk, The WorryFree
Mill,
the
Simple Card Rise
Houlette,
etc.;
those of Comte The King's Vase,
II
The Blooming of Flowers; and of Philippe

- The Dutch House, The Miraculous Stew
Pot; or even of Bosco - The Canary's
Casket, the Device for Beheading a
Shadow. The manuscript does not bother
with partial explanations like those of
Decremps describing Pinetti's repertoire,
or the often incomplete - if not totally
fabricated - secrets of popular works
for the general public. It gives brief and
extremely precise descriptions of the effects and mechanisms of various conjuring apparatus, written by a magician
who had access to such equipment. For
those impassioned by Robert-Houdin's
creative work, these texts allow one to
measure the importance of the conjurer's
imminent renewal of the art of magic and
to refute several unfounded theories on
this subject. We will discuss the contents
of this manuscript in detail in our upcoming study Les Secrets des Soirees
Fantastiques.
Illustration 101 - Recueil de Recreations de Physique Amusante. Covet page of

the very important unpublished manuscript by Robert-Houdm from 1831 which describes 9^ of the 132 experiments offered in Roujol's catalogue.
LM
dft
93
''~'
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Idli d'aprsss "nature pat E Desinaiscms
Ilustration 102 - M. Comte, The King's Conjurer.

Lithograph representing Comte reading works by Berqum. one of the authors from his Theatre des Jeunes Eleves. The famous
artist's portrait b} the sculptor Dantan the younger is shown on the table.
ACT
II
M. Comte, the King's Conjurer

these pamphlets of little biographical interest but of much bibliographical value! which
were sold or given away in the days preceding
the artist's arrival in town and provided excellent publicity. [13] Ideally suited for the imagination of a naive and rustic readership, these
picturesque anecdotes were at that time part
of the essential baggage of conjurers and
mountebanks, whose artistic repertoire was
fairly limited with repetitive tricks. In these
little pitchbooks we find the description of the
same "feats" which, depending on the era,
After this overview of the equipment available to conjurers for the performance of their
effects, let us now learn about the person
who was then the art's most famous representative. From 1814 until 1845 - the opening
year of Robert-Houdin's Soirees Fantastiques
- Comte dominated the Parisian stage, was
extremely popular in aristocratic salons of the
capital, and made his name a veritable institution, giving him a status unmatched by his
European colleagues during his long professional career. For example, although Bosco
and Philippe acquired international fame during the same period thanks to their remarkable talent, their tours on the continent, in
Russia, and even in Asia - with their succession of triumphs and also unfortunate setbacks - did not grant them a level of comfort
in their old age comparable to their reputations.
Illustration 103 Comte by Dantan.

Portrait of the conjurer Comte by Dantan the \ounger from
the Album de portraits comiques. Pans. Office of Magasin
des Families, 34. Rue Richer, (circa 1850)
From a good family, of noble ancestry, Louis

Christin Emmanuel Apollinaire Comte M was
born in Geneva, Switzerland on June 22, 1788.
His father was a French watchmaker, [n] Before
becoming the premier ventriloquist of his time,
Louis Christin began as an employee at the
court clerk's office and as a notary clerk. His
vocation arose after attending the show of an
engastrimythe named Thiemet. [12] From that
moment on, Comte realized that he, too, would
become a ventriloquist. He was only eighteen
years old.
Like many of his colleagues, Comte did not
hesitate, at the beginning of his career, to publish brochures in which an "anonymous witness" recounted his adventures. The impossible magic tricks, the dramatic situations
where ventriloquism saved his life, abound in
95
ROBERT-HOUDIN
had already been attributed to Pinetti or

Philadelphia! For more than a century from
Comte to Bosco and even Commander
Cazeneuve, who did not disdain this type of
publicity - but which Robert-Houdin always
forbade the same stories, with few variations,
served generations of magicians for "tragi-
comic-magic" tales that differed only in the

name of the protagonist.
After humble beginnings in Swiss villages,
Comte romantically swept away Marie
Madeleine Rabatel, who became his wife, and
arrived in France, where, thanks to his art of
ventriloquism enriched with feats of Physique
amusante, he became successful in the provinces. It was during these first tours that he
met M. David of Bordeaux, [i<| the wealthy
amateur magician who helped and encouraged him in the field of conjuring. The manner
in which Comte presented ventriloquism has
little in common with today's ventriloquists.
Comte did not use ''dolls" or "dummies" and
had the talent of making his voice come out
of all sides of a theater: the balcony, the flies,
a box, behind the scenes, etc. The most famous of his ventriloquism acts was The Lame
Devil, during which a mysterious voice, surging from all sides, asked "embarrassing"
questions or revealed little amusing secrets
about the personalities attending the performance. Before schoolboys in the stalls, this
same voice designated the good students and
denounced the hidden faults of the bad ones.
This trick, of which Comte was a master, necessitated a good "information service" in the
main salons of this era, in cafes where gossip
was whispered, or even in high-school courtyards.
VOYAGES
ET
STANCES ANECDOTIQUES
DE M. COMTE (do Geneve),
PHYSICO-MAGI-VESTRILOQLTE I E PLUS CELEBR DE SOS
JOURS ,
Public's par un teinoiti auri-oculaire invisible de tous

lesdits fails et tours extra ordinal res , miraculous ,
instructifs et amusans de ce modeme et incomparable enchanteur.
ORNJ3 DE TROIS GRAVU&ES.
Cbarta sicut columba Yolat; loquitur

renter; uwibus attonitis stupeat
gentcs; fama slat.
PARIS,
J. G. DENTU, IMPRIMEUR-LIBRAIRE,
rue da Font de Lodi, n 3, preslePont-Neuf.
l8l6.
96
ACT
II
Illustration 108 - M. Comte at the Theatre de l'Hotel des Fermes. Engraving from the Hotel des Fermes. where Comte moved
around 1814. Behind the archway is a sign marked M. Compte. [sic] ventriloque.
Illustrations 104 to 107 - Voyages et seances anecdottques de
M. Comte (de Gendve). Title page and engravings from
brochure of M. Comte published by J.G. Dentu in Paris in
1816.
r\
Is
Seance chez le !Roi .
In 1812, Gomte came to Paris [Actually, June 22,

1809] and moved into 24, Rue Thionville (Rue
Dauphine), a children's theater, already named
Theatre des Jeunes-Eleves. His performances suffered from the competition of the magician
Olivier, [15] who was very fashionable at the time,
and also two ventriloquists, Borel and Fitz-James,
[15] who shared with him the favors of the
Parisian public. [16]
After this half-success or half-failure, Comte
returned to his profitable tours in the provinces
and from 1814 exclusively performed in the capital at the Hotel des Fermes, 55, Rue Grenelle
Saint-Honore, in a venue that his predecessors
Pinetti, Bienvenu, [17] and Olivier had used. It
was at this time that he was called to the court
ROBFRi-HOUDIN
of Louis XVIII to perform. Here is the account

by the Duke d'Aumont of this memorable performance:
Illustration 109 - Comte by Dantan.

Portrait of the conjurer Comte by Dantan the younger, taken
from the Album de Portraits Comiques, Paris. Office of
Magasin des Families. 34 Rue Richer, (circa 1850).
Illustration 110 - Comte and The King's Vase. Engraving of

M. Comte performing The Kings Vase effect specially created
for a performance before Louis XVIII. After this brilliant performance, the artist was officially given the flattering title of
the King's Conjurer. This engraving is taken from Max Dif's
V ork Histoire et evolution technique de la prestidigitation (op
cit.).
The First Gentleman of the King's Chamber

At the Chateau des Tuileries on December 30,
1814
The Duke d'Aumont Lieutenant General of the
King's Armies and the First Gentleman of the
King's Chamber
Attests that M. Comte, Professor of Conjuring
and Ventriloquism, had the honor of performing
before H.M. on Sunday, December 18, 1814 a program of his feats in the Palace des Tuileries, which
he carried out with a truly surprising skill and
ease, with twelve lovely conjuring demonstrations
and scenes of ventriloquism that infinitely amused
His Majesty, His Lordship the Count d'Artois, Her
Ladyship the Duchess of Angouleme, Their Graces
the Dukes of Angouleme and De Berri, and more
than one hundred people admitted to this show.
Among M. Gomte's various experiments, His
Majesty particularly noted that of a watch and a
turtledove which appeared on a casement of the
castle that had been designated, and several jewels
belonging to the royal family which were discovered in the drum of a cent-suisse [Drum of the
Swiss Guard].
Numerous other experiments pleasantly filled
the evening from seven o'clock until nine-thirty.
H.M. deigned to applaud M. Comte many times and
say kindly things to him.
Dictated at the Chateau des Tuileries on
December 30, 1814
Signed, the Duke d'Aumont [The Duke's seal]
A few years later, Comte's tricks at the
Tuileries forced Robert-Houdin to surpass himself, at Saint-Cloud before another sovereign.
We previously mentioned the inclusion in
Roujol's catalogue of the effect of The King's
Vase, created by Comte for this performance
in honor of Louis XVIII, thanks to which the
great magician and talented courtesan was rewarded for his skill by the royal title of King's
Conjurer that the king officially granted him in
July 1816 [is]:
ACT
II
FANTASMAGORIE,
VENTRILOQUIE ET PHYSIQUE
DE M COMTE.
Illustration 111 - Fantasmagorie,
Ventriloquie, et Physique de M. Comte. (BibUotbdqm nationals)
Royal Warrant of The King's Conjurer

For M. Louis Gomte
We, Claude Louis, Duke de la Chatre, Minister
of the State, Peer of France, First Gentleman of
the King's Chamber, Lieutenant General of his
Armies, etc.
Being informed of the good life and morals of
M. Louis Comte, Conjurer, residing 32, Rue
Coquillere in Paris, we have, with the approval of
His Majesty, named and do name him Conjurer
Mechanician of the King's Chamber, and in consequence allow him to add the inscription to his coat
of arms before his residence and to assume the
title in all assemblies and public and private acts,
TIIKATRK OK M. COMTE PHYS1CIEN DU ROI,

HiHrt dr. l-urliiei Hue <)e <,rti*!le-M..Honorf, n". 53, o me Ju Braih/, n'. *
In >|cude, wiiMinliwi jnidl 7 Bvricr 1813,11 t/jr i w m fl i W > 4> K#,
M. COMTE
DOJX SCKNRS COMIQUE MELEES DR VRNTRILOQUE
U i'i I n EU*itc uirprciuut (Ee
LI'LEPHANT BABA,
AI'.K I)B DEUX JUS,

(.IIH a cittern* f>- fittis brilUtft MK-CCS drniireieitt ao Cimnc (!A M'\fi'ft4W0Ntr nA{t*
IIUUH' ulin lie iliiul ieii.-dsciiniin.il!. On m i m i n n 11... LN M)UJ Ufc U.AGEOUi'i',
'
lie M. 1 IWNK'KOV. nun (Kir
1,'fXRPHANT GASTRONOME KT MUSICIEN.

U \11A 11'a J!IW tjue IB4-|MI lie M!|jriJiiiaUon k (* K lrH( v [wrlir
Illustration 112 - Theatre de M. Comte, Physicien du Rot

From L'lllusionniste, December 1908.
99
ROBIRl-HOUDLX
Comte presented a few scenes of buffoonery

that added to the audience's amusement, with
the participation of children." [20] In 1814 he
had a gated box built in order to host a veritable congress of crowned heads, including the
Russian and Austrian emperors, the King of
Prussia, and the Grand Duke Constantine.
The Cirque Olympique at that time was located in the Rue du Mont-Thabor. When
Franconi built a larger theater on Boulevard du
Temple, M. Comte left the Hotel des Fermes in
1817 and occupied the abandoned hall in
Mont-Thabor. He had it modified and made
more compact for his type of performance. His
privileges, at first quite limited, little by little
became more extensive; the authorities tolerated much and he took the rest! After having
been allowed to let his children perform Comte had fifteen children from his first marriage, of which five survived, among them his
as much in judgment as without, with the benefits

and honors and advantages attributed to those
with the same title.
In faith of which we have sent the present royal
warrant, which we have signed and had countersigned by the ordinary secretary of the Ring's
Chamber, and have presently affixed our Seal of
Arms.
Completed at the Chateau des Tuileries, on July
26,1816
Signed: Duke de la Chatre
By the First Gentleman
The Secretary of the King's Chamber
[Signed]: L. de Champollet
By way of illustration, the income declared

from M. Comte's theater in 1816 reached 12.960
francs, [19] while that of his main competitors Robertson, creator of phantasmagoria, the
conjurer Olivier, M. Pierre's Mechanical Theater,
and even Seraphin's Chinese Shadows - peaked
at 3,000 to 4,000 francs. Here is the text of advertisements that the King's Conjurer published
in journals:
M. Gomte continues to amuse and astonish the
public through his inimitable ventriloquism, his
skillful tricks, and his conjuring experiments; he
sells phantasmagoria of all sizes, chemistry, and
amusing and experimental conjuring instruments.
This performance is constantly varied by new
interludes, such as Jacques de Falaise, The
Indians, Madame Baby, The Man-Fly, etc. Nota.
M. Comte informs the artists that in addition to
his theater, placed in the center of Paris, he has
another adjacent hall that is the best for talented
persons or curiosities of all types capable of
varying the audience's pleasure. Contact the director at the theater, who will make all necessary arrangements and even advance income.
After having occupied the first floor of the

Hotel des Fermes, he moved down to the mezzanine in a more spacious room that he rented
for 5,000 francs per year: "In this underground
space where Jacques de Falaise, the Polyphage,
dazzled Parisians w ith the ease with which he
swallowed roses, watches, birds, mice. etc..
Illustration 113 -Jacques de Falaise, the Polyphage.
100
ACT
son Charles, whom we will discuss later - he

did not go a day without hiring more. Comte
asked for, and was granted, permission to perform plays with several characters, on the
condition that he only showed them to the audience through a sort of gauze that
covered the stage from the footlights to the
ceiling; so he turned his show into a sort of
animated phantasmagoria where impalpable
shadows roamed, with talking statues illuminated by pyrotechnic lights. The skillful director
used such a thin, transparent gauze that on several occasions the police chief thought he
had caught him red-handed until he touched
the diaphanous curtain that proved the
contrary. When the honorable civil servant was
finally satisfied, once and for all, Comte immediately had the gauze taken away!
After a few years of trial and error, Comte
maintained a show that made his theater famous: a theater entirely dedicated to children
with "blossoming artists, young artists who
will make all of Paris rush to see them."
These actors, whose ages supposedly ranged
from four to seven years but in reality
reached seventeen - acted in children's plays
that the director had fashionable authors
write. I cannot resist the pleasure of reproducing here a letter by Comte addressed to a
man of letters, asking him to write a play for
his theater. This letter confirms the King's
Conjurer's qualities as a director and businessman who, in his request, tells of his
humble means and appeals to the author's artistic, "selfless" sensitivity:
II
Sl'EGTA'* K w. ,MA(iku ooi ENFANSUEM.COMIE

^ >
(,IIYSMI:N nr nm, i'v*s.wr. ms WMinams.
Dot aii Berceau,

leju||njasnifexf?
.
_.,,,_ ., Ka,Neri'l-t.nFN*WK>,J1^<"W"'-'lt* *** * e*^4* , (irtt a^lMi*, dii Barn** , >** ".JKoifemp**.,& H-P^.ll,i- UU ftmW, AMr.l, lîlnr, tr-tM. Iluri, UU- WBr. JtioM
fcn aHumiitiit 1 IVfimm-w*|i IH< Ulf\M'ltf
r Hi I ' l h M C H - A , s-iimiJOvmcU1 tit*t >n|i1i*.
'D'JSS 331iBIB3 iKBIKB'jnflS 3)'JB i l l ,

Atijntirdiitii Mororrdl 5 Ffvricr MM.
La 54 "" Rrpresrntalion I>K
HcnpjJV en Famille 9
LES SOEIIHS DE LAIT,
Illustration 114 and 115 - M. Comte's Theaters.

Comte's playbills for the Spectacle de Magie et des Enfants
de M. Comte and Theatre des Jeunes Acteurs de M. Comte.
Documents from L'lHusionniste. December 1908. and the
author's collection.
M. COMTE
I'HVSICIKS D U M i l .
In 1832 and 1833, I called upon the artistic,

well-hewn talents of men of letters, and several of
them responded and enlarged my repertoire of
charming productions.
Today my authors have grown, as they once did
at the Theatre des Jeunes-Eleves, a school from
which emerged the artistic celebrities who have
reigned and still reign in our major theaters. They
can express, with great elegance, the passions and
ATRE DE L'HOTKL DES FKHMKS,

Spectacle lioiweati, Mujimnl'liiii sminli ty jatuict
nix tteurvi et tkrmfo tlu soin

W, COM II'. n u I'iiwirtW 'If lUnmn urn
BltlU./lNIK
SEANCE DK M\(UE NKCROMANOE ET DK PHYSIQUE

AMUSAXTE
Illustration 116 M. Comte at the Theatre de l'Hotel des
Fermes. Advertisement for Seance de Magie. Xecromancie,
et de Physique amusante de M Comte, Physicien du Rot
From I'lllusionniste. December 1908
101
ROBhRT-HOl DIN
UNE SOIREE AH THEATRE COMTE, - par MARCEUN.

(D u Ml* * Iiac4.)
n mot, femnw riiirmmiB, H je drpot* & 1

dfl moo tiKe (is comic ( I I K I moa WI M
Fir 1M mrt ie fn joil RMttcXmnl it bnlk,

l sans dtoffn U mire J eoodttirs u nombmiw f*will.
i ^s* I'M, J te d
= - -^W
Illustration 117 - A soiree at the Theatre Comte. Plate from Journal pour fire, no 53
102
ACT
abundant emotions without which a play would

never be complete, although my type of show is
devoted to education.
I have come to ask you again, Sir, to please devote some of your waking hours to me.
My theater does not allow me sacrifices worthy of a talent such as yours, but the love of
monetary gain, in the heart of a true dramatic
author, could not possibly be more important
than the desire to create a lovely play and work
of merit.
Constantly in the field for the past 32 years, I
clearly know the type of work that would correspond to my needs, and therefore it would be a
good idea for us to agree prior to commencement...! am eager to accept an appointment at
your convenience.
Please accept the sincere expression, Sir, of my
distinguished consideration.
Gomte
New Theatre des Jeunes Ele\ es
One act
Two acts with tableaux
Three acts
idem ...
6F
8
12
II
THEATRE DES JEUNES ACTEURS DS M.

direct, prop- ,pat$. Choi*eul et r. Monsigny. Tous les jours a 6 h. du soir.
Av -scene des 1"* et rez-de-chausstie... fit'. c.
Premieres de face, loges grilWes de face
au rez~de-cliaus6::
3
Orchestre , premieres de c 6 t . . . . . . . . a
Premiere galerie et poartonr......... a
Parterre et *econdes
1
Ce theatre, honore* de la protection de S. A. R.
Madame , donne des pieces gaiet et instructive*; dc
nombreuses families et des instituteurs y conduisent
une jeuncssc qui prend plaisir k ces soirees varie'es par
les prestiges et les scenes de, ventriloquie de M- Comte.
M. Comte vend fantasmagorics (it instruiaeos de
physique arnusantc; se charge d'envoyer, pour les
fetes, dans les maisons particulieres, jour et
heure fixes, a l.i ville <>u a la campagoe, les spectacles ei-apres : vaudevilles, physiciens , scenes d'iraitatioo, ventriloqucs, marionnt'ttest fantasmagories,
lanfernes magiques, etc., theatres et eiubellissvntcns
necessaires. Prix : i5o , 300 ou 5oo fr. par soiree.
M. CouUe trailt'M avantageusoment tes pensionnats, et (era une remise, iorsquunc soirôe camposera <| plusieurs genre*,
COMTE, PHTMCIRK DV HOI,
Director of the
Ghoiseul
Theater.
The famous conjurer Comte deigned to stop in

our little town. [22] He gave three performances
and conjured up much approval and a lot of money.
The flowers of all different types that he lavished
on the audience especially enchanted the ladies.
1812. THEATRE DES JEUNES KLEVES DB

PHTSiciKK DU not, direct, prop., pass, Choiteul, 65. Tous les jours a 6 h. - du soir.
Fe'eries, drames, comedies, vaudevilles, pieces morales et enfantines, stances de Comte, magic, prestiges, illusions, fantasmagorie historique ctanimê.
Av. scene
5 f. c,
Loges de face, stalles
3
Orchestre, premiere galerie et pourtour a
Parterre et secondes
... 1
De nombreuses families et des instituteurs y con

duisent journellement une jeunessc qui prend plaisir
a ces soirees amusantes et instructives.
Une loge enliere aux premieres est mise chaquc
soir et pendant toute l'anne'e a la disposition de l'elevc
qui aura obtenu aux compositions la premiere place de
sa classc on le premier prix lors des distributions
annueilfsclans les colleges royaux etdanstes pensions
des deux, sexes de Paris et de la banlieiie; cette loge
sera ddlivrde sur un bulletin signd du professeur que
Ton adressora franco trois jouvsaravaucea M.Comtc.
M. Comte donne des lemons de magic blanche. II
donne des soirees en ville du prix. de 100 a 15o, aoo
a 5oo fr.
In 1823, the famous ventriloquist rented in

the Passage des Panoramas, from M. Thayer
for 4,000 francs per year, a bijou residence
that was built for his Lilliputian troupe. It was
Illustrations 118 and 119 - M. Comte's Theaters.

Comte's advertisements for the Theatre des jeunes acteurs
and the Theatre des jeunes eleves. (Archives nattonales).
When, despite all his efforts, Comte did not

manage to avoid the demands of the authorities
whom he regularly flaunted, the skillful diplomat knew how to bring his powerful protectors
to his side with appeals that the hardest heart
could not resist. [21] In spite of his Parisian
successes, Comte was not forgotten in the
provinces, where he sometimes still went on
tour. In a letter dated November 9, 1821, a certain M. Victor Augier from Valence wrote an account of events taking place in the town. I cite
this short excerpt:
COSITE,
103
ROBFRl-HOUDIN
&0
a
Ilia
Illustration 120 - The ground floor of the Theatre Comte at the Passage Choiseul.
ACT II
in this theater that Puss in Boots by Emile

Vanderburch was performed for the first time.
a classic masterpiece of which each new version was a success. After three years of good
fortune and believing his arrangement to be
permanent, M. Comte one day received an
order to relocate. The owners of the Passage,
perceiving a perpetual fire hazard in the vicinity of the theater, shared their fears with the
authorities, who ordered the closing of the
small Salle des Panoramas, granting only three
months for M. Comte to find a new space and
have a theater built from stone. This insufficient period was the equivalent of the expiration date of his authorization, but, used to facing destiny and seizing opportunities, M.
Comte did not despair. He managed to find an
appropriate space at the former location of the
old Ministry of Finance, where the Passage
Choiseul was about to be built. His theater
and a tobacco merchant's boutique lined the
edge of the windowed gallery. Aside from acquiring the land to build his hall, Comte,
being a remarkable long-term planner, bought
25 centimeters of land at each end of the
Passage. The wily director continually refused
to sell this odd property which he considered
perfect for advertising each night's performance to passersby. His shopkeeper neighbors, following his example, wanted to post
their own advertisements as well, but he refused by invoking his "sacred" right as
landowner. There was a trial and, despite the
efforts of the opposing parties, the King's
Conjurer won the case.
THEATRE DE CALAIS.
AUJOURD'UVI HS&CRXJOI s6 NOPEVBRE 1817,
slbormemcns i?l louie cspece d'mlrtles defaveur geniralemeni sitspendus,
GRAND SPECTACLE NOUYEATI ET EXTRAORDINAIRE,
SEANCE AMUSANTE
DE PHYSIQUE, MAGTE,
NECROMANCIE
ET
FEyTRlLOQOIE.
M'COMTE,
DE PARIS,
VeMsfktfjH el Pkjskini ISJ ROt. vwWfll d'AnwIcrdam, te rendini i Ptsis. iara Mumneor J t donntr
LE BATEAU A VAPEUR.
OV LE JARDIN1ER ASPBYX1E,
S e i n e <lc V r N T I U L O Q U E K p i u ; I t u r s .-oil loinUUiM, d i n s h r u e , J i s o n t i i j i n e l , e t c . , d i n s
h n t c l k M C O M T I , j>r..i.i.ii ij':! :.:ut fj.ro ; i l r i!.s < J i v(-i> 'k i!-!jiii.rs directions, k s I c i r f s
c i r a t s . CJCO flu jKiSil-ctt! 11- U in. !.s t-'.i!it
' . ) . * - - : - ! = pr.-ls.^: .-ici t L-s O r v l f * lit la fcrft d e
D o d o t i t . !orsi[u J iU f-ii?"i"uE ['^rti'f lei c l i . r ^ s o a lor^^K ;b ^voq.1.1:!-. t U j iiL.it^ /-r spritatle
sera rtiri-: par
DOUZE EXPERIENCES DE PHYSIQUE AMUSANTE,
> MADRAS,
it incomivis 3a:is !i; ,-nn!rf:i l.t!ra;vcnnM ft l.-.ui rri d Indicns.

oort nonvmre ct inconnvis 3i:is !<s enniiV:? l.!-va;v.-nn,^ ct
riCVrfr. ...n1 um'ioiii! r-.i : > ;:e |-' '* ll lirioi-ra tics a- v:i
BOCLES5 D'OR
COil EN
iS/V L'AIR
'4/R el
e [action
[action elonnante
D'AVALER UNE EPEE,

LE CALIFE DE BAGDAD,
e otkaiak,
7f
The inauguration of the Theatre Comte in

the Passage Choiseul took place on December
23, 1826. Two new plays were performed: Les
Clefs de la Salle - prologue by M. Croisic,
Inspector of Theaters, and M. Georges Duval and Le Mari de Cinq Ans (The Five-Year-Old
Husband) by the theater's famous playwright
M. Emile Vanderburch. The evening of the
icofvenlnlc <
' ii \-: \\ < \ ;!~--.-
if.
-I-
""
LI h from Mali
liiiia-to
fiilhfTlou.lkln.il
11 ] 1 uropVui cuiinl.-i^ \n:i-:~\i ultu.;, hcwil'l,;!.', .;: ,c, f .ipsn a straw, he mil jtnd
,.rn. . i-.n-liJI-, d,T
1
Ihp (itceplion of
i,fi in thr ?,;> s~iir.il "Iv.c j.'. i 1! ;i,;. :
will
el es
!i ' ]vt.''hM,
Uifb j.j.ind
ilonishing feat of iwaL!-j..ing a sôid jluli ivliicli he jtili d a ^ a / i
Illustration 121 - Large bilingual bill for Comte at the

Theatre de Calais in 1817.
105
ROBERT-HOUDIN
m ift2.
fve 1M moan U JKWI gaftt isodwUnurat II laUl*,

Et MS danger b mire y condiidni fllli.
dress rehearsal, the Duchess de Berry attended the show with the little Duke de
Bordeaux, who had just reached the age of
the play's main character. M. Comte, in order
to host the princess and her son, had built a
small salon leading onto the "royal box." The
ambassador of England occupied the box
across from this one, and the hall was inundated with reservations from princesses and
duchesses; ordinary marquises had to be satisfied with a stall!
it'
unit.
THEATRE DBS JEUNES I3LEVES
On commencera A 6 licures 1/2
fl
ABONNUJlENX POOH I.ES FiHIIXES
(Bon /ww I 9 > S <%? 4 zretu<me<i.

Aujourd'hui
jusqu'au
Novemhre 83
ca Ulict, on no pniera mi 50 e, par penonne pour la Parquet,
<m 1 fr, pour POrchestrc on In Prcmttnt.
The halls managed by Comte had diverse

names: Theatre de Physique amusante, ventriloquie, magie - Theatre des Nouveautes Spectacle de magie et des enfants - Theatre
des Jeunes Eleves de M. Comte - Theatre des
Jeunes Acteurs de M. Comte - Theatre de M.
Comte, Physicien du Roi, etc. On the
brochures for his children's theaters, the following motto could be read:
Illustration 122 - M. Comte's Theatre des jeunes eleves.

Free entry coupon to a show by the King's Conjurer.
Through morality, good taste modestly shines

And without fear the mother may bring her
daughter.
This experienced manager invented several
methods to maintain his income in all seasons;
he created "family tickets" and "boxes reserved for prizewinners of boarding schools
and junior high schools"; he had 500,000
medals struck offering half-price tickets to his
performances during "low season" and had
them widely distributed on walkways in the
Tuileries and on the boulevards. Comte would
even secretly drop them into the pockets of
those he passed by. He invented playbills
painted on walls, to avoid the cost of engraving, and posters in which certain words were
typographically set so that enormous capital
letters, isolated from the complete sentence,
had a meaning that attracted the eye and held
attention - an invention that would later enrich fairground businessmen. To vary his programs, the King's Conjurer employed The
Man-Fly, the clown Ratel, the two Baby sis-
307 POUE
Illustrations 123 to 126 - Tokens for the Theatre Comte;

famil) subscription and discounts for tickets. (Francois
Voignier collection)
106
ACT
ters, and even the Incombustible Man who enclosed himself in an oven with a leg of lamb
- in spite of this heated tete-a-tete, the man
emerged from the oven unharmed and gallantly offered the public slices of lamb cooked
medium-rare.
Comte found material for his shows everywhere. He had a play written based on the
story of the lady with a skull for a head, a myth
blindly followed by the Restoration press. This
taste for mystification, which he used abundantly in his conjuring performances, one day
led him to advertise that on a certain evening
he would transform the audience into animals.
The room was full, and since the audience had
let themselves be "caught," the trick was irrelevant: they had been transformed! Comte
nonetheless applied his professionalism to this
jest and had accomplices put on animal heads
in the dark just before the announcement of
the feat. Discovering their neighbors in the
glow of the Bengal lights, naive spectators or
perhaps other accomplices began to scream
and run from the hall in terror!
During this period, the King's Conjurer often
practiced his art in lucrative performances several times per week in aristocratic and bourgeois salons of the capital:
II
Illustrations 127 and 128 - Note and letters of M. Comte.

Note from the artist's journal of home performances
Comte comments here on a performance in Neuilly on July
10. I84O before the King and his family and gives a few
details about his magic performances and \ entriloquism
shows.
Below, a letter from Comte to one of Ins theater's house
playwrights.
rtgi/
U>
PASSAGE
$/
Gomte might have left the stage entirely and

contented himself with being manager and nurse to
these children of Thalia, for he possessed a very
comfortable fortune, but he made it a point to appear [onstage] at least once a week, for two reasons: his performances, due to their rarity, always
had a beneficial effect on the receipts; and, on the
other hand, by continuing to perform, he prevented other professors of conjuring from setting
up in competition with him. [23]
As a manager, Comte was undoubtedly a

model for Robert-Houdin, who, though he did
not always like the genre in which the famed
conjurer excelled, considered Comte a master:
As for mystification, a more powerful pen than
mine must undertake its apology. In saying this, I
107
Jz%e&&CMn tut
OHOKBEHX..
i&t-ot.
ROBERT-HOUDIN
have no wish to cast censure on Gomte, [far from

it]. I am writing at this moment in accordance
with the spirit of my age; Gomte acted in accordance with his: we both succeeded, though differing in our treatment, and this only proves that
"all styles are good except that which is wearisome.' [24]
We must not doubt that these "different
principles' haunted Jean Eugene, who was
yearning to put them into practice. He was
nonetheless going to have to wait patiently for
a good many years, Paris being too small to
celebrate two princes of illusion at the same
time.
L'ADROIT
ou
RECOKR DE KOUVEAUX TOURS DE SOClfiTfi,
DKMOItTR^S A.VEC CLARTlS BT P R t C I S l O B ,
PAR UN L6VE DE M. COMTE.
A ROUEN,
l'lmprimerie <3e BLOQUEL, rue Saint-Lo, K 34
1828.
Illustration 129 I'Adroit Escatnotenr *b) a student of M.
Comte." published in Rouen in 1828.
108
Seance
OPERA. La ISonne sang Ian te*

fantasmagorie, par M. Comte etM. Scribe.
Illustration 130 - Phantasmagoria performance by M. Comte and M. Scribe. 1855 engraving depicting la Xonne sanglante at
the Opera.
ROBERI -HOUDIN
GRAND
DE
SPECTACLE
FANTASMAGORIE,
Et Experiences Physiques du Sieur O L I V I E R ,

Au ci-devant Bureau des Finances , Place Notre-Dame.
Aujourd'hui Dimanche 5 e . jour Complimentaire an XIII,

Sieur OLIVIER donnera une Representation tres-variees.
II commencera ses Experiences par des Tours d'adresseinconnus , et fera,
pour la seconde iois , l'incomprehensible Experience des Oiseaux morts et
vivants, a la volonte des Spectateurs j ensuite ii fera couper et bruler plusieurs MouchoirS; et les fera retrouverdaus leur premiere forme ; le Verre
de Vin enchants,et plusieurs autres Expeiienees , dont on ne donne aucun
detail, afin de causer une surprise agreable aux Speciateurs,
En faitde Pieces mecaniques , il donnera le Secretaire ing^niem , la Bauette magique , la Houlette de Magnes , la Colonne d'Egjpte } la Maison
[ollandaii>e, et fera manosuvrer les deux Automates } de grandeur d'homnie.
JLJE
LA FANTASMAGORIE,
jf
OU LE SPECTACLE DES APPARITIONS ,

Telles qu'clles ont pu Stre produites chess torn les Peoples de la Terre ,
succedeia a ces diverses Experiences ;alorsl'Hoiison semble s'obscqi'cir , et
la Nature s'envelopper d'epaisses tenebres; des eclairs allotment et embrasent l'atmosphere ; le tonnerre eronde dans le lointain , et redouble en
approchant ; le vent , la pluie , la grSle, et la foudre qui tombeavec fracas, serttblent presager l'horrible catastrophe d'un nouveau deluge ; mais
bient6t le calme renait ,et des apparitions de Personnagesvivansou morts ,
des Fant6mes Genies^ Amours , etc. frappent la vue, surprenaent et captivent l'attention des Spectateurs,
Dans l'entr'Acte , il donnera
LE
FLAMBEAU
INFERNAL,
Qui fera un efFet risible sur tous les Spectateurs, en les iaisant paroitre
couleur de bronze, semblables aux Fantomes.
Le Spectacle sera termine par les Experiences physiques, experimentales et masquees ; E T
LE BALLET
OU
DES
SORCIERS,
LA MULTIPLICATION,
Illusion unique, qui , jusqu'a ce jour, a cause le plus grand plaisir.

PRIX DES PLACES : Premieres I liv. io sols ; Secondes i liv. , et Troisibmes 8 sols.
On commencera k 6 heures et demie precises. Les Bureaux ouvriront k cinq heures.
Illustration 131 - Le Sieur Olivier, Conjurer.

1804 bill for GRAND SPECTACLE DE FANTASMAGORIE Et Experiences Physiques du Sieur OLIVIER.
ACT
II
Olivier, Conjuring Professor of Paris

Although he never reached the level of
fame of Comte or his friend Bosco, the conjurer Olivier - Pierre Joseph Olivier, known as
Olivier - has his rightful place in this essay
because Robert-Houdin was his dedicated
and observant spectator. In an unpublished
text written during his youth for his newspaper Le Cagliostro, the future conjurer painted
a portrait of Olivier describing the artist's
show, along with a narrative of an anecdote
that took place during one of his performances:
l;\'HiiUENCES DE M- ROBERTSON,
l'kysiaen et ahvuautc,
houlcvutt Mantmaitre, it.
Ktjtmtfort d'ubjfU d conoatUs.Salua dt jiLj^quc.Salle de iJImiooJS,

Tom let juurs , a six he tires iu tuir.Prix UVutu-e, 5 fr- ou 3 fr.
SPECTACLE PITTOaiiSQUl*: UV MliCANlQUE,
Sue dn Part-Mufion , 4 , ci-devant
Fontaine-Mtcliodiere.
MM.
M I l l i l t m ddi fft g X. . FFie
i e r e , invenleuret dirertur lU
lU
p
.
ddonnent spectacle
l loss tes oirs, k tcpt hiur^ et dtmie. ( D*JIUI pta , ce spectacle
tat augment^ tie p$u>iar ooavelfes piecesqut attuetit falJltutice cleasmateuis.}
Prix dttplaces. Fremitres, 5 fr.Seccjodes, 2 fr.-Truisieoies, t fr.
PAKOttAMAS.
KftTA. Lea Panorama* it Bonlugne , Naptes H Amsleirdnm qui out paru 4epUtt
citjtte* auttiiRs, M voitnt au psage d a lia Panorama, boulevart MoRtmKtn,
S P E C T A C L E DC M. O L I V I E R ,
RueNauve-deS'Petil-C/tamps, *5.
Tnnrs d'adresse, piecpi me'can'KjQes et faalasrnagorie, Tous le< jours, a sixlwm.
i
i Lngi>t grit feet
4 f. a c.
IPuurttmr.
,
. . . 5 5o
'nx ties places.f ricnuerei
3
The latter created a genre, if we can so term it,

that Bosco later imitated: that of adopting a foreign jargon with which they could easily hide
their linguistic inadequacy, since neither of them
was educated and they performed in shirtsleeves.
Illustration 132 - M. Olivier's show. Advertisment by Robertson

and Olivier in an almanac from the period. (Archives nationalesj
Illustration 133 The Conjurer Olivier. (Identification from caption of this engraving from an anonymous undated work. Scenes
de Polichmelle.
Ill
ROBERT-HOUDIN
fO)
sy
XT-
Illustrations 134 and 135 - Letters from Olivier. Letters from 180 and 1813 sent b) Olivier to the Ministn of the Interior.
(Archives nationalesj
by the spectator who, to avenge himself for the impolite manner in which the sorcerer had treated
him, the next day pasted on the bottom of the
playbill on the door of the theater the following
rhyme, which could almost have passed for a quatrain.
''Over him, Sirs, a donkey has an immense advantage:
To be understood if he wants to speak what he
thinks;
Correctly, he speaks in his language;
But Olivier, never!"
Olivier played a dirty trick on one of his faithful spectators - because all of his tricks were not
equally good and some were even indecent or opportunistic; thus, once Olivier borrowed a spectator's hat, and as soon as it was in his hands, to the
great amusement of the crowd, he produced half a
dozen wigs from it, saying to the owner of the hat
in his usual gibberish:
"Sir, you forgot in your hat, not on purpose I
suppose, these little items for your personal
use."
The spectator in question was completely
bald.
This joke in poor taste was hardly appreciated
Olivier, in association with Demmeny, de112
ACT II
<
-1
f"
f .
iji.il(/i(,,,.j,ttI II(X'<UI (, ;S(i.i

fef hi in Î'lH'u-it alipofn^vt T^-Û^ft Ufeinttft* (
t " ^ , VII (l(O*' / t l>lVlill,(n' ^ I C J ^ I I U J , 1U iiiVwil
A f' titdiiXtitXoti fill (yfiiittlSnAj.
Ol(t
AH-
/ >
Illustrations 136 and 13" Curiosity show of Olivier, son. Authorization to open a small curiosity show at no 16 of the Rue de
Bie\re granted to Olivia's son on May 16. 1850. (Archives natkmales)
buted at the Hotel des Fermes at the end of

1800 in a show made up of sleight-of-hand
tricks, automata, and mechanical instruments,
concluding with phantasmagoria "as never
seen before in Paris." This false advertising
must have especially exasperated Robertson,
the creator of this effect. Olivier advertised his
shows for years with the title "Show of
Novelties! Physique amusante, sleight-of-hand,
phantasmagoria, and mechanical instruments."
Under the title "Spectacle de M. Olivier," he
performed in 1815 at 15, Rue Neuve-des-Petits-
Champs. His son performed under the name

"Olivier, son." [25]
Henri d'Almeras recalled Olivier as one of
the favorite entertainers of the Duchess
d'Abrantes, who said of him, "Olivier was a
man who did card tricks and sleight-of-hand
with marvelous talent." Olivier also had the
honor of being celebrated in one of Desaugier's
songs, "Soiree de Cadet Buteux, passeux a la
Rapee, aux experiences du sieur Olivier, " [26] a
sufficiently rare privilege to justify its being published here.
113
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Je m'vois, en fait de spectacles

Foi d'Cadet Buteux,
Rien qui vaille les miracles
D'nos escamoteux;
J'en savons un passe maitre
Qu' j'avons vu Taut' soir;
Gn'y a qu'un moyen de l'connaitre
Et c'est d'aller l'voir.
Il me d'mande que j'li garde.

Six ecus tournois ;
J'les prenons, mais quand j'y r'garde
V'la qu'i' m'en manqu' trois ;
On les trouv' dans un' aut' poche :
A Paris, quoiqu'ca
N'faut point z'un' lunett' d'approche
Pour voir ces coups-la.
J'crois que c'luron-la s'appelle

Monsieur Olivier;
Et c'est dans la ru' d'guernelle
Qu'travaille l'sorcier;
I'sait vous r'tourner, vous prendre
Qu'on n'y connait rien
Et j'dis qu' s'il ne s'fait point prendre
C'est qu'il le veut bien.
Il perce un mouchoir d'percale

D'la grosseur d'un oeuf ;
I souffle dessus, il l'etale,
Crac, le v'la tout neuf.
Pour nos fill's, ah ! queu trouvaille,
Dans c'siecle d'vertus
Si, pour boucher z'un' entaille
N'fallait qu'souffler d'ssus !
J'pensons une carte, i' m'la nomme,

C'etait l'roi d'carreau :
V'la qu' d'une main i prend z'un' pomme
Et d' l'autre un couteau ;
II la partage, il la montre,
Et voyez, l'malin !
V'la mon roi qui s'y rencontre
En guise d'pepin.
V'la qu' tout a coup la nuit tombe...

Et, pour divertir
J'vois comm' qui dirait d'un' tombe
D's esquelett's sortir :
A leurs airs sees et minables,
On s'disait commen' ca ;
C'est-i d's artist's veritables
Qui jou'nt ces rol's-la ?
C qu'est pus fort, c'est qu'il prepare

Un grand verre d'vin,
Et vous l'flanque, sans dir' gare,
Au nez d'mon voisin :
L'diable d'vin s'metamorphose
En rose, en ceillet:
V'la, m'dis-je, en restant tout chose,
Un vin qu'a l'bouquet !
Mais avant qu'un chacun sorte

(Et c'est la l'chiendent !)
Via l'Fanfan qui nous apporte
Deux torches d'rev'nant
Morgue ! que l'bon Dieu t'benisse,
Suppot d'Lucifer !
J'croyions que j'avions la jaunisse,
Tant j'avions l'teint vert.
J'li pretons, a sa priere,

Mon castor a glands,
pare' qu'il avait z'envi d'faire
Une om'lette dedans ;
Gn'y a point z'a dire, il l'a faite,
Et ca sous not'nez
Et, jarni, moi, d'voir c't'om'lette
Ca m'a tout r'tourne.
Bref, c't' Olivier s'est capable,

Dans l'mequier qu'i' fait,
D'escamoter jusqu'au diable,
Si l'diable l'tentait;
Par ainsi, sans epigramme,
Crainte d'accident,
Faut toujours, messieurs et dames,
S'tater en sortant.
This song, written in old French, is difficult to translate, as it contains several old slang terms and bawdy allusions.
114
ACT
AVEC P E R M I S S I O N
'
ml
life-
till,
-
, ____
4?
THEATRE DE BERNE.
AVIS.
Samedi 23 mai 1815. Ouverture de quelques
representations du Spectacle de MR. OLIVIER
fils, phisiciens et ventriloque de Paris, auteur
d'un nouveau genre de
FANTASMAGORIE.
L'affiche du jour de l'ouverture en donnera
les details.
Illustration 138 - Olivier, son. Poster for Olivier fils. phisiciens (sic) and ventriloque de Paris, for a phantasmagoria show performed at the Theatre de Berne (Switzerland), Saturday, Ma> 23, 1815
II
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Illustration 139 Wedding announcement ofjosephe Cecile Eglantine Houdin and Jean Eugene Robert.
ACT
II
A Marriage of Love During the July Revolution

In evoking the date of his future marriage in
his letter of February 26, Jean Eugene confided to
his cousin: ''It seems a long way off." The marriage, however, took place on July 8, 1830 at the
city hall in the ninth arrondissement, and then at
Notre-Dame, thus only four months after writing
his letter...although it seemed like a century for a
young man in love.
The marriage contract was signed forty-eight
hours earlier on July 6 in the office of Maitre
Deschesnes, [27] in the presence of the future
spouses; their parents; Agnes Josephe
Marteliere, Jacques Houdin's widow; Jean
Eugene's sister Marie Celine; Cecile Eglantine's
brother Louis Francois; his uncle Dr. Desfray;
cousin Elisabeth Josephine Desfray; Charles
Claude Dallet, landowner and first cousin of
Jean Gherbrant, attorney; and Mile. Marie
Jeanne de Narmau, wife of M. Desrondingh of
Nantes. In this notarized document, the declared profession of Jacques Francois Houdin,
like that of Jean Eugene Robert, is watchmaker.
The text of this wedding contract, concluding
with a communal estate settlement covering only
property acquired after marriage, shows that the
young couple started out in life in the best possible circumstances, at least financially, although
the notarized documents do not include the
wealth of the spouses' feelings.
The future husband brought as a dowry;
1st: One-fourth in full property and onefourth in property without usufruct, minus that
of M. Prosper Robert, the totality indivisible
with Mile. Marie Celine Robert, his sister, owner
of the same portion, in five houses situated in
117
Blois (Loir-et-Cher), lieu dit, at the foot of the

quarter, bearing the numbers 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10,
and another house situated in the same city on
Faubourg Saint Jean.
2nd: One-fourth of the rent of the aforementioned houses amounting to 150 francs.
3Rl; Various claims from the succession of
Jacques Guillon, his grandfather, to which he
had the right to one fourth and which were attributed by the division of this succession before Maitre Riffault and his colleague, notaries
in Blois on February 12, Eighteen-hundred and
thirty, as officially registered...
Finally, the sum of 3000 francs, all in
monies which include the value of his clothing, linen, furniture, and furnishings for personal use.
The total, not including the value of the
buildings brought in kind and the assets, cited
for memory at 13,095 francs 63 centimes.
The future wife brought as a dowry:
I-1: The sum of 15,000 francs in cash that they
[M. and Mine. Houdin) together promise to pay
to the future spouses, as donators, on April 1,
eighteen hundred thirty-five and they promise
to pay until the effective payment of the interest of five percent yearly, with no withholding,
also payable at their home every six months,
from the day of the celebration of the wedding.
2nd: A trousseau made up of linen, clothing,
and furnishings, for the use of the future wife,
of a value of 1,000 francs that will be given to
the future spouses the day before the wedding, whose celebration will stand as acquittal.
ROBkRT-HOUDIN
Illustration 140 - Wedding contract for Jean Eugene Robert and Josephe Cecile Eglantine Houdin.
First page of the wedding contract signed on July 6, 1830 in the office of Maitre Jozon, Parisian notary, between the future
spouses.
ACT
Thus, it was with a certain ease that this

couple in love, nineteen and twenty-four years
old, formed a family, and we can hope that the
tragic events of the July revolution did not
darken their honeymoon too much. The riots
and bloody combats of the Trois Glorieuses of

July 27, 28, and 29 in an insurgent Paris forced
out Charles X and only calmed down with the
oath of the new king, Louis-Philippe, on
August 9-
(Ml
PREFECTURE DU DEPARTEMENT DE LA SEISE.
ACTE DE MARIAGE
Ritabli en sertu de la Loi du 12 ftorUr 1872, par la
dans
so. stance
du
--D..0
&
II
~&~ section de la
Commission,
/ S j ^ ^
Illustration 141 - Wedding act of Robert-Houdin dated July 8, 1830.
119
ROBERT-HOUDIN
The First Son

What were Jean Eugene's career plans in settling down in Paris? His ambitions were
twofold: to progress in his knowledge and construction of automata, and to perfect his learning and practice of the art of magic. These two
combined passions were to give birth to the
show he dreamed of performing in public and
whose shape was not yet precise in his mind.
Robert-Houdin, as we will call him from now
on, never had the intention of arriving in the
capital to open a watchmaking business. He
certainly planned to work with his father-inlaw, who knew and shared his views, for the
time needed to build a few mechanical pieces
and accessories essential to his performances.
The author confided to us in his memoirs:
"[Proud of] the approbation of a man [His father-in-law] with whose extreme prudence I
was acquainted, I gave myself up seriously,
during my leisure hours, to my favorite exercises, and began by contriving some instruments for my future cabinet." In order to do so,
the young man utilized a small amount of capital which would suffice for the needs of his
family and his first creations. If he failed in this
undertaking, he could either set up on his own
as watchmaker-mechanician, or go into business with his father-in-law, whose only son,
Louis Francois, had chosen to pursue his studies. We do not know for how long RobertHoudin kept his part-time job with M. Baullier
nor if this job became full-time, but it would
seem that their relationship lasted for many
years because in 1843 Robert-Houdin was still
supplying his own manufactured clocks to this
shop.
As Robert-Houdin's thirst for discovery had

not been quenched, he soon had the frustrating
feeling of going around in circles. A few
weeks, perhaps a few months had sufficed for
him to study the automata and conjuring apparatus of "Father Roujol", and the impassioned
neophyte was left unsatisfied. His research in
libraries on mechanical creations of the past
had not entirely fulfilled him, and he dreamed
of undertaking some great challenge in order
to learn and acquire the experience he lacked.
Before the end of 1831. providence would give
him the chance to do so.
The young family was preparing for a great
joy. Cecile Eglantine was pregnant and their
first son was born on May 21, 1831. JeanJacques Emile Robert-Houdin, |>s] who would
later participate in his father's performances,
holds a special place in the history of magic, at
least in that of Soirees Fantastiques. For the
time being, both the Parisian and Blois families
shared the joy of the happy young wife and
that of the father, who did not hide his pride.
The baby smiled and cried just like any other
robust newborn and his father was perhaps already entertaining the idea of rocking him to a
very strange musical instrument.
Illustration 142 Signature of Emile Robert-Houdin.
120
ACT
Illustration 143
Original portrait of Emile Robert-Houdin by his friend Lemercier de Neuville towards 1880.
II
ROBFRT-HOUDIN
Illustration 144 - The Cotnponiutn.
(Philippe John van Ttggelen collection)
ACT II
The Componium
the beginning of the nineteenth century. [29] In
Holland, he dedicated himself to the manufacture of automatic instruments and, despite his
genius, acquired only a modest reputation
among his peers. His lack of business sense
and his passivity in asserting his rights over
his inventions probably contributed to his relative anonymity. The example that best illustrates Winkel's setbacks is that of his invention of a revolutionary musical chronometer
that he created in 1814. At the end of the summer of 1815, Johann Nepomuc Maelzel whose name is familiar to those interested in
On December 16, 1823, the Wenzel Pavilion,

Rue de l'Echiquier, welcomed an exhibition
that the Restoration's high society rushed to
see. The object of this flattering curiosity was
called The Componium, a mechanical orchestra
that had the ability to infinitely improvise
music and create new variations on a given
theme. This extraordinary instrument was exhibited in the central gallery of the Echiquier
Pavilion, where it was shown twice a day at a
ticket price of three francs. Both the general
and trade press published laudatory reviews of
this masterpiece, which the artistic, literary, scientific, and even political tout-Paris came to
hear and applaud. In 1826, when its success
began to dwindle, The Componium was seized
by creditors of the exhibition promoters, dismantled, and stored in the humid cellars of the
Barriere-du-Trone Pavilion (currently Place de
la Nation). The magnificent instrument would
be stored in these unhealthy conditions from
1826 to 1829, then reassembled and exhibited
in London in May 1830, where it was only
moderately successful. Because the promoter
neglected to fill out the customs formalities
upon its exit from France, The Componium was
again seized by the French authorities upon its
return from London. During the year necessary
to settle the customs conflict, the crates containing the various parts of the instrument were
exposed to cold, heat, and humidity, resulting
in the deteriorization of this jewel of mechanical music.
THK Hi RMAH M "SH'AI,
The inventor of The Componium was

Diederich Nicolaus Winkel, watchmaker-mechanician, inventor, and manufacturer of automatic instruments, who lived in Amsterdam at
Illustration I45 - Poster for The Componium.

English advertisement used during the presentation of The Componium
123
in London. May 1830. (PhilippeJohn Van Tiggelen collection)
ROBFRT-HOUDIN
turely on September 28, 1826 in Amsterdam at

the age of forty-nine.
Having finally recuperated his property from
the customs office, the promoter, whom RobertHoudin identifies only by the initial D, was attempting to dispose of the cumbersome instrument, but in order to sell it for a profit, it had
to be restored, or at least reassembled.
the history of magic because he exhibited Von

Kempelen's Chess Player automaton in
America as well as in Europe - saw Winkel's
invention, bought it, and filed patents in
London and Paris for a similar apparatus.
Mass-produced and deemed The Metronome,
it found immediate success throughout
Europe. Although years later Winkel managed
to exercise his rights, his instrument remained
known under the name of Maelzel's
Metronome and it was the plagiarist who obtained the glory and all the profits...Winkel,
who had created such a unique and fantastic
instrument. The Componium, died prema-
The repair of The Componium was a tedious

business - a work of perseverance and research because its arrangement had always been kept secret and no one could supply the least information. D himself, having no notion of mechanisms,
could not be of the slightest use, so the workman
could only depend on his own ingenuity.
I heard the matter talked about, and, urged by
a probably too flattering opinion of myself, or
rather dazzled by the glory of executing such a
splendid job, I offered to undertake the immense
repairs.
I was laughed at; the confession is humiliating, but perfectly truthful. I must say, too, that it
was justifiable, for I was only known at that time
as a humble workman, and it was feared that, far
from making the instrument act properly, I
should cause still greater injury, while trying to
repair it.
However, as D met with no better offer, and I offered to deposit a sum to be forfeited in the event
of my doing any injury, he eventually yielded to
my wishes. It will be allowed that I was a very [cooperative and above all] conscientious workman,
but, in reality, I acted for my own benefit, as this
undertaking, by supplying me with an interesting
object of study, would prove a perfect lesson in
mechanism for me.
As soon as my offer was accepted, all the boxes
in which the Componium was packed were carried
into a large room I used as a workshop, and emptied, pell-mell, into sheets spread for the purpose
on the ground.
When alone, and I saw this heap of rusty iron,
these myriads of parts, whose meaning I did not
understand, this orchestra of instruments of every
size and shape, such as cornets, bugles, hautboys,
flutes, clarinets, bassoons, organ pipes, big drum,
Illustration I46 - The Componium as it looked in 1908.

'Philippe John \a>/ I iggelen
collection)
124
ACT II
triangle, cymbals, etc. all arranged in sizes according to the chromatic scale, I was so frightened
by the difficulty of my task that I was quite annihilated for several hours.
To better understand my mad presumption,
which only my passion for mechanics and my love
of the marvellous can excuse, I must add that I
never even saw the Gomponium performing;
hence, all was an unknown country for me. Add to
this that the greater portion of the works was covered with rust and verdigris.
Seated in the midst of this musical chaos, with
my head resting in my hands, I asked myself a
hundred times this simple question: "Where shall
I begin?" - and then my imagination was quite
paralyzed.
One morning however, finding myself well disposed, and feeling the influence of the Hippocratic
axiom "Mens sana in corpore sano," I felt disgusted at my long sloth, and rushed headforemost
at my immense task.
If my readers were only mechanicians, how
willingly would I describe to them all my trials, attempts, and studies! With what pleasure I would
explain the skillful and ingenious combinations
that successively arose from this chaos!
But as I fancy I can see my readers turning
over my pages to seek the end of a chapter that
is growing too serious, I will check my inclination and content myself with stating that, for a
whole year, I proceeded from the known to the
unknown, in solving this inextricable problem,
and one day I had the happiness of seeing my
labors crowned with complete success. The
Gomponium - a new phoenix - had risen from
its ashes.
This unexpected success gained me the greatest
praise, and D bade me name my own price; but I
would not accept anything beyond my actual outlay, feeling amply repaid by such a glorious result.
And yet, however high my reward might have
been, it would not have repaid me what this task,
which overtasked my strength, eventually cost
me! [30]!
The restoring of The Componium brought
notoriety and credibility to Robert-Houdin in
this very specialized domain. During his en125
tire career, and even during his retirement,

individuals and institutions called upon his
talent to repair and restore the most famous
automata.
A few years later, The Componium was sold
to an organ enthusiast, M. Mathieu de Livran.
Today this uncommon instrument is part of
the collections of the Musee Instrumental of
the Conservatoire Royal de Musique in
Brussels.
Illustrations 147 and I48 - The Componium.

Front and back \ lews of The Componium. with pipes partially r e m o v e d , fPhilippe John Van Tiggelen collection)
ROBERT-HOUDIN
A Long Depression
The year 1832 began under cruel circumstances. Robert-Houdin's older sister, MarieCeline, passed away in Paris on January 20 at
the age of twenty-nine. [31] She had come to
help her sister-in-law, pregnant for the second
time.
Cecile Eglantine's child did not survive. The
young mother endured this terrible shock with
great difficulty. Jean Eugene and his spouse had
seven children, of which five died very young...
[32] The repairing of The Componium was therefore probably not the only reason for the ills
described by Robert-Houdin.
My sleepless nights, my incessant toil, and,
above all, the feverish agitations resulting from all
the emotions of such an arduous undertaking, had
undermined my health. A brain fever attacked
me, and though I recovered from it, it was only to
pass five long years in listlessness and vacuity. My
mind seemed quite gone; I felt no passion, no
love, and no interest, even in the arts I had so delighted in; conjuring and mechanism only existed
for me in the shape of recollections, [33]
Although it is helpful to recall that at the beginning of 1832, the population of Paris was severely affected by a cholera epidemic that
caused thousands of victims - which probably
explains the premature death of Marie Celine
Robert and the reason why Robert-Houdin and
his family left the capital for a few months for
the fresh air of the Blois countryside - one must
refrain from taking the previous paragraph from
the Memoirs literally. Robert-Houdin "conjures
away" five years of his existence, thereby avoiding telling readers about the beginnings of his
research in the field of mechanics and his activity as illusion-maker for his future colleagues,
which would have been of little interest to the
126
public but full of teachings for enthusiasts of

the art of magic. However, it is precisely during
this period that the first outlines and initial versions of several of his future creations would be
sketched. The years 1830 to 1835 were years of
creative freedom for the young mechanician,
during which he could learn, work, and invent
without restraining his imagination. He was also
free of the daily worry of providing for his family. The other side of this agreeable situation
was that, even though his creations progressed,
none of them became definitive. A creator, free
of material worries, has the leisure to continually perfect his works and redo in the morning the undertakings of the day before.
Although his entire repertoire was already in
gestation, the fruit was not yet ripe. Did RobertHoudin really have a brain fever? Was it a relapse of the same illness from which he suffered in his youth? In reality, if we consider the
symptoms described, we can imagine that he
was struck with an illness that he would fight
with all his strength: depression. He asked himself more and more questions about his future
and the answers hardly reassured him. In coming to Paris, he had dreamt about impressive
discoveries in the art of magic, but, after only a
few months, he had the impression of having
already seen it all. There were certainly more
renowned artists in the capital than in the provinces and Robert-Houdin had observed them
assiduously as a spectator, and also in private,
but he could not see himself performing this
type of magic, with "Father Roujol's" "doublebottomed boxes," stooges, or the mystifications
dear to M. Comte. His vision of this art was too
different, but nothing allowed him to believe
that it would lead him to success because these
ACT
performers, whose talents he appreciated in various ways, seemed to please the audience.
Some even became rich.
If, in order to obtain the favors of the public,
an artist must be different, trailblazing in an
overly flagrant manner could, on the contrary,
condemn him to failure. Robert-Houdin did not
yet feel in tune with his time and his mind was
overcome by bleak thoughts. He could not imagine using the same artifices as his colleagues,
and seeing them delight spectators, he felt close
to neither of them:
Besides, it must be remembered that, at this
II
period, conjuring was not so respectable as it is

now; people went to an exhibition of that sort to
laugh at the conjurer's victims, even if themselves
exposed to his attacks.
My readers ought to have seen the mystifier
[par excellence], the celebrated physico-ventriloquist of the age, Gomte, to form an idea of the
cool way in which the public was then treated.
This performer, though so graceful and gallant towards ladies, was merciless to men. According to
his notions, the cavaliers (as they were then called) were predestined to supply amusement for
the fair sex. [34]
IAN 18*5
d e i P r e t U s t i c i u t o r et&e j . n n i t
w.n
PATRICE VALENTIN
rax H so
Au B a r m Central k MUSHJUS pkcs 4sla Bourn,29
Illustration 149 - L'AN 1845 PROPHETIQUE - QUADRILLE BRILLANT ET FACILE
If Robert-Houdin could have plunged into this quadrille, published a decade later, he would perhaps have seen in it "the fabulous destiny" of Soirees Fantastiques, which would certainly have reassured him about his future. CDtdferMoreau 'Morax"collection)
ROBLRT-HOLDIN
Illlustrations 150 and 151 - Giovani Bartolomeo Bosco

Frontispiece engraving and title page of an Italian brochure for Bosco in 1837.
ACT II
Giovani Bartolomeo Bosco

When we travel into the past of the magic art,
we cannot avoid the memory of the hundred,
perhaps thousand conjurers, palatines of the gibeciere and the Cups and Balls, who traveled
throughout Europe from the Middle Ages until
the first half of the nineteenth century. A glorious figure dominated them all; his name was
Bosco and he was certainly the most famous
among them, and also the last representative of
that brilliant school where celebrated artists
rubbed shoulders with performers who would
remain forever anonymous.
GURIOSE AWENTURE
BREVI CENNI SULLA VITA
PRESTIGIAXOKE
IKYEKTORE DELLA MAGIA EGIZIANA

CON UN CO1WPENMO NOMINATIVO DS DH.ETTEVOLI OIOCHI
Dl F1SICA K DI MECCAXJCA DA hVl IUTHOVATI.
NAPOLI
DAIXA STAHPEIUA B CAUTIKltA DEL FIIffiENO
Largo S. Domenico Maggiore Nr 3.
1837.
129
Bosco was born in Torino, Italy, in 1793. t35!

At the age of nineteen, the young man was unwillingly drafted into Napoleon's army for the
disastrous Russia campaign. Injured during an
attack, he was left for dead on the battlefield.
When he regained consciousness, an individual
was in the process of robbing him. Pretending
to be unconscious. Bosco allowed himself to
be robbed and at the same time robbed the
robber.
Bosco was supposedly the inventor of a
skillful trick that invariably filled his theater.
He would always walk through the markets of
the city where he had scheduled a performance; after spotting an egg merchant and
agreeing on the price, Bosco chose one egg
carefully, examined it, broke it, and removed a
gold coin, to the great surprise of the poor
vendor, who, as soon as Bosco had left, broke
all the eggs herself, hoping to find other
samples of the precious metal. This little
scene, renewed at each new stall, amused passersby, set off hilarity, and, through word of
mouth, the theater and Bosco's cashbox were
filled that same evening. [36] These amusing
anecdotes which of course are true! were
part of the stories printed in the artist's advertising brochures. Like those of Comte, the)- included many adventures, one more incredible
than the next.
Robert-Houdin attended Bosco's performances during his first passage through Paris
from late 1832 to early 1833. In reading his record of the conjurer's performance, we understand that Bosco w as not an artist after his ow n
heart. For a young amateur of magic who w anted to make conjuring a tasteful, refined entertainment, some aspects of Bosco's show s could
ROBFRl -HOUDIN
nwt
SATANAS
ou8
feen $eifen
AVENTURES
aitert
B. BOSCO
DE TURIN,
Professeur de Prestidigitation.
POITIERS,
IMPB1HEB1E DE A. DLTRE, ROE DE LA J1AIR1E, 10.
Sudjfcuifaei wii 3ttfras (Smft.
1854.
Illustrations 152 and 153 - German and French biographies of Bosco.
only repel him. His presentation, his old-fashioned suit, and his performance in shirtsleeves, his overuse of stooges, his macabre
decor, etc., all of this seemed archaic. RobertHoudin criticized him, among other things, for a
revolting cruelty to animals. During his tricks,
Bosco twisted birds' feet, suffocated them, actually cut their necks onstage, and skewered canaries with a sword. [37] if the majority of the audience was unaware of the reality of these
tortures, we understand the uneasiness of a fellow artist watching the succession of these cruel
tricks - an uneasiness also shared by certain columnists of the time (see note 38). The sensitivity of nineteenth-century individuals was probably not the same as ours, but we must note
that Robert-Houdin's soul was probably not very
far from our own...On the other hand, he credited Bosco with an unequaled manual dexterity
in Cups and Balls and was determined to analyze the objective reasons for this artist's success
in his memoirs and a posteriori :
I have seen Bosco several times since then,
and each time I studied him carefully, not only to
130
ACT
Illustration 154 Bosco's performance as shown in L'lllustration.
try and explain the cause of the great fashion he

enjoyed, but also to be able to compare the various opinions expressed about this celebrated
man. Here are some deductions drawn from my
observations.
Bosco's performances generally please a
large number, for the public supposes that,
through some inexplicable address, the birdmurders are simply feigned, and, tranquil on
this point, they indulge in all the pleasure
caused by the talent of the conjurer and the
originality of his accent.
Bosco has a quaint and full-sounding name,
adapted to become popular, and no one knows
Illustration 155 Signature of Bosco.
131
II
ROHIRI-HOIDIN
better than he how to take advantage of it.

Neglecting no opportunity for notoriety, he performs at any hour of the day, whatever may be
the quality and number of the spectators. In a
coach, at a table d'hote, in cafes or shops, he
never fails to give some specimen of his skill, by
juggling a coin, a ring, and so on.
The witnesses of these little improvised performances consider themselves bound to return
Bosco's politeness by attending his public performance. They have formed the acquaintance of
the celebrated conjurer and are obliged to sustain the reputation of their new friend. Hence,
they urge all their acquaintances to go also, puff
off the performance, and thus the room is always
[usually] full.
feint gwegu cogc

in Dem f bent
inn B Mr
It must also be mentioned that numerous accomplices help Bosco's popularity materially.
Each of them, it is known, is instructed to hand
the magician a handkerchief, shawl, watch, etc.,
which he has in double. This allows him to pass
them with an appearance of magic or skill into a
cabbage, a loaf, a box, or any other object. These
accomplices, while aiding in the conjurer's experiments, have a great interest in securing their
success: for their self-love finds its profit in the
success of the mystification. Besides, they have
no objection to accept some of the applause as
their due; hence the magician has as many admirers as accomplices, and the influence a dozen
intelligent prompters can exert in a room is well
known.
'giitt , .'fil -B H
. '.:.: SJ:,,";f,:
;.;;...:
.:t
Illustrations 156 and 15" - German bills for Bosco in 1829

and 1827. The first of these two German bills was part of
J.B Findlavs collection, the second is in the authors collection.
jbctsfeitliiSet
aKfttroo, t>en I8" glD 182/
ff ira g r o g e n
8tebouten*aate
Detail tet
1) ie folafnmen &attm.i
2)
;>,
:)
5)
0)
Such were the influences which, joined to

Bosco's talent, gained him a great renown for
many years. [38]
iOaS (sclui -* :;-i;rKi1;! "' '-u

.0:: Unite SaubergfixEe.
, ic (;. [bijeetliwetara.
(Sfit tii* <iu etc êCTommifit,
iCiefc#i;I'U-.1^-.;-;: :.;.;.
8) Slie grofie fpmpaliftlje iigtl

@(#ufj bev ecfttit
Detail Hi tfotittn
A minority of magic historians of the twentieth century criticized the bluntness with
which Robert-Houdin expressed himself about
his colleague throughout his memoirs.
Although we cannot doubt the sincerity of
some, others are clearly more suspicious, as
their writings portray a purely fictional artistic
nineteenth century in which all conjurers,
physiciens, and prestidigitators seemed to benefit from the same sympathy and success with
respect to the public. Any researcher who does
1) SDaS but* eine fclbft fcjjteftentw geber cni

2) iCiE fieêuiie SMuaetrtuItuv
g) JDrt DftfcfemiiUE CJtnnefii;
I
Oj erne arc&e Switft, t # întfti an ha Ufy @5E.SKaje^tte8 *
fomifcSe Siuvf. tacjic Stfinbu
"-StoUt
SXtttt serfic&i imb bfl BtwIjtunjiSvititttEft $)ut)iifum
f # fib
*cn ijorgef^titfeii sotrb a8 Detail jftgt fôn an, a6 frine uon

ben Aunftdi nieberôH tif>, loeEciie tit 6tn SICES ftuêrit s5orffenn=
gen ptrobitittt rootben finb.
i HummctitfEtt 2i&m fmb tdfjttc|> in metnw
H61el de Pologne ju â&CtU
132
ACT
I'HlUTKl. OK Ull'.PPfc. M. tonBS.Ni, Olrrneur
LUIKH 5 Septembre 18o<>,

ii>i:\TATia EvvnA<mnn
de Magie egyptieniie et de Prestidigitation,
AV BEVEB1CE
Des INCENDIES de la commune D'ANCODRT.

.ms in nuii us 2i juiliet ucroi&is t>i\ aiaisoB^ de ectte coturaaae
proie A'un nu't-mlif occasionne par !o feu du del. La pevtc s'4m!ue H un
rhiffre coURulijnililc!. Dc pfiavees et hotioi'ables brailles ont tHe eittU*mYionfc
I n appel a fto U\i a i hmnaniu- et au tniojlt df M. 5OSU&, qul relavdf
SOU depart afin d'y
M DEPUFAM . vonlnni s'assopier ti crtle bomip a^llofi, ppfttem 3e
concom-s de
flsosent, 1'uii el i'fuHiv. poniptw sui rpEappegspmeHi^nele jmlilit- met Ira
.\ les seconeier.
MAT Hi AS
W. OVHKRT. pnwta
LINVAL1DE
Lomiqac du i h ^ n e du \ audcville, ipniplfra le

rdle de Wathlag.
Les Porte* 'front oucerft-s d 7 hpuret \}'2. fJii titmuifni6V'i <i 8 hpures
<n, BOSCO eonuueneern ii O
Illustration 158 - French bill for Bosco, 1853.

Poster printed on white silk, framed with multicolor silks, garnished with lace, printed for a charit\ performance gi\ en b\
Bosco on Monday, September 5. 1853 for the victims of a fire in the village of \ncourt.
II
ROBHU-HOUDIN
not satisfy himself with mere compiling and

who returns to primary sources discovers a
social and physical reality very different
from the one described in works that are
often deliberately idealistic and somewhat
moralizing. The comparison between these
artists' repertoires, the quality of the theaters where they performed, the entrance
prices of their performances and their frequency, and the reviews of their shows and not simply their advertisements - published in the press give an entirely different
view of the artistic and professional reality
of the times. Such research confirms comments by Robert-Houdin about his colleagues, whose true merits he examined
with great perceptiveness. In several cases,
he proved to be a much more kindly columnist than journalists of the time. Sometimes
he wrote what he thought, as with Bosco,
whose cruel behavior to animals he deplored. Should he be blamed for that?
Beaumarchais wrote a very meaningful sentence on this subject: "Without the freedom
to condemn, there can be no flattery"; as for
laudatory comments, those written by
Robert-Houdin about Bosco's dexterity are
undoubtedly the most flattering ever made.
Illustrations 159 and 160 - German Bosco

brochure. Frontispiece engraving and title
page of brochure of the famous conjurer
published in I84 i in Leipzig.
BOSCO.
Wcn fa$ ttettitgefjitfeit
SSon
fiotlje.
rfte gefi:
Setpjig.
Illustration 161 - Bosco and the Cups and Balls.

Engraving from Robert-Houdin s work The Secrets of
Conjuring and Magic fop citj.
134
A a II
Illustration 162 - Bosco, circa I860. Sole photographic document of the famous conjurer during the last years of his career.
ROBI RT-HOUDIN
EXPOSITION GENERALE
l)F.s PRODTJITS DE I.'AGRICI'LTI RE. DE I/INDUSTRIE ET DES ARTS INDUSTR1ELB fcj
ftlKEC U 7 N0\
MEDAILLLE D'ARGENT V CLASSE
f/in-///i'
"//I
MEDAILLE D ARGENT
1 CLASSE Os t
L&ueo,
, /< fM.
Xi SW.Kml J> L 'XuuU r i ^ . JulJJ
Illustration 163 - Diploma for silver medal awarded to Jacques Francois Houdin in 1859.
This prize was granted to Robert-Houdin's father-in-law by the jury of the Societe Philomathique of Bordeaux on November
20. 1859 This medal was the last of a long list of honors received by Jacques Francois Houdin during his watchmaking career
He passed away, one year later, in his son-in-law's home. The Priory, in Saint-Gervais.
136
ACT
II
The Fall of the House of Houdin

Having completed certain works in the field
of watchmaking and mechanism, RobertHoudin thought that the time had come to sort
out his professional status. Following a proposition by Jacques Francois Houdin, the board
of directors of the Societe d'encouragement
pour l'lndustrie nationale accepted 'Jean
Eugene Robert, Watchmaker, 41, Rue Neuve
Vivienne, in Paris" on March 4, 1835 and registered him on its member list. This date is the
first official mention of Robert-Houdin as a
Parisian watchmaker. The five preceding years
had allowed him to perfect his knowledge in
magic as in mechanism and from then on, all
his creations would bear the mark of these two
sciences. The watchmaker would create masterpieces from which the magic was never absent, and with the precious aid of mechanics,
the conjurer would invent legendary tricks. We
remember that the Houdin couple had
promised in their daughter's wedding contract
to provide the "sum of 15,000 francs in cash
that they together promise to pay to the future
spouses...on April 1, eighteen hundred thirtyfive." This large sum made up Cecile
Eglantine's dowry and was only partially paid
to the young family for the following reason:
M. Houdin had decided to expand his business
and planned to open a second store in the Rue
Vivienne, which had just been created and
where many large trading businesses had set
up. He asked his son-in-law to be his associate
in this undertaking, which called for a very
large investment. Logically, having faith in his
father-in-law's business sense, Robert-Houdin
placed the rest of his wife's dowry and the majority of his assets in the project, a sum of
20,000 francs. Jacques Francois Houdin took

out other loans to cover the costs of the expensive undertaking but, just as the store
seemed to have a promising future, the notary
responsible for the funds ran off with his
money and that of his clients. Ruined by this
theft and incapable of reimbursing his creditors, Jacques-Francois Houdin was placed in
liquidation. Bankruptcy was declared on
&u
& i/f'
ret/iAu u*
cut
Illustration 164 - Extract from the minutes of the Societe

d'encouragement pour l'lndustrie nationale of March
1835. These minutes officialh confirm Robert-Houdin's entr\
into this prestigious society.
137
ROBERT-HOUDIN
September 28, 1836: "Houdin, watchmaker in

Paris, 10, Rue Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, Judge
Commissioner M. Deniere; M. Biglet, agent, 5,
Rue d'Orleans in the Marais." Jacques Francois
Houdin's creditors were "invited to come to
the Tribunal de Commerce on October 8 at
two o'clock in the bankruptcy room to name
the temporary receivers." To try to save their
family from certain ruin, Mme. Houdin asked
the courts in vain for her assets to be separated from those of her husband:
From a writ of De Branger, bailiff in Paris, the
following dating October twenty-fourth, eighteen
hundred thirty-six, duly recorded. It seems as
though the lady Jeanne Adelaide Gecile
Blondeau, adult spouse whose assets are shared
with those of M. Jacques Francois Houdin, watchmaker, residing with him in Paris, 10, Rue NotreDame-des-Victoires, has asked for the separation
of her assets from those of M. Iloudin, her husband, as well as against Messrs. Riglet, bronze
manufacturers residing in Paris, Rue des Filles du
Galvaire, temporary receivers of the bankruptcy
of the said M. Houdin; and she has mandated for
M. Jean-Laurent Gherbrant, [39] attorney near
the said court of the Seine, residing in Paris, 74,
Rue de Richelieu, for the execution of the said request.
*%*'*'&*?
J&L..JZ-*
Air-V~
Illustrations 165 and 166 - Letter from Societe d'encouragement pour l'lndustrie nationale. This personal letter addressed to Eugene Robert, watchmaker, confirms his admission to the society.
Robert-Houdin, in order not to lose all, and

on the advice of his father-in-law, enlarged the
mass of creditors of the bankruptcy. This catastrophe hit a family already struck with a tragic
blow: Louis Francois, Cecile Eglantine's brother,
a brilliant young man and high-school student
who associated with the young princes of
Orleans, had just committed suicide because he
failed his baccalaureat. [H
Before concluding the events of this chapter,
which were to have so many repercussions on
Robert-Houdin's life, we can state that he was
granted 6,000 francs in the liquidation, which
he gave to his in-laws, who were on the brink
of ruin, and that M. Houdin was placed at the
ACT
/ /
; /
ft // J
head of his business to take care of the final liquidation on May 20, 1837, concluding arrangements approved by the Tribunal de Commerce
of the Seine on May 30. Jacques Francois
Houdin would never recover from this disaster
and, after having managed a company his entire
life, courageously chose to become an employee. He was the artisan of the success of the
Destouches watchmaking company, which had
just opened its doors at 160, Rue Saint-Martin,
where he became its foreman. His abilities contributed so much to the prosperity of this business that he was considered a co-founder and
at the Exposition of 1855, M. Destouches very
loyally wrote to the minister that he would accept the award that was offered to him only if
M. Houdin was honored at the same time. This
is what in fact occured. [*i]
it*, \
if
.1
/" "
/v
&*?'<
Illustration 167 Bankruptcy register.

Extract from the Parisian bankruptcy register of 1836 in which
the assets and liabilities of Jacques Francois Houdin are
noted, as well as the names and addresses of his creditors.
(Archives nationales).
QUITTANCE
SOC1ETE
D'ENGOURAGEMENT
P0
QUITTANCE
NATION ALE.
.Don* quittance, a Paris, ce I
*^1\A*/*
ret
^'INDUSTRIE KATIONALE.
Jf^sounigne,
 &*y~
ôll AOI wme. du ERI / C somnte de trcntc-six francs, pour le montant
tle l r e Q t e s i l f f r a n c s
\mt~L^1 '
"
) poncJfi numtant de sa
jrSTTTStSffiW^riîe- Sauscription de Van mil huit cent/] *^ a-uvsfc- C%*i
">ibiJjw'a.'rtw"^^
/ I
? 0 0 R
/' par la Commtitton dn

'" 3
'
SOGI&TE D'ENCOURAGEMENT
SouscniPTlON
Je, soussien**, TttHsorier de la Socitfte', reconneiis avoir

Vu par la Cemmtmon aes
y
.
.
-^
-.
jy ^yf
:ol, !ti S ni|i crip lions loot
II
ion ivpoqsit it*i'adiaiHB
/ ^
,9BUS(;/ ijjlfonrfe/'n nw7 Atfft W* qutirante

Dont quittance, a Paris,
MH Unit cent quaianti
if/i7 Aji cenf trente U*:
Illustrations 168 and 169 - Dues receipts.

Sent to Robert-Houdin by the Societe d'encouragement pour 1 Industrie nationale as receipts for his dues.
139
c*
fie S-
ROBERT-HOUDIN
PI.
Sullelin de Ia.Soci/>!J'Enc<iurajem/*i/,jy'CCCC.\'LI'~
Tier 2
O
il !
Jd- lei&xe Jd- ft sculp
MECAMSME TOUli EMTECE1ER LA SOWN ERIE MS FKNDVLES

BE MECOMPTFlli, PAR M.ROBERT HOFDIN,
Illustration 1~~0 - Plate of the patent for the Mechanism to prevent clocks from miscounting.
Taken from the Bulletin de la Societe d encouragement pour1 Industrie nationale.
ACT II
The Mechanician and the Watchmaker

The year 1836 had nonetheless started out
well for Cecile Eglantine and Jean Eugene with
the birth of their first daughter Marie Rosalie on
February 25. l>2]
but I had too few, and the specimens I had in

hand still required years of study and labor.
These wise reflections restored my courage,
and, resigned to my new situation, I resolved to
affect an utter reform in my budget. I had nothing more to look for than what I earned with my
own hands.
So I hired a modest lodging, at three hundred
francs a year, in the Rue du Temple.
It consisted of a room, a cabinet, and a stove
in a cupboard, to which my proprietor gave the
name of ''kitchen."
I converted the largest room into our common
I could no longer think of inventing machines,

but [had to] work, day by day, to support my large
family. I had four children, all very young, and
this was a heavy burden on a man who had never
yet thought of his own interests. [43]
Robert-Houdin speaks here of four children; we know of three at this period: JeanJacques Emile, Marie Rosalie, and Joseph
Prosper Eugene, who was born on June 19.
1837. i44] We do not know the exact first name
of this fourth child, probably born between
1833 and 1835, and who did not survive, at
any rate, beyond the year 1843. The author
also confirms that it is because of his fatherin-law's disaster that he took on a business
activity that he had not previously planned.
"Why should I despair?" I said to myself. "At

my age, time itself is a fortune, and I have a considerable reserve fund of that. Besides, who
knows whether Providence, by sending me this
trial, has not wished to delay an undertaking that
was not yet quite assured of success?"
In fact, what had I to offer the public that

would overcome the indifference a new performer always inspires? - improved conjuring
tricks! Those, I thought, would not prevent me
[from ] failing, for I was unaware at that period
that, in order to please the public, an idea must
be, if not novel, at least completely transformed
so that it cannot be recognized. Only in that
way can an artist escape a remark that always
fills him with dread - "I have seen that before."
My automata and mechanical curiosities would
not have betrayed the hopes I built upon them,
---- -n-MS^w8Fiii^Bfti
'i
Illustration 1 1 - 63, Rue du Temple.
Robert-Houdin's modest apartment was situated under the
gables.
Ill
ROBFRT-HObDIN
Illustration 1"72 - Outline of Robert-Houdin's Alarm-Lighter.
ACT
sleeping apartment, the cabinet served as my

workshop, while the stove kitchen was used to
prepare our modest meals.
My wife, though in delicate health, undertook
the household department. Fortunately, this was
not very laborious, as our meals were most modest; and as our rooms were limited in number,
there was not much moving about required.
The proximity of our mutual laboratories had
also this double advantage, that, whenever my
housekeeper was absent, I could watch the potau-feu or stir a ragout without leaving my levers,
wheels, and cogs.
These vulgar occupations for an artist will
make many a reader smile, but when a man cannot afford to keep a servant, and the quality of
the dinner, consisting of a single dish, depends on
the care devoted to it, it is better to pocket one's
dignity and attend to the culinary department, at
any rate, without feeling false shame. Besides, it
appears that I performed my confidential mission
admirably, for my exactitude gained me abundant
praise.
Still I must confess that I had very slight talent for cooking, and this boasted exactitude was
produced by my fear of incurring the reproaches
of my head cook.
This humble [and parsimonious] existence
was less painful to me than I had imagined. I had
always been moderate, and the privation of succulent dishes affected me very little. My wife,
surrounded by her children, to whom she devoted her utmost care, seemed equally happy,
while hoping for better times to come.
I had resumed my first trade, that of repairing
watches and clocks. [-15]
II
magic repertoire, as well as his creations in

watchmaking and mechanisms. In all these activities, his interest in science, especially electricity, is present. The phenomenally creative
work of Robert-Houdin matured and refined itself during this entire period, through his experiments, doubts, depression, and possible
total ruin. From 1837, and for nearly seven
years, inventions abounded, and though the
portrait he painted of his private life and his
humble financial position may seem a bit too
sincere, those years did allow him to develop
his research. Then, necessity forced him to
make his inventions public. On September 20,
1837, he filed his application for a patent for an
Alarm-Lighter, which was officially registered
on November 13 by Louis-Philippe:
Louis-Philippe, King of the French, To all
those present, greetings...We have ordered and
do order the following...no. 343: M. Robert (Jean
Eugene), watchmaker, residing in Paris, no. 41,
Rue Vivienne, to whom it was delivered on
September 20 the certificate of his request for
an Invention and Perfectioning Patent for a five-
Contrary to stubborn legends for which he

was partially responsible, their source being his
writings, Robert-Houdin did not have as compartmentalized a professional life as reading
his works sometimes suggests. He was not a
mechanician, then a magician, then a scientist.
Since the beginning of his calling or callings,
Robert-Houdin undertook all these different
disciplines at the same time. From 1830 to
1837, he developed the fundamentals of his
Illusration 173 - Robert-Houdin's
143
Alarm-Lighter.
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Illustration 174 - Robert-Houdin's clock.

This model predates the famous
Mysterious Clock.
Illustration 1~"5 Clock.
year period, for an Alarm-Lighter whose function is to provide light as one awakens...
The
Mysterious
Illustration 176 - The Mysterious

Clock with double mystery
on the crystal column.
same year at 9, Rue Paradis; and from 1841, 9.

Rue Vendome, where he took over the space
occupied by his first Parisian employer, M.
Baullier. [] Here is an example of the advertisements for Robert-Houdin in the business
directories in 1841:
This lovely piece of clockwork was the size

of a travel clock. The time was set when one
went to bed and the bell woke up the sleeper
while a lit candle, hidden behind a small door,
popped out from one side of the alarm clock.
No more groping in the dark to light one's
candle. The Alarm-Lighter became very fashionable and brought new comfort to the
Robert family. Robert, in order to distinguish
himself from his numerous homonyms - there
were many Roberts under the watchmaker
headings in the business almanacs of his time
- unofficially took the name Robert-Houdin as
he had done since his wedding, and it is under
this patronym that he was officially listed in
the professional directories: in 1835. 41, Rue
Vivienne; in 1840, 11, Rue Vendome; then, the
Robert-Houdin, mechanician, granted patent

for Alarm-lighter that lights a candle the moment it wakes one up; simple perfected alarm
clock; new ring; mysterious clocks, idem with
crystal column, conjurer, and mechanical
tightrope dancer; execution and repair of automata and items of this sort. B 1839, R.
Vendome 9, in the Marais.
Robert-Houdin was working on a small

clock whose base was decorated with a winged griffin holding a very thin, round enameled dial. This clock was the origin of his famous Mysterious Clocks, whose transparent
144
ACT
II
Illustration 17- - Mysterious Clocks w i t h triple mystery. CDaotd u Baldwin collection)
crystal dials, containing the minute and hour

hands, are supported by a column, also made
of crystal, embedded in a group of imaginary
animals set onto the base. These clocks,
whose transmission mechanisms are invisible
to the uninitiated, were extremely successful
and their reputation was definitively established at the Exposition of French industrial
products in 1839. With acute business sense,
Robert-Houdin developed several different
versions of his Mysterious Clock at various
prices: the small model was the most popular
and had one hand; the medium-sized one had
one hand but the dial was supported by a
crystal column; and finally, the most prestigious had two hands and a column - it was
called the Pendule a Triple Mystere. He also
made a version with two hands whose dial
was supported by two columns that we have
not seen on the market recently, contrary to
the other models. Although scarce ten years

ago, their mysterious ''reappearance" in abundance in public auction rooms and private
transactions seems to suggest an inexhaustible source just like their creator's famous
Bottle. [47]
One of Robert-Houdin's very first creations, the Chinese Conjurer - some of the
first versions actually bear the stamp of J. F.
Houdin's workshop, where they were built
[4s] _ W as also developed into different-sized
models: a little inlaid base on which the
Chinese man and his conjuring table are
placed; a version in which the conjurer and
his table are presented on a large, finely worked golden bronze base; and a final model we can only discuss those known today in
which a clock dial and a watchmaking mechanism are fit into the platform. In this
model, the automaton conjurer "performs"
145
ROBERl-HOUDIN
whenever the hour or half hour sounds; it

can also be activated at will, independently
of the various rings.
Illustration 178 - Painting by William Manning. This illustration is from William Mannings work Recollections of RobertHoudin, London, 1891. and represents one of the tumbler"
toys made with mercun commonly known as Sautriaut and
manufactured in the mechanician's workshops
Robert-Houdin created other automata

known as The Dancers on a Tightrope, or
Dancers on Mechanical Cords, which he produced in different versions - with a large dancer, with or without musicians - whose prices
varied depending on the elegance of the setting and the number of animated figurines. He
also offered mechanical birds embedded in
precious boxes or snuffboxes. One of his most
beautiful creations in this area was his bird
piece - known as The Bird Organ, The Singing
Lesson, or The Music Lesson of which we
know of at least three versions today, including
L'Odalisque and the example known as Du
Perron. [49] During this period Robert-Houdin
also manufactured watches and more traditional clocks, of which only a few copies have
been preserved, [so] We must also mention
more modest activities such as the manufacture
of toys and automata for wealthy children, as
discussed by his friend William Manning in
Recollections of Robert-Houdin (London, 1891).
There is also The Writing and Drawing
Automaton, a mechanical piece placed on a
clock. Robert-Houdin seems to have been more
Illustration 179
Bronze medal from 1839 Exposition.
Awarded to Robert-Houdin for his Mysterious Clock and
Chinese Conjurer, (chateau de la \Me de Bloisj
Illustrations 180 and 181 - A small automaton pianist by Robert-Houdin. Under the pianist's dress of this mechanical toy is a
plate with the serial number B 23 followed by Robert-Houdin's name
ACT II
proud of this than of all his other creations in this domain. He spent a great
number of years working on it, much
more than the "eighteen months of retreat" that he refers to in his memoirs. We will return to this automaton, which holds a very special
place in the story, but to complete
this inventory of Robert-Houdin's
mechanical works, I will add that
the inventor developed his
Writing and Drawing Automaton
in the same way as his other
creations. In addition to the
model later shown at Giroux's,
then at the 1844 Exposition, he
made other impressive clocks,
crowned by the mechanized
figurine of The Writing and
Drawing Automaton, in the
same decorative style of his
Conjurer clock.
exposition of French industrial products

that opened on May 1, 1839, and at the
1844 Exposition - from May 1 to June 30
the tools and individual parts presented with The Writing and Drawing
Automaton and The Singing Lesson
won him a silver medal, accompanied by the compliments of the
French sovereign.
I will end this chapter with
a very instructive document,
taken from the "Inventory after
the death of Cecile Eglantine
Robert," dated February 12,
1844. This was a notarized document established in the presence of the auctioneer of J. F.
Houdin and E. Robert. The inventory lists all the objects
that filled each room of the
Robert family's home, from
the coffee spoons to the
contents of the library. The exThis carefully prepared and
tract
that will follow concerns
majestically executed produconly
Robert-Houdin's worktion lasted from 1835 to 1844
Illustration 182 - The Mysterious Conjurer shop, the appraisal of his works,
and merely slowed down duby Robert-Houdin (Pierre Mayer collection)
the state of advancement of the
ring the period of Soirees
mechanical
and
watchmaking pieces, as well as
Fantastiques.
the value of the tools. In the workshop that day,
To attempt to be as exhaustive as possible in
there were also two magic automata that have
this area and this period, we can add that Robertsince become famous: Pierrot in the Egg and The
Houdin filed a new patent on September 29, 1840
Ladies' Favorite. The majority of the other mefor his Alarm-Lighter, which was preceded by the
chanisms were stored in another place, and we
filing of a patent on August 17, 1839 for a
will soon discover them:
"Mechanism for resetting the chime of a clock that
sounds at the wrong time"; in its general assembly
No. 1: Finished objects and works :
of August 11, 1841, the Societe d'Encouragement
A Mysterious Clock with two crystal columns,
300 francs; a Mysterious Clock with caryatids,
pour l'Industrie Nationale, after having heard the
150 francs; a simple Mysterious Clock, 120
report of "M. Francceur, member of the committee
francs.
of mechanical arts," awarded Robert-Houdin a silAn alarm clock made in inlaid rosewood at 40
ver medal for his "new watchmaking mechafrancs; a clock in black marble, small sculpted
nisms"; he then made an agreement with the Japy
temple, 120 francs; a clock with days of the
brothers of Beaucourt and gave them the right to
month, 130 francs; a vertical regulating clock,
utilize this patent. He won a bronze medal for the
150 francs; a vertical clock with days of the
Mysterious Clock and the Chinese Conjurer at the
month, 50 francs; a regulating clock with four
147
ROBLRT-HOUDIN
*tratt t>u
L
t/ecmce
c
a ete An/; an worn
Ja
t/cc&ee,
/; t/em/c au4U^
"i
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z^/&
4*>
Illustration 183 - Silver medal awarded to Robert-Houdin in 1841 b\ the Societe dencouragement pour l'Industrie nationale
for the mechanician's 'New watchmaking mechanisms."
ACT
columns, 130 francs.

An old Alarm-Lighter, 40 francs; nine complete square alarm clocks at 30 francs apiece and
six complete square alarm clocks at 21 francs.
No. 2: Automata and works in progress :
A Clock-Writer, no. 9, at 808 francs; a ClockWriter, no.11, at 500 francs.
A Mysterious Conjurer, well-advanced, at 280
francs.
A bird instrument, Du Perron model, well-advanced, 700 francs; Odalisque, clock with bird,
150 francs.
A mechanical Dancer on a Tightrope, well-advanced, 160 francs; another Dancer on a
Tightrope, well-advanced, 400 francs; a Large
Mechanical Dancer, 100 francs.
A Conjuring Clock, 400 francs.
Two Alarm-Lighters not yet gold-plated, 96
francs; an oval alarm clock, 30 francs; a travel
Alarm-Lighter, 60 francs.
A Mechanical Bird, 50 francs; another
Mechanical Bird, 20 francs; a small Mechanical
Chair, 15 francs.
A Mechanical Bouquet, conjuring piece, 200
francs; a Mechanical Egg, conjuring piece, 100
francs.
Illustrations 184 and 185 - Large and small models of

Robert-Houdin's Conjuring Clock.
No. 3: Models in brass:

Various models for the Conjuring Clock, 400
francs; various models for Bird Clock, The
Singing Lesson, 500 francs; a model of the
Drinker, a clock, 100 francs; a model for the
Dancer on a Tightrope, 100 francs.
The combined value of the workshop's contents, including "watchmaking materials and mechanical pieces'' as well as '"tools," totaled 13,495
francs 50 centimes.
This notarized document has great importance because it clarifies for us the state of
Robert-Houdin's inventory. We realize to what
extent his production was handcrafted; all the
important works were probably specially ordered. We can note that the most expensive
objects appraised that day were The Writing
and Drawing Automaton or The Clock-Writer
in a well-advanced state at 800 francs; the bird
149
II
ROBKRT-HOUDIN
Illustration 186 - "Inventory after death" of Eglantine Robert-Houdin.

The first page of this inventory informs us in detail of the names and official information of Robert-Houdin's three children at
the time of their mother's death (Archives nationales)
ACT
instrument, Du Perron model, well-advanced,

at 700 francs; The Dancer on a Tightrope, welladvanced, at 560 francs; the Conjuring Clock,
well-advanced, at 400 francs; and the
Mysterious Clock with two crystal columns,
300 francs. In the context of this appraisal,
these prices must be considered to be at cost
and not retail.
This "Inventory after death" provides us
with much information on the Roberts' daily
lives. In Robert-Houdin's wardrobe, amongst
his other clothes, we find a "national guard
uniform, a pair of pants, cartridge pouch, and
accessories." Then "a double-barreled gun,
two pistols, a gunpowder pouch, a cap-holder." The contents of his library reveal much
about his reading habits: Qiuvres Completes de
Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 21 volumes, 1826 edition; Cours de Physique in two volumes by
Desagulier, 1751 edition; Machines et Inventions
by Gallon in six volumes, 1735 edition; Traite
d'Horlogerie by Moinet in two volumes; Traite
d'Horlogerie by Thiout, in two bound volumes, 1741 edition; an incomplete volume of
Description de Machines et Procedes; Bulletin
de la Societe d'Encouragementpour I'Industrie
Nationale until 1844; six various volumes of
Dalembert's Encyclopedie Methodique; and
others. We also find 23 small paper-backed
volumes in English, including two volumes of
Robinson Crusoe, 85 paper-bound volumes
"unworthy of description," three various volumes of Ozanam's Recreations Mathematiques, four volumes of Guyot's Recreations
Physiques, three volumes of La Magie Blanche
by Decremps, alongside two volumes of
Musee des Families, two volumes of the
Dictionnaire de Napoleon Landais, and three
volumes of the most recent edition of Mille et
line Nuits (Arabian Nights).
151
Illustrations 187 and 188 - Two models of RobertHoudin's The Singing Lesson. (Musee Paul-Dupuy
of Toulouse and private collection)
II
ROBERT-HOUDIN
PST!T SI8I1I
mta,non.
M i t K... 4*30.
rvun
i*
r n nv
A'. MEUE k::ii'r
MUemoiselk SIMOtf,
y.S i 4 j *f 50
DU MEM iWtEUR
USE LEBVC
la (Hu
Co. Cbxtot JHI
Pans, ALPHONSI LEDVC. Rue k it Bse,

* " " ' " -^S K T U t * CWSStKMU,
Illustration 189 - Le Petit sorcier. Quadrille Mignon.

Child's salon show. (Dtdier Woreau Umax collection)
152
ACT
II
The Salon Conjurer

nonetheless alluded to an aborted first attempt
to open his own venue, which can be situated
around 1836-1837:
From 1831 to 1835, while building his clockwork creations, Robert-Houdin began to manufacture the mechanical pieces of his future performances.
I performed this wearisome progress during

six months, and, at the end of that time, though I
had several specimens far advanced, it was still
impossible for me to fix the period when they
would be quite finished. In order not to defer my
appearance before the public, I therefore resolved to begin with my conjuring tricks and
such automata as were ready. I had arranged with
an architect, who was to help me in finding a
suitable site for a theater, but I had scarce taken
my first steps, when an unforeseen catastrophe
[almost completely] ruined both my father-in-law
and myself. [52]
I have already repeatedly mentioned the automata I made, and it is high time to describe the
nature of the articles intended to be used in my
performances.
The first was a small pastrycook issuing from
his shop door at the word of command, and bringing - according to the spectator's requests - pastries and refreshments of every description. At
the side of the shop, assistant pastrycooks might
be seen rolling paste and putting it in the oven.
Another specimen represented two clowns,
[my] Auriol and Debureau. The latter held out at
arm's length a chair, on which his merry comrade
performed acrobatic tricks, like his namesake at
the circus in the Ghamps-Elysees. After these performances, Auriol smoked a pipe, and ended by
accompanying on the flageolet an air played by
the orchestra.
Robert-Houdin always had a long-term vision of his career and one can scarcely understand his day-to-day choices without considering them in the context of a wisely
planned professional and artistic strategy.
During the years preceding the opening of
his theater, the magic aspect of the mechanician's activities was linked to two very distinct domains. While continuing his research
and personal development
in various
branches of the magic art, Robert-Houdin
commercialized some of his inventions and
sold them to a few performers including, if
we believe the press of the period, Ludwig
Dobler, Philippe, and other "celebrities" of
that time.
We know that both amateur and professional conjurers were already paying frequent visits to the mechanician's workshops
because in an undated note. Robert-Houdin
refers to an order by "M. Donckelle [sicReal name of Robin], which Legrand will de-
The next was a mysterious orange-tree, on

which flowers and fruit burst into life at the request of the ladies. As the finale, a handkerchief
I borrowed was conveyed into an orange purposely left on the tree. This opened and displayed the handkerchief, which two butterflies
took by the corners and unfolded before the
spectators.
Lastly, I made a dial of transparent glass,
which marked the hours at the will of the spectators, and struck the time on a crystal ball. [51]
These four experiments are listed on the inaugural playbill of the Soirees Fantastiques de
Robert-Houdin on July 3, 1845. Although
Robert-Houdin's narrative is, as we have already written, fairly vague concerning the
years preceding the debut of his theater, he
153
ROBbRF-HOUDIN
Illustration 190 A salon seance around 1865- Stereoscopic Mew
debut as a conjurer for Parisian society in a

most brilliant and unusual way.
Robert-Houdin did not receive the majority of his support from other professionals,
but instead from his clients, wealthy collectors of mechanical objects. To acquire these
masterpieces, handcrafted in very small numbers, one had to be able to afford such luxuries at a time when the majority of citizens
had to work hard just to make ends meet.
These collectors formed a friendly network
around Robert-Houdin over the years. His
creations were admired, his company was
enjoyed, his skill was found fascinating, and
his workshop began to attract visitors in the
same way as those of famous painters or
sculptors. These collectors, who were all of
his generation, occupied or would occupy
very important positions, and the familiarity
and friendship - the word is not too strong that developed between them furthered his
destiny.
liver to Rue Vendome on Thursday," with no

further details A few years later, the connecuon of these two latter characters had regrettable consequences for the secrets of the
future conjurer s repertoire.
Psychological and financial reasons explain Robert-Houdin's decision to sell some
ol his creations rather then exhibit them
himself. His father-in-law's bankruptcy had
broken the- sound financial equilibrium of
Robert-Houdin's young household and the
mechanician, having a family to support, did
not feel he had the right to risk everything
for an artistic career where glory did not always mean security.
In addition, as we have already written,
Robert-Houdin did not feel any affinity for
the type of performances that the public
seemed to enjoy. This fact could have led the
mechanician to give up his ambitions for the
stage had not certain encounters far from the
universe of "Father Roujol propelled his
154
ACT
II
The second reason is linked to the fact that

he performed in these salons as a guest and
not as a paid performer. Relating the events of
these evenings would have given readers the
impression that Robert-Houdin had revealed
the private life of his hosts, which is something the author always correctly avoided. The
only allusion by Robert-Houdin to this type of
soiree is found in his posthumous work The
Secrets of Stage Conjuring and one must stress
that, well before the publication of this book,
all the protagonists of the story were already
deceased. In his mini-biography of RobertHoudin, Eugene Hatin - who was very close
to Robert-Houdin - is the only author to refer
to the conjurer's first public performances,
which preceded those of Palais-Royal:
At first, it was not Robert-Houdin's financial

situation that most benefited from these relationships. His clients, on the contrary, forced
him to surpass himself and constantly reinvest
his income in new research. This insistence on
quality, this absolute artistic dedication,
earned him the respect of his early admirers,
who naturally took him under their wings and
sponsored his entrance into the most closed
circles of the capital, where Robert-Houdin's
natural elegance could only blossom.
In his memoirs, Robert-Houdin did not describe his artistic activities in Paris prior to
the opening of the Soirees Fantastiques for
several likely reasons. The first is that in a
narrative destined for lay readers, any description of his salon performances would
have merely repeated that of his theater performances.
He began by performing in amateur soirees, and

he so completely succeeded due to the originality
Un attire fait des tours tie cartes :(de qa'elle canlenr vonlez-vtrasroecette carte de'vieim.e ? ronage,1bleue,"verte, jaxme ?
W. PlrjmicW apart je m'en.ras l'eiabamsser:) liariht jaime, mossieu.
eli! lieu portez-la chez le tfiiatarier
}
Illustration 191 - A seance in a bourgeois salon.

Engraving from the work Les Soirees de M. Cocambo by Baric, in Paris. Arnauld de Vresse, Editor (n.d).
155
RoBbRf-HOUDIN
Illustrations 192. 193. and 194 - A salon seance around 1865.

Stereoscopic views. The name of the conjurer in these photographs is unknown.
and finesse of his act that the most prominent salons of Paris wanted to see this new wizard, who
from then on became the hero of all the best parties.
It was indeed no longer the old-fashioned conjuring with rolled-up sleeves and the ever-present
collection of cups and double-bottomed boxes;
this was a man of the world mixing in with the audience and leading them from surprise to surprise
with no apparatus other than his fingers, with no
other accomplice but himself.
Among the good souls interested in the

brilliant craftsman's future was the young
Count de l'Escalopier, who frequently invited
Robert-Houdin to his hotel particulier situated
at 25, Place Royale - today the Place des
Vosges for his intimate soirees where RobertHoudin willingly displayed his talents. The elegance with which he carried out his performance flattered the elite audience's good taste
(which one evening included His Grace,
Monseigneur Affre, Archbishop of Paris). These
spectators did not hesitate to encourage him.
156
Robert-Houdin's fame grew in this little circle,

and, following the example of the Count de
l'Escalopier, his other protectors, among them
Benjamin Delessert, director of the Caisse
d'Epargne, contributed to his first steps in the
performance world.
Even though artists of various talents were
paid to entertain the guests at aristocratic salons or the haute bourgeoisie, their presence at
these soirees was limited to the length of their
performances. They did not mix with the
guests, either before or after their performances, following which the social barriers
were again raised. Only certain types of artists
escaped the era's social prejudice, including
poets, writers, painters, and composers. The
fact that Robert-Houdin's astonishing creations
were so admired allowed him to be part of
these soirees where only those of the same social class mixed. Robert-Houdin knew how to
project himself as an interesting and well-read
raconteur and very quickly learned how to
ACT
model his behavior on that of his interlocutors.

Throughout the evening, he was expected to
be one of those charming personalities "who
can enliven a select group and whose social talents can amuse or amaze.
II
cause some of his clocks and automata decorated the reception rooms. Robert-Houdin was
admitted to all these residences for maintenance of his mechanical creations, and one can
easily imagine that he had the chance to secretly prepare, a few days in advance, the
place where his "improvised" show would be
performed.
This unique situation brought a great many

advantages to the artist, who was aware of
exactly why he had been invited. His network
of friends grew and both his reputation and business benefited from this arrangement, and
numerous hosts, aware that he had become the
star attraction of their receptions and their charity events, considered themselves indebted to
him. At a time when the protection of the powerful was as good as law. Robert-Houdin, recognized artist and unpaid magician, accrued
considerable assets in public relations, whose
interest he would receive until the end of his
life.
This would have provided him a huge advantage in terms of the impact of his effects. A
playing card slipped under the center of a
heavy carpet, a bill or coin conveniently hidden under a candelabra or a vase could transform a simple trick into a small miracle. In certain cases, the "invisible" help of household
servants could be just as useful.
At all such events, card tables were set up in
the living room, where the guests could play
against each other whenever they desired. One
can readily imagine the success of RobertHoudin's demonstrations of card-sharping. This
aspect of his repertoire must have been one of
At these soirees, Robert-Houdin's repertoire

consisted mainly of "parlor tricks." He often
knew the places where he was to perform be157
ROBER'l-HOLDIN
standard elements of the card-sharp's wardrobe. Robert-Houdin was one of the first, if not
the first, to adapt several of these invisible
weapons to evening wear exclusively for
conjuring, and he invented many others.
Before becoming the world famous illusionist, Robert-Houdin was already at that time a
master of the brilliant magic specialty that was
later called table magic, then close-up magic.
Without having ever performed, at least officially, before the Parisian public, the conjurer
had already been accepted by an audience
whose approval alone could make an artist famous. We can be certain that during the seven
years from 1837 to 1844, Robert-Houdin created and refined the formula for the Soirees
Fantastiques, whose context and structure so
closely resembled the places where he performed during this period.
Because he was a revelation to these worldly
circles, their appreciation and attention put an
end to many of the author's doubts. His vision
the most popular because twenty years later he

wrote in his daily diaries that in certain soirees
to which he was invited, he could not "refuse
to perform a few cheating demonstrations" at
the guests' request.
These examples, to which we could easily
add, show that for years preceding the opening
of the Soirees Fantastiques, Robert-Houdin
practiced his art in public using only his remarkable manual dexterity. The necessity of
performing at these salons in a seemingly improvised manner forbade all use of obvious
equipment. At these events, his only props
were those of any worldly man: handkerchief,
coins, bills, visiting cards, watch, wallet, etc.
This led him to perfect the resources that his
evening wear could provide, and which he
began to modify by adding all sorts of secret
pockets, which he would later describe in The
Secrets of Conjuring and Magic. Although
some of these principles were already used in
traditional magicians' clothing, they were also
158
ACT
of magic, his elegance, his carefully composed

texts, a bit scholarly but full of humor, seduced
a public that abhorred puns and mystifications
and would never have deigned to attend a curiosity show. The refined elite, curious about
all scientific progress, had found itself the perfect artist; and as for Robert-Houdin, he had finally found his path. It was now simply a matter of time, means, and lucky opportunities.
Fig. 8.
Fig. 9.
Illustrations 195 and 196 The secret pockets of the conjurer's vest. Engravings from Robert-Houdin s work The
Secrets of Conjuring and Magic (op cit).
159
II
ROBERT-HOUDIN
The Little Parisian Curiosity Shows

Besides specialized theaters like that of
M. Comte, or halls in which certain magicians sporadically performed, there were in
Paris many small curiosity shows whose

longevity was variable. As Robert-Houdin's
Soirees Fantastiques w as classed three years
Police Prefect
General Headquarters
2 ' Office
district
8"
9
10"
IT"
12"
Address
Status of
in virtue of authorizations or tolerances
Name of
Entrepreneur
Type of show
Grand carre des Champs Elysees Sire Langlois

Panorama
Avenue Gabrieile
id.
--Navalorama
Gamain
Wax figures
"
Porcelet
Avenue des Champs Elysees N 94
idem
N 138
Various living animals
"
Genal
Rue du faubourg Montmartre N 18 " Perdrizet & Richard Extraordinary horse
Palais Royal
Seraphin
Seraphin's Chinese Shadows
Rue Nve Coquenard, N 18
Morin
Puppets
A savage's exercises, at the Cafe des Aveugles
Palais Royal
Henri
Rue StHonoreN0 324
"
Harrington Conjuring tricks
Boulevard Bonne Nomelle Nos 10 & 12
Curiosities
Pradel
Dwarves, various animals
Dubernes
id
id
- N 8
Juggling
Caveau Montesquieu
"
Hesnard
Boulevard St Denis N 10
Various curiosities
"
Devalette
Rue Neuve Chabrol
"
Emile Bougeat Tightrope walkers
Boulevard du Temple N 84
Mechanical show
"
Massey
id
N 54
Wax figures
"
Se Jores
id Jardin Turet N 29
Gas microscope
Trousse!
Boulevard Beaumarchais
Various curiosities
Quinel
No such show exists in this District
Rue de Charonne N 56
-I
Auclerc Chinese shadows
Rue des Barres St Gervais N 22
1
Mercier
Puppets
No such show exists in this District
Rue de VEcole de Medecine
Robert
Optics
Gouaut
Butte Montparnasse
Experimental physics
Liote
idem
Conjuring tricks
Salaberi
idem
Learned horse
idem
idem
idem
idem
Rue de VHotel Colbert N 9
Rue de Bievre N 21
Rue Moufetard N 48
Rue St Nicolas du Chardonnet N 7
Rue St Jean de Beauvais N 34
Gamier
Mercier
Botte
Flanc
Bastard Steub
Sexe
Queval Morin
Optics
Various curiosities
Puppets
Mechanics
Tightrope walkers, jugglers
idem
-idem
-idem
Mechanics
ACT
later in this particular category, the reader

will hopefully be interested in this table of
the capital's "minor" distractions during
Csllf"lOSlty
the year 1842 in which the art of conjuring

was represented by M. Harrington and
M. Liote.
Paris, January 25, 1842

SflOWS currently running in Paris,
granted by the State Counsel, Police Prefect.
Authorizations or tolerance
Comments
Authorization of the Minister of the Interior

---
Authorization of the Prefect of Police on November 2, 1838 _____ id
id , May 3,1838
id
, October 18, 1841
id
idid
, December 11, 1841Tolerated by the Police Prefect
Authorization by the Police Prefect on November 15, 1841
Tolerated by the Police Prefect
--Authorization by the Police Prefect on December 23, 1841
Tolerated by the Police Prefect
ididAuthorization of the Police Prefect, obtained in March 1828 id
id
, October 8, 1841
----- id
id
, May 7, 1835
id id
, June 30, 1840
id id
--, September 22, 1822..... id
- id , January 18, 1841
id
id
, March 1, 1837
id
id
id
id
id
idid
idid
idid
id
id
- idid
idid-
idid
idTolerated by the Police Prefect -
id-
ididididididid-
-, November 1, 1841, October 8, 1841

-, May 26, 1840 -, April 7, 1836
-, April 21, 1836
-, December 17, 1835
-, May 21, 1834
-, April 7, 1835
-, February 20, 1836 -, October 17, 1831 -
II
Permission also granted for the Place St. Sulpice
Seen by the State Counsel Prefect of Police
ROBLRT-HOUDIN
Grandes soirees mysterieuses de til'. PHILLIPPK (Boulevard et Bazar Bonne-N'ouvelle)
1
2
3
4
Cuisine de 7arafarajamus
l e Chapelierde 1943.
Le Faon majjique
la Rnn)fiilLe enchantee
Illustration 19"7 - Grandes Soirees Mysterieuses
6
I
8
8
taTele mfernale
LeChapeaumerveilleux
lArleqmn savant
Le ConBseur qalant.
de M. Philippe.
162
10 U Bassm de Neplune
ou lespoissons dor
ella menadene prodigteuse.
11 Eclairaje de toullelhealre improvise
ACT
II
Philippe Talon, known as Philippe

In his memoirs, Robert-Houdin concluded
his portrait gallery of famous magicians with
Philippe. Before Robert-Houdin exclusively
reigned in the capital, Philippe was the last
tenor of the profession who won the approval
of Parisians. The biographical notes the author
dedicated to him are lighter in tone than the
preceding ones. Robert-Houdin showed an
amused kindness that is sometimes absent
from his portrayals of Comte and Bosco. We
cannot conclude from this that Robert-Houdin
had a more profound admiration for Philippe
than for his other colleagues, but the manner
in which he discusses him certainly shows an
obvious fondness.
After somewhat successfully practicing the
trade of confectioner in France, England, and
then in Scotland, Philippe became a conjurer,
and with his assistant Macallister, toured the
English provinces and Ireland. It was in this
country, wrote Robert-Houdin, that a Chinese
conjurer revealed to him the secret of two
feats with which his name remains associated:
Neptune's Basins, or The Goldfish - a trick in
which crystal basins filled with water and fish
were produced from under a shawl previously
shown empty - and The Chinese Rings, in
which wide metal rings link to one another
and mysteriously separate. Throughout his career, Philippe benefited from a flattering reputation in England, where some critics did
not hesitate to say that he was superior to all
English magicians. Robert-Houdin undoubtedly had a chance to attend Philippe's
Parisian performances in the Montesquieu
Hall in 1841, but in Memoirs of Robert163
Houdin he described the performances given

from 1843 to 1845 at the Bazar BonneNouvelle.
The artist had a small, stylish room set up
on the second floor of the establishment,
"excellently adapted for this style of performance," christened the ''Palais Enchante,
Soirees mysterieuses de M. Philippe" with
stalls, pit, gallery, and tiered seating.
Accompanied by six musicians "of dubious
talent," Philippe performed shows that at-
Illustration 198 - Philippe, le celebre magicien de Paris.

Austrian engraving from the first half of the 19" century.
ROBERT-HOUDIN
(Philippe le prestidigitateur, au bazar du boulevard Boune-Nouvelle.
Illustration 199 - Philippe in the effect Neptune's Basins or The Goldfish.
ACT
tracted a large audience for a few months.

His repertoire consisted of conjuring experiments; the presentation of automata - such
as The Cossack, The Magic Peacock, and The
Harlequin; a version of the Inexhaustible
Hat, renamed Fortunatus's Hat; a burlesque
scene. The Kitchen of Parafaragaramus; and
finally a second part entitled The Festival of
Nankin in which, in a Chinese setting, dressed in an ample Oriental-type outfit,
Philippe performed the ring routine and the
goldfish effect, the latter's modus operandi
requiring the wearing of a robe. In his description of Philippe's automata. RobertHoudin deliberately omitted mention of The
Gallant Confectioner - a cousin of The
Impromptu Liquor Merchant and The Dutch
House sold by Roujol - to avoid confusion in
the reader's mind between the effect of this
trick and his own Pastrycook of Palais-Royal.
We will later also see that the general structure of these two mechanisms, their effects,
and especially the means and principles used
by Robert-Houdin in this trick were completely different from those of Philippe. Roujol,
and De Rovere.
STRAND
OPEN
II
THEATRE.
EVERY
EVENING,
And (by desire) M. Fhillippe will give A
GRAND MORNING PERFORMANCE

Every Wednesday and Saturday.
The Morning Performances commence at 2 o'clock. The Evening
Performances commence at quarter before 8.
" l a Galate est la sante de L'ame la Tristesse en est le poison."
Stalls $s.
Boxes 2s.
MODERN
Pit Is.
Gallery 6d.
MIRACLES!!
Part lWill comprise Ms celebrated and Unrivalled Tours du

Physique, and Astcundinjf Feats of Magical Delusions,
including a Selection from the following popular
Experiments and Astonishing Deceptions,

Which MI 1 prepared nt an immense expence during the recent recess,
so as to render an entire change in his various entertainments;
M.
E will commence the Performances

on each occasion by LIGHTING
250ThisWAX
CANDLES BY A SINGLE PISTOL SHOT,
Unique and brilliant Experiment was originally performed by
M, PliiUtppe for upwards of ;oo consecutive nights in Paris.

The Miller of Amsterdam
Mndamoiselle Poupee
A New Svstem of making SwertThe Obedient Cards
meatft i Bon botisforthe Million,
1'lie learned Mercury
Gratis !
The Fenlher Bush
Cupid's Pulace and the MHRIC Rose
Flight Myslerieuse
" A Lesson for the Ladies," or a Ntw
The Metamorphoses, or the Charmed
Method of Making Coffee,
The Voyage of Papa t,ftpin
ORAND DISTRIBUTION OP THE BRITISH FLAG!!

" The Flag- that"s Braved a Thousand years," | " The Battle and the Breeze,"
IS THE COURSK OB THE liVltNINQ M. 1'HILLIPPE WILL INTRODUCE
HIS GRANDMOTHER'S CAP

WITH AIX ITS RAPID AND HUMOUROUS TRANSFORMATIONS.
Pas de Characters
Pas de Zephyr The Highland Fling -
Mile. PAULINE CHIARINI.

Mile. CONSTANCE CHIARINI.
- Mile. VAUUNE CHIARINI.
Composed and arranged for La Petite Adele CHIARINI (only 3 years of age)
AFTHR WHICH THE CBl.EBItATED
AMERICAN BROTHERS
Ohio, Missouri and Askanaas, will appear in their popular scene, entitled
Ot.YMUC GAMftOLS. in which they will perfoira several of
their most powerful and nbtoundiog Feats of Agility,
The whole to conclude with
A NIGHT IN THE PALACE OF PEKIN,
In which M. 1Phillippe will -perform some of the iost Extraordinary Tours

d Addrcsse, including his most brillinnt & peculiar
INDIAN AND CHINESE FEATS !
THE HAT OF GOOD FORTUNE

Endless and Inexhaustible Profusion1
Including the Grand European bazaar 1' and
Prodigious Distiibutum of Flora's
f
The Pyrotechnic Bottle*
"""
'"
The Kntertainiuentss will terminate each evening, with the
astounding a nd surpribing delusions, entitled
The Maîr Telescope

The Prolific Aviery afj and Flying
i
l e Bassins de Neptane et les Poissons d'or and the Grand Menagerie.

%*) The above Programme is the most novel Entertainment now in London, and
must be seen to be believed, the Public Press has pronounced it to be the most
marvellous pfrforntance evrr executed, and taffies all description.
The Morning Performances will commence at a o'clock.
The ttveuing Performances at Quarter-before 8.
Private Boxes (lor I?our Persons) 10s.fidand \ is. {for Six Persons), which
may be secured at Mitchell's Royal Library, 33, Old Bond Street, and at the
Box Office of the Theatre, which is open daily from 10 till 5.
li'JR & MUIXIN, Printers, Silver Street, Golden Square.
Illustrations 200 and 201 - Philippe at the Strand Theater.

Engraving and bill of Philippe in London This bill is taken
from Magic, November 1904.
165
ROBKRT-HOUDIN
** EL Wlli.S. -=Z = = H
Illustration 202 - Salon seance by Philippe.

Engraving from Madame Albertine de Juvigny's work Abecedaire progressif. Paris, Fonteney and Peltier. Booksellers-Editors
(n.d.).
Robert-Houdin's arrival on the the Parisian

stage in 1845 helped "convince" Philippe to
leave the capital for lucrative tours in the
provinces and abroad. A few years later, he resumed the trade of confectioner, but either his
business was not entirely successful or the call
of the stage was stronger, because Philippe, already elderly, returned to his lengthy travels. He
went to Russia and the Balkans for a last, disastrous tour before heading to Asia, where he
passed away in Boukhara, Turkey, on June 27,
1878 at almost seventy-six years of age. [54]
,$<xtm de PxtsttdUfntion m, fyiu- âiru: KsoaMola/lts Tours de passe* ptis.se

tie la<I'Jiyjiuwc, do ('Cplujti.* &"'
Illustration 203 - A few of Philippe's effects.

Plate from La Nouvelle magie blanche devoilee by an Amateur, Paris, Ruel Aine, Publisher-Bookseller. 1852.
ACT
II
Illustration 204 - Sole photographic portrait of Philippe (circa 1868). Philippe Talon, known as Philippe. Born in Allais (Gard)
on December 25, 1802, died in Boukhara (Turkestan) on June 27, 1878.
ROBFRI -HOUDIN
Illustration 205
Robert-Houdin's Writing and Drawing Automaton.
Drawing inspired by Leon Noel s 1848 lithograph.
ACT
II
Vaucanson's Duck, Von Kempelen's Chess Player,

and Robert-Houdin's Writing and Drawing Automaton
tion as many scientists contend. But this is what
I plan to address and demonstrate on this occasion. The digested matter in the stomach is
brought through tubes, as in an animal's intestines, to the anus, where a sphincter allows it
to exit.
I do not attempt to claim that this digestion is
perfect, capable of making blood and nourishment for the well-being of the animal: it would be
unfair, I believe, to reproach me for failing to do
so. I merely try to imitate the mechanics of this
action in three ways: first, swallowing the grain;
second, chewing it, heating or dissolving it; third,
making it come out in an altered form... [56]
A very large part of the first volume of

Memoirs of Robert-Houdin is dedicated to
educating the reader about the celebrities of
magic who preceded Robert-Houdin, as well
as about the creations of the famous automaton builders. This choice of the author was
dictated not only by an objective pedagogical
intent, but also by the goal of placing his
works into perspective with respect to those
of his colleagues. In the area of automata,
Robert-Houdin humorously recounted the
supposed merits of The Bronze Fly. The
Bronze Head, and finally The Bronze Man, before lengthily presenting in the most laudatory
manner the illustrious mechanician of the
eighteenth century, Jacques de Vaucanson. [55]
Vaucanson's genius brought us The German
Flute Player, The Tambourine Player, and The
Artificial Duck. The latter automaton had already become a legend in Robert-Houdin's
time. Here is how the mechanician from
Grenoble described his Duck in a letter addressed to Monsieur l'Abbe D.F. (Father
Desfontaines) in 1738:
This mythical duck, which had remained so

vivid in the public's memory, enormously
stimulated Robert-Houdin's curiosity and admiration. During his early days in Paris he had
begun researching the creations of his glori-
The New Automata, Sir, that I plan to exhibit

on next Easter Monday, along with my Flute
Player, are: first, a Duck, in which I present the
mechanisms of the viscera in order to show the
functions of drinking, eating, and digestion; I declare that all the necessary elements of these actions are perfectly imitated - he stretches his
neck to take the seed from one's hand, he swallows it, digests it, and renders it in the ordinary
way completely digested; all of the gestures of a
Duck as he hurriedly swallows and increases
speed in the movement of his gullet to make his
nourishment descend to his stomach are copied
from nature; the food is digested in the manner of
actual animals, by dissolution and not by tritura-
Illustration 206 - Jacques de Vaucanson.

Medallion of the illustrious mechanician.
169
ROBHiT-HOUDIN
MECANISME
DU FLUTEUR
AUTOMATE,
Prefcntc a Meffieurs de l'Academie Royale
des Sciences.
Par M. VAUCANSON, Auteur it cette M*chm,
Afec
La defcription d'un Canard Artificial, mangeant, beuvant,

digerunt & fe vuidant, epluchant fes ai'es &fesplumes, imitant en diverfes mameresun Canard vivant.
Invent^ par la mefine.
Et nilCi
Celle d'une antre figure, ^galement merveillenre, jotiint da

Tambourin & ae [a Flute, ituvant la relation, qa'il
en a donnê d^puis fon Mtfmoirc crit.
P A R I S,
Ckei ]ACQ,UES G D E R I N , Imprimeur-Libraire, Quai
des Aagultins.
E T SE V E N D
Dans la Sale de dite figures Automates,
M. DCC. XXXV I I I .
yEC
PERMISSION
D U
R 0 I.
Illustrations 2CT and 208 The mechanism of the Flutist Automaton by Vaucanson.
Frontispiece engraving and cover page of the work of the famous mechanician published in 1738.
memoirs [of the Academie des Sciences], was

only a mystification - a real canard, in fact.
Decidedly, Vaucanson was not only my master in
mechanism, but I must bow before his genius for
juggling.
The trick was as simple as it was interesting.
A vase, containing seed steeped in water, was
placed before the bird. The motion of the bill, in
dabbling, crushed the food and facilitated its introduction into a pipe placed beneath the lower
bill. The water and seed thus swallowed fell into
a box placed under the bird's stomach, which
was emptied after exhibitions every three or four
days. The other part of the operation was thus
effected - bread-crumb, colored green, was expelled by a forcing pump, and carefully caught
on a silver salver as the result of artificial diges-
ous predecessor. A few years later, providence

would allow him to auscultate this masterpiece and discover a secret that he would reveal to us.
...but in 1844 [In fact in 1846], Vaucanson's
duck was exhibited in a room at the PalaisRoyal. Of course I was one of the first to visit it
and was much struck by its skillful and learned
formation.
Some time after, one of the wings having been
injured, the duck was sent to me to repair, and I
was initiated into the famous mystery of digestion. To my great surprise, I found that the illustrious master had not disdained to have recourse
to a trick which a conjurer would have been
proud of. The digestion, [the tour deforce of his
automaton], so pompously announced in the
170
ACT
II
tion. This was handed round to be admired,

while the ingenious trickster laughed in his
sleeve at the credulity of the public.
[This trick, far from changing my high opinion of Vaucanson, on the contrary inspired a
twofold admiration for his knowledge and his
savoir-faire.] [57]
Certain early twentieth-century authors or

historians of automata, like Pierre Devaux
[58] or Alfred Chapuis, [59] never forgave
Robert-Houdin for revealing the trick used
by Vaucanson. Without giving the slightest
proof to the contrary, they accused the
conjurer's ''secret" of being false. We must
then deduce that the legitimate admiration
that Vaucanson inspired in these authors
made them gullible enough to really believe
that in the middle of the eighteenth century,
the illustrious mechanician had created reallife digestive mechanisms that would still be
envied today by our most knowledgeable
surgeons.
After this revelation about Vaucanson's
Duck, Robert-Houdin explained in a long
narrative the reasons leading to Von
Kempelen's creation of The Chess Player.
This was the most famous automaton of the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the one
that was most written about, and the one
whose authenticity and feats were the most
contested by its contemporaries. In the public's opinion, Vaucanson's Duck and Von
Kempelen's Chess Player were both genuine
automata, a perfectly justified view in the
case of the famous duck of the mechanician
from Grenoble, but totally wrong in the case
of the Viennese baron's android. The latter
was one of a host of trick automata to which
their creators attributed a sort of artificial intelligence that was demonstrated through
tasks performed by apparently highly sophisticated mechanisms. In numerous cases,
these mechanisms were only for show or
Illustration 209 - Supposed mechanism of Vaucanson's

Duck.
M. Charles DULLIN, Han:. le role du btiroti i)t" KrmpeUn, du film
LE JOUEUR
D'ECHECS
J e l Socu-ttf des Films historiques (exrtn,fn>tlt' Jean tie .'//<v7y^
Illustration 210 - Photograph from the film The Chess

Player.
From La Petite illustration cinematographique, February
1927. (Georges Proust collection)
171
ROBERT-HOUDIN
ASITOMATOBT.
LETTRES
SUR
V S
AUTOMATE,
QUI JOUE
AUX
ECHECS.
Premiere Lettre
a 1' Auteur du Mercure de France.
si Prtshourg
1770.
Monfieur,
%, J '.He laiffe k d'autres le foin de faire

V" le recit des iites btillantes qu'a
occafionne ici la prefence de 1' Impe'ratrice
Reine, de V Empereur & de toute la Fa-
Illustration 211 - Lettres sur un automate quijoue

echecs.
Title page of this booklet published in 1770.
Illustration 212 - The Chess Player.
aux
English engra\ ing of The Chess Player
beginning of the performance all the doors

of the desk were opened to show the audience that there was nothing inside except
a finely tuned entanglement of cogs,
springs, and cams. The metallic shell covered with the material of the Turkish chess
player's body was also opened, and all these
procedures hopefully proved to the audience that there was no possibility of
human presence in the android. After the
mechanism had been wound up, the chess
game could begin between the automaton
and a player chosen from the audience. The
Turk's head started to move, his arm hovered above the chessboard, and his fingers
"powder in the eyes" that hid the presence,

inside or outside the automaton, of one or
more assistants, who remained invisible to
all and who were the real '"brains" of the device. These artifices did not make the
concepts and the extraordinary actions of
these machines less remarkable, but they
belong more to the patrimony of illusionism
than to that of mechanism.
Von Kempelen's Chess Player [60] was a
life-sized automaton dressed in Oriental clothing and wearing a turban. He was seated
behind a desk with a chessboard. This desk
contained the various mechanisms that allowed the automaton to move, and at the
ri
ACT
grasped the pieces, which he placed one by

one onto other squares. Whatever the outcome of the game, which the automaton
often won, the performance was so fascinating that crowds rushed to see it and even
some of the world's most prominent individuals deigned to play against the android,
who, on these occasions, knew how to be a
good diplomat and lose.
II
Of course it did not enter into RobertHoudin's mind to reveal to the lay public
the real modus operandi of The Chess
Player automaton - which a certain number
of "exposers" had already taken it upon
themselves to publish more or less accurately. He also had no intention of providing a
history lesson for future chroniclers of the
magic art. Instead, he wanted to prevent his
own such creations from being associated
with trick automata. Robert-Houdin also magnified Von Kempelen's personality in his
narrative by attributing generous and humanitarian motives to him, ideas that, according to the author, were the only reasons
behind the Viennese mechanician's creation
of The Chess Player!
Illustration 213 - Baron von Kempelen.
For the great pleasure of his readers,

Robert-Houdin painted an epic portrait of
a young and heroic Polish officer named
Illustration 214 The secret of The Chess Player. Engravings from a plate in Brewster's work, Xouveau manuel de Magie natiirelle
et amusante. published bv AD Vergnaud, Paris, Roret. 1839
173
ROBFR'I-HOCDIN
MAELZEI/S EXHIBITION,
EXHIBITION
No. 28, St. Jamet'i-Street,
Of the Ne Plus Ultra in Mechanism,

The AUTOMATON
EVERY DAY FROM ONE TILL tOUK O'CLOCK, AND F5OM EIGHT WLL KIMS 1H 1HS K73
A REPRESENTATION OF THE
Conflagration
of Moscow,
flg
PLAYER,
'- -hich
^ Mr.
* M
fins
-
' to
combine
- the
- An
'rw of Dfcigt., Mechr.U, ndMaie,Ml*
IK
endeavoured
lie of ilie
ii ro
froM in elee rut
X icene.
feme. The
Theview
W
o produrc, by novel imiulian of Nstnr*, a perfect f.csimile
Med .lauon an the fortrw* of t) Kremlin, U llie mommi wlint ihe inhibit int. .re encattln* t t
lire,
tiie
hnrryiiifj
himlc
uf
the
fugitive*,
ifie
n;emti>
nf
the
hit us entry. The gnduil prcjfw*
of the Czarc, and the head of ilia French cotuirini commence*
f
d h i
h
f h f i
f
f h
l i ,*" md
P the din of Hlike-*wti
AKD
Automaton Trumpeter,
4, SPRING GARDENS,
" THIS"
Automaton Ohess^JPlayer
JFrojB 1 tfCtotk to i>, tad et 8 i* Ike Etming.

T H R Automaton Chew Pl.iyer bai conquered the
first Players in Europe, and excited universal astonisimieut. Altliougii every part of the interior Mechanism is exhibited to public scrutiny, previously
to every Pcrformant-e no one has yet succeeded in
discovering the principle of its action. The Automaton will play with any of the Company inclined to
oppose it; and such is its experience on the Board,
that the Knight may be set at pleasure on any of the
sixty-four squares, and the Automaton will move it
successively into every square of the Hoard, without
touching the same sauare twice.
The Automaton Trumpeter (the Invention of Mr.
J. Maefzel, of Vienna), is known to a limited part of
the British Public, by its performance during two
nights at the English Opera, when the audience honored it with the most rapturous applause. It will
perform a variety of Cavalry Signals, as also several
Marches, with Instrumental Accompaniments, written
by the moat distinguished Composers.
The three Morning Exhibitions will begin precisely
at One, half-past Two, and Four o'clock ; when, for
the general accommodation of the Public, the Chess
Player's operations will be limited to the playing of
several curious and scientific ends of Games against
any Opponent.In the Evening it will be ready to
commence a Game with any Antagonist.
Both tht Automata are tunable *f prrformirtf in OM purl o/ the
Ream, but ike Mechamim of Ih i'rumpettr cu*not it ta.'iibittdto
the Public.
Admittance toeach Performance2i.6</. Children Is.&d.
Of Mr. DE KEMPELEK ^
The Automaton Cii'- i'lsjer will

ll pL>
pL> tlie Mi
Mine came it played attaum
attamit the Empwof
Empeiof NATOLYOW
during hit Itit campnt|ti
hen
M. U I ilia
Im
h Mr.
M M
i honour
hnour of exhibiting
hbiti
Im various
u i u i meciwnkil
A
c u runralicc*HE Hchonbrutin, i
t. Tlie Chen-Player h u -itlmooJ the fir Pl.ver* i s EarotMf,
and excited u n m r n j attune lent. Ahlttiiigh Ihe interior mwhinwm exliibiied lo bo' 1 '
no one tiu yet mcceeded hi d covering the |>rinciple of its action.
THE ORCHESTRION,
A grand Musical Instrument invented by J O H N M A E L Z E L .
The Orchestrion U a Musical InMmmetit, corulructed on different principl front my biiLita * Wbltdln Loatlon,fll It contafnv ig ftli'v, > iJn. l.i.iiuun.-nt*inpkiye<J in imlunry liani); it in purely
mwlitnlcil, but could esuiy be adipied (or any one to pl*y on. It dilVcn etwutiiliy from the APOLLONlCOK,aiid all otlier imtrutnenli eunsirurleil ftilfi organ-pipes; it it, Wide*, the only one of ihe Htne liie
ond iiuwei in Euroj),
Tlie moit eoiinent Comnwar. in London and on the Continent hve given it their onqul,fied appro.
utng it
it to
to the
tli jj tidgmenl
g e n t nff B
Brinth public:
public be
be
a Brinth
ballon ; Mr. M fecit, therefore, *omt conGdence iin tdlimiutng
j w i i n h r l y m u n i ! ihni attantloo to \bn precision, delic.cy, .nd e pre..ia n with hieh it perform; the
ntott difficult piece* of rnutic, pradocing aliogetlief n efTett which can only bu eiiuitlkij by liVinn beinrt
It will perform w o o f the following Vines:

THE OVEHTURK TO T1M0THKUS, COmpote<l bv HASDJL.
MILITARY SYMPHONY
HAYHN.
TiiK OVRRTU11E TO tODOlSKA .
. .
CHMCBIKI
VICTORY SVMPHOKY
BbKtliwYBK.
ClItUCBiNI
AN ECHO PIECE . . .
,
MOMCIIELW.
TWO MARCHES
The Uit three piece* computed exprwil; foe the Ordicit tion, nd out of fnemlthip for Mr. M.
W * A few yt*n ifnce, a very imperfect insirament of tiiii deicripiion n i exhibitea in Londoo,
under tus t i m e of PtttharmtvuroH; the pt nun who then proclaimed himielf i the inn-nior h*d conmted
during tbe tbMOCt of Mr. Mielxel fiom Vienm, hy the aid of workmen nren.n*ly employed by Mr
M. to BwcufMtura an itnituion of Mr. M.'t origin*invention. Thin tteniV-nt will nut br rertived a
mere Bumpported utertlon, tince, at the time of Mr. M,' fini acrivtl in thU rauntry, when Iw found the
o called Pmlitrmcmieoi) in URIUKI exhibition, he lost no tiai in iiibmiuing by s<i*rtbi.'iiient in the
dily prinu,
prinu, tb
tb ii h
h
tt fret*
dily
fret* to the iioti of the pnbire, liiereby giving to the exhibitor an opportunity
of comrtdietlag tfeit itMemtnt nd which he thought proprr never to do.
of comrtdietlag tfeit itMemtn
T
THE AUTOMATOlTTRUMPETER
Of JOHN MAET.ZEJ, of Vienna.
The Tmmpeto* will perform two Mwchc*, with loiuumenul Accompaniment, untten, exprely for
r
'
I t e A a u m i u a , by (be UWM aUtlnguif bed C o n j w t n .
Adauthmet
3*.Ctii(drt*t 1.
# 'fhc Exhibition will positively close on Saturday the V4th.
OAK*)*, Pritltr,4,
No. 29, St. James's Street.
Ia
I
Chess
Player
The
Automaton
Worousky, who found himself heading a heroic and desperate insurrection against the
Tzar's armies. Gravely wounded by a gunshot that broke both his legs, Worousky
owed his salvation to Dr. Orloff, who, in
order to save his patient, had to amputate
both his legs. In spite of his recovery, the
Polish hero's life was still in danger because
the Tzar's police actively pursued him. The
renegade's only consolation was the game
of chess, at which he was remarkably talented. M. Von Kempelen, having come in a
most timely fashion to visit his friend
1
|
MAELZEL'S EXHIBITION,
1 Edinburgh and Liverpool, where (giving the Pav

, in upwards uf 200 Games, although opposed by AT,L
oycucD itjs
WITH THE
! AUTOMATON T R U M P E T E R ,
AND TH E
Conflagration ofJUoscow,
tit which M M. has endeavo ired to combine (he A&TS of DESIOH, MIJCKANISK, and Music, so an
h MbyM
h
d dof Nature, opeifucl Fie Simile of the leal Scene. The View is from
I
a novel
Iinitntion
produce,
an elevated Station on the Fortress of the Kremlin, a t the Moment when the Inhabitants are
evacuating the C.ipilul of the Czars, aud (he Head of tUe French Columns commence* it Entry.
The gradual Progress of the Fire, the hurrying Hustle of the Fugitives, the Eagerness of the
Invaders, ami the' Dm of warlike Sounds, wilt tend lo impress the Spectator with a true Idea of
a Scene which Ijalllts nil Powers of Description.
Tiie MORNING EXHIBITIONS begin a l l wid 3 o'Clocb, and the EVENING EXHIBITION at 8
precisely, uhen, OAMl'-S will be played AGAINST ANY 0 P P 0 N E 8 T , lo whom the double
Adyantoge of A PAWN AND T H E MOVE W l L t BE GIVEN.
Jidmisswn gs.6ii
Children is.M.
each.
04- Eaeh ExIiiWUon 1nU One Hour. Should a Game nnUnfiniihed in that Time, the Parly Vii! b e a t
Liberty to take it <!<>*n with a View to ill liciag resumed at another Opportunity.
\!r,M- itgi leave to eniioKttce that the OnCHBSTBioN, the AaTaU4Ton TaowrsrsB, the CoHfuaHjrivx
Moitoir, end the I'atetilfor the MBTUVNOHKS, are to be dmpntd of.
CtAtriitt-Smtt,Btmt.
IQ
(ID
i
I
i
Figures 215. 216. and 2V - Advertisements for Maelzel.

Posters announcing Maelzel's exhibition of Von Kempelen's
Chess Player in London at no. 29. St. James Street. (215 J.B. Findlay. 216 - John Gaughan Collection, 217 -Histoire
et evolution technique de la prestidigitation by Max Dif).
T
!
or
I
174
ACT II
Dr. Orloff, noted the outlaw's unhappy situation and his skill in chess, which then
gave him the idea of a machine whose humanitarian goal was above all to allow
Worousky to escape. A few years later this
eminently romanticized tale, lacking historical foundation, became the basis of a drama
entitled La Czarine, to which we will return
later.
In his memoirs Robert-Houdin explains
that in 1844 he had the opportunity to examine the wreckage of Von Kempelen's Chess
Player shown to him by a certain Cronier,
"mechanician in Belleville," to whom
Maelzel's heirs had sold it. If it is historically
true that Von Kempelen's automaton was
sold to Maelzel and that he died before 1844
[si] - more precisely on July 21, 1838 - the
Viennese mechanician's automaton remained in America after Maelzel's death.
Robert-Houdin believed that he saw the original of the famous automaton at Cronier's,
but it may have simply been a copy. We
have attempted to discover more about
Cronier, whose first name was Alexandre,
like that of his colleague Roujol, and who
often worked for Robert-Houdin during the
period he manufactured and sold mechanical pieces. In my edition of the Memoirs published by Stock in 1994, I reproduced a letter by Robert-Houdin dated October 19,
1847 in which he mentioned mechanisms
made by Cronier for a mechanical picture
depicting cats. In this letter, Robert-Houdin
seemed to speak about the talented mechanician in the past tense: "...for which our
poor M. Cronier had made the mechanism..."
Alexandre Cronier was not unknown in the
magic circles of the era. He was one of a
few craftsmen who manufactured conjuring
equipment and automata to be used by
conjurers and amateurs. Some of his adver-
RORERT-HOlDItV1,
i^cdeue, de, "PalW, i&&, efc lite De
$->J ,
16
-^ , -
- ~.
'
Illustration 218 - Letter by Robert-Houdin in 1847.

Letter addressed to the painter Lefebvre in which RobertHoudin alludes to works by Alexandre Cronier.
ROBERT-HOUDIN
tisements could be read in certain directories

under the heading "Opticians'' as follows:
Cronier Alex., Instruments of Physique amusante, automata, acrobats, dancers on a tightrope,
mechanical and picturesque theaters; Pierre, at
Belleville, 20, Rue des Rigoles.
LETTRES
IDE M.
CHARLES GOTTLIEB DE WINDISCH

$ UR
OPTICIENS.PA.RIS.
LEJOUEURD'ECHECS
tttivre de at
sique par a
Jecker fils,
rue de 1'on
1834.
Konnerailt,
17.
DE M. DE KEMPELEN.
q
TRADUCTION LIBRE DE L'AIXEMAND,
Accompagnde de trois Gravures en tuille-doiice

qui reprefentent ce fameux Automate,
& publiee
It was therefore not a novice who showed

his friend Robert-Houdin the remains of the
Chess Player automaton, and nothing definitively proves it was any more than a copy of the
famous android, which ended its "career" on
the other side of the Atlantic. [62]
Having described the merits of these two famous automata, Robert-Houdin was then able
to tell the story of his Writing and Drawing
Automaton. We learn in Memoirs of RobertHoudin that it was thanks to the confidence of
a Monsieur G., who financed his work in advance, that Robert-Houdin could begin creating
PAR C H R E T I E N DE MECHEL,
Membre de l'Academie Imperiale & Royale
de Vienne & de plufieurs autres.
ABASLE CHEZ
L'EDITEUR.
MDCCLXXX1II.
Avec Privilege de S. M, Imperiale & Royalt.
A PARIS, RUE D A U P H I N E ,
A I'ensric a. droitepar UPont-Neuf,
Chez A 1 E X A N D B . E J O M B E U T
IEUHF.,
fuCCefleUt
de C H . ANT. JOMBERT, fon pete, tifaraite du Roi,

pout l'Aitillerie & le Genie.
Illustrations 220. 221. 222. and 223 - Lettres sur le Joueur

d'echecs. Cover page and engra\ ing of the ork of
M Charles Gottlieb de Wmdish published in 1~83 These illustrations are taken from Robert-Houdin s personal copv
It is very likely that these plates served as a model for
Robert-Houdin when he began the construction of a new
version of \on Kempelen s Chess Player foi the pla\ La
Czarine. written in collaboration with Jules Adenis and
Octave Gastineau, and which was performed at the Theatre
de 1'Amblgu comique in May 1868.
Z S
J : i ::_^_-i I
s
176
ACT
the android. This man, for whom he provided

only an initial, was Alphonse Giroux, who had
his store and salons at 7, Rue du Coq-SaintHonore. This establishment reserved for very
wealthy clients was specialized in the sale of
merchandise of exceptionally high quality,
such as mechanisms, uncommon watchmaking,
or even luxury toys for the use of princely offspring.
II
mechanicians were already capable of performing, albeit by different procedures, some of

the feats later performed by his Writing and
Drawing Automaton.
The romanticized story Robert-Houdin wrote
concerning his long retirement to Belleville, a
period during which he dedicated himself to
the construction of The Writing and Drawing
Automaton, are among the best pages of his
Memoirs. The development of the narrative is,
however, subject to caution. In this text, the
author had a clear desire to share with the reader his solitude, trials, doubts, and disappointments, which were illustrated through the picturesque figure of his porter M. Auguste,
apparently based on the character of M.
Pipelet, a traditional show-business foil of this
period. This narrative, poignant in certain respects, raised the creative pathway of the mechanician to that of a composer, feverish from
his own music, or of a painter haunted by the
beauty of a model whom he is trying to permanently capture on canvas. This was probably
one of the primary goals of the author who, on
this occasion and many others, wanted his art
to be considered equal to that of his peers. In
this passage of his memoirs, brief remarks also
The dream of many famous mechanicians

has always been to create androids in the
image of man, an ambition or sign of vanity
from which the young Robert-Houdin did not
escape, since his Writing and Drawing
Automaton became one of the first projects he
undertook in his father-in-law's workshop.
Although this creation was the one of which he
seemed to have been the proudest, we can nonetheless make a few comments about it. A
youthful work is often marked by the admiration that the young apprentice has for the masters he dreams of equaling or even surpassing.
Prior to Robert-Houdin these masters, with
names like Jacquet-Droz and De Maillardet,
had created writing and drawing automata that
the author "forgot" to describe in his memoirs,
probably because the androids of the Swiss
Ill
ROBERT-HOUDIN
likely that he abandoned his family and left his

successful workshops and workers unsuperTtvised for eighteen months. M. Giroux and
Robert-Houdin were both wise merchants
whose best interest was not to sell unique
pieces, even at a high price, but to profit from
the publicity organized around these creations
to sell the largest number of examples possible.
"The Inventory after death" of Cecile Eglantine
Robert which we have reproduced also shows
without ambiguity that, as of February 12,
1844, four months before the Exposition, eleven examples of The Writing and Drawing
Automaton had already been manufactured. As
with his Mysterious Clock, Conjurer Clock, and
The Singing Lesson, the mechanician would
Illustration 224 - Robert-Houdin's Writing and Drawing
Automaton. Engraving from William Manning's work
Recollections of Robert-Houdin fop at)
show Robert-Houdin's perfect knowledge of

the public's psychology. This insight led him after having created and built an automaton
with such a perfect mechanisms that it was silent - to put this subtle equipment slightly out
of order because the spectators wrongly imagined that the squeaking noise of springs and
gears were synonymous with quality and showed how hard the artist had worked to please
them!
As with several of the mechanician's other
creations, the plan for The Writing and
Drawing Automaton was in progress years earlier. Robert-Houdin never or rarely devoted all
his time to a single work. If he did so, it was
only for short periods. His journals provide several examples of his daily schedule. The mechanician liked to divide his days between four
or five creations in progress on which he successively worked, probably in order to avoid
all risk of routine and to provide him with an
objectivity with respect to the work just completed. Although the writer tried to convince us
of the contrary in his narrative, it is highly un-
Illustration 225 - Profile of Robert-Houdin made by his

Writing and Drawing Automaton, /chateau de la i die deBloi-,)
178
ACT
have undoubtedly continued to manufacture

other versions of The Writing and Drawing
Automaton had not a certain Barnum, whom
we are about to discover, come to the
Exposition. The conditions of the transaction
that followed prevented Robert-Houdin from
recommencing the manufacture of the The
Writing and Drawing Automaton for two decades, but allowed him to exaggerate its importance by implying that it was unique. [to]
The advanced rough models of the The
Writing and Drawing Automaton, The Dancer
on a Tightrope, and The Singing Bird convinced M. Giroux to pay Robert-Houdin the sum
of 5,000 francs in advance, in two installments,
as a deposit on the sale of the finished automata. This agreement was respected because
the following advertisement could be read in
L'Illustration, December 9, 1843:
II
very curious pieces consisting of:

1. A Writing and Drawing automaton;
2. A Singing bird;
3. A Shenobate [Tightrope dancer]
Children can see these masterpieces of mechanical art, executed by M. Robert-Houdin, every
day, even Sunday, beginning today.
A strange, mysterious link reunited the fate
of the legendary automata described by the
author. Vaucanson's Duck, Von Kempelen's
Chess Player, and the copy of The Writing
and Drawing Automaton sold to Barnum all
came to sad ends: the first vanished in
Dresden, the second in Philadelphia in a fire
in the Chinese Museum in 1854, and the third
in 1865 in New York in a fire at the American
Museum.
7, RUE DU C O Q - S A I N T - H O N O R * .
The Maison Alphonse Giroux has just opened

his lovely Salons d'Etrennes to the public, and presents this year even more attractions than the previous in the infinite variety of new objects within.
Among other marvels the Automaton
Exhibition must be highlighted; it is made of three
A MAISON ALPHONSB GIROUX vient d'ouvrir an public ses

beans Salons d'Elrennes, qui presentent cette annec encore plus d'attraits que les preeedentes par la variete inflnie
d'objets nouveaux qu'ils renferaeut.
On distingue, enlre autres merveilles, VExposition des Automates, formee de trois pieces fort curieuses represenfcmt:
\" Un Ecrivain dessinateur;
2* Un Oisaaw chantant;
3 Un Schinobate.
Ces chefs-d'oeuvre de Part meeanique, executes par M. RoBEBT-HOUDIH, sont visibles pour les enfants tous les jours,
meme le dimanche, a compter d'aujourd'hui,
MM. ALP. GIROUX out avance de beaucoup cette annee l'ouverture de leurs magasins, dans le but d'etre aggreables aux
nersonnes qui craigaent k foule et qui desirent faire aisement
ieur choix, en prontant de la fralcheur et de la nouveaute des
objets preseutement exposes rue du Coq-Saint-Honore, n 7.
Illustration 226 - Apparatus used by Robert-Houdin to imitate the chirping of birds and regulate his mechanical
pieces. (Chateau de la Ville de Blots)
Illustration 22" - Advertisement by the Maison Giroux for the

automata exposition of Robert-Houdin in December 1843.
ROBFRI-HOUDIN
Illustration 228 - Robert-Houdiii in 1850. This portrait of the artist at the age of 44 is the earliest survn ing "photograph" of the
artist It is a daguerreotype taken by Vaillat during the year 1850. (Chateau de la vtlte deBlots)
ACT
II
'^/i
A Cascade of Mourning A New Marriage

In 1843 Robert-Houdin learned of the death
of his early mentor, David of Bordeaux, who,
we recall, bequeathed to him his collection of
playbills, programs, and documents from the
majority of conjurers and mountebanks he had
known. This collection perpetually fascinated
the conjurer.
Cecile Eglantine Robert had always been
fragile; seven pregnancies had weakened her,
and she ached from the death of four of her
children at a young age. She passed away on
October 19, 1843, at the age of thirty-two after
a long illness. In reading the "Inventory after
death," compiled four months after her death,
it appears that Cecile Eglantine was a discreet
spouse and a good housewife whose tasteful
"wardrobe was free from any excessive vanity.
This death plunged Robert-Houdin into a profound despair; he mourned a beloved spouse
but also the mother of his children, then aged
six, seven, and twelve.
The family in Blois took charge of the two
youngest, Prosper Eugene and Marie Rosalie;
Emile, the eldest, stayed in Paris with his father.
This family was about to endure yet another
tragedy with the death of Marie Rosalie in Blois,
Rue Saint-Honore, on February 28, 1844 at ten
o'clock in the morning. She had turned eight
three days earlier. Her grandfather Prosper
Robert, with whom she was staying, also died
the same day. Already stricken by the loss of his
wife, Robert-Houdin lost his only daughter and
his father on the same day. A few months later,
preoccupied above all by the education and
well-being of his two boys, he resolved to remarry.
7
Illustration 229 - Notarized document concerning Marie
Rosalie Robert-Houdin.
The w itness of this document is the clockmaking worker
Omcr Augustin Legrand, emplo) ee of Robert-Houdin. v, ho
\\ as one of the main protagonists in the trial described in
Act III. (Archives nattonales)
181
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Illustration 230 - Olympe Robert-Houdin in 1850. Robert-Houdins wife is thirty-five years old in this daguerreotype by Vaillat.
(Chateau de la I file de Blois)
ACT II
lady had made the decision not to marry and to

live with what she had with her mother, and also,
my two children were an obstacle.- in spite of that
I convinced her to change her mind. This lady is
28 years old, with a pleasant countenance, very
sweet of nature, and a good housekeeper; our wedding is set for August 22nd. Her father having
passed away only a few months ago and because of
our two great bereavements, she did not want us
to have a wedding party and we will therefore get
married with no ceremony but that of the church
and the city hall. I am forced to go out this morning for a few purchases; if not I would have come
myself to announce the news.
I warmly shake M. Desmadril's hand and beg
you to accept, Madame, the assurance of my hurried regards.
Robert-Houdin
Madame Desmadril / 60, Rue des Tournelles / in
the city. [65]
Illustration 231 - Marguerite Francoise Olympe Braconnier,

Robert-Houdin's wife.
Terra cotta medallion of the profile of the artist's second
wife, sculpted by his friend Dantan the younger, (chateau de
la Ville de Blots)
Marguerite Francoise Olympe Braconnier [64]

was twenty-eight years old and single; her sister Amelie Charlotte had a flower shop and her
brother Charles Michel held the rank of second
lieutenant in the Belgian army. She had also just
recently lost her father, Charles Albert Samuel
Braconnier. Here is how Robert-Houdin presented his future wife in a letter written to a
certain Mme. Desmadril:
Paris, August 15, 1844
Madame
I was sorry last night to have been prevented by
bad weather from coming to your home to thank
you for thinking of me for M. Charles's soiree,
which it will be impossible for me to attend, as you
will judge for yourself.
For a while I have been entirely occupied by a
serious matter; I am getting married.- the activity
that I have been obliged to engage in this business
has prevented me from coming to see you. Until
now, it was quite uncertain; on the one hand the
183
The author was as precise in his private "portraits" as he was in those he later published, and
his dislike for revealing his intimate feelings in
public is obvious here. Cecile Eglantine Houdin
had been the spouse of a renowned mechanician; Marguerite Francoise Olympe Braconnier
would be the wife of a famous conjurer with an
international reputation and the retirement companion of a respected scientist.
Olympe and Jean Eugene were married on
August 22, 1844 at the city hall of the ninth arrondissement in Paris. The marriage contract, a
communal estate settlement for the spouses, had
been signed the day before at the notarial office
of Maitre Jozon, in the presence of M. Charles
Jules August Adam, former notary, residing in
Paris at 8, Passage de l'Industrie, cousin by marriage of the future husband; Mme. Rosalie
Metivier, widow of M. Prosper Robert, residing in
Blois, Loir-et-Cher, future mother-in-law; Mme.
Marguerite Louis Martin, widow of Braconnier,
mother of the future wife; M. Louis Michel
Martin, infantry captain in Orleans, uncle; Mile.
Amelie Charlotte Braconnier, sister; and Mme.
Laure Marie Porcher, cousin, wife of M. Cavillier.
ROBLRT-HOI DIN
Illustration 232 - The wedding contract of Olympe Braconnier and Jean Eugene Robert Houdin. MrcAftw a/,0fltev
ACT
The future wife brought as a dowry land and

houses situated in Belgium, the native country
of her father's family. Her contribution was
jointly held with her sister Amelie and her
brother Charles: one third in a house situated
in Mons. 33, Rue des Clercs - two buildings
with a cellar, courtyard, stables, and a shed;
one third in a parcel of farmland of eleven
hectares, sixty acres, in Aulehin, a district of
Charleroy, in fifteen leased parcels; and one
third in a small house with a pasture in Aulehin
rented by lease. Her contributions were reduced by one third of a debt of 3,000 francs
due to M. Leroux, one third of rent of 71.15
francs due to a M. Labbe, and of another for
21.71 francs.
II
The future husband brought a dowry of

18,000 francs owed to him in the short term; the
value of his merchandise, estimated at approximately 15.000 francs; and three houses, completely owned, at the location known as Au Pied
du Quartier in Blois and bearing the numbers 8,
9, and 10. The debts of the future husband totaled 7,085 francs.
If we compare the assets that the mechanician
possessed upon his arrival in Paris to the state of
his finances nearly fifteen years later, we realize
that in spite of the considerable loss due to his
father-in-law's bankruptcy, Robert-Houdin knew
how to intelligently take care of his business, but
he was still far from having made a fortune. That
would happen during the next decade.
Illustrations 233 and 234 - M. and Mme. Adam Ruelle. These photographs of M. Adam (former notary) and his wife, relatives bymarriage of Robert-Houdin. appear to date from 1865 (Private collection)
185
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Illustration 2-^ - Phineas Taylor Barnum. Portrait and signature of the famous showman, from the 18~2 edition of his memoirs.
ACT II
The Exposition and Phineas Taylor Barnum

The first Exposition took place in 1798 with
110 exhibitors; in 1844 there were 3,963. The
vast room that housed the Exposition was situated in the grand carre des jeux on the
Champs-Elysees; the building, constructed in a
few months at a cost of 340.000 francs, formed
an immense parallelogram of nearly 20,000
square meters. The outside perimeter of the
edifice was reserved for large objects that
could be left out in the open: various roofing
systems, tents, bridges, agricultural tools,
plows, etc. Inside could be seen the most useful and aesthetic objects manufactured. The
public rushed to see this exhibition, which
opened its doors on May 1, 1844. The King
supported this ode to the progress of industry
with his presence and attention, and showed
his satisfaction to the exhibitors by inviting
them to Versailles for a party given in their
honor on June 8. Robert-Houdin had asked for
authorization to exhibit pieces he had manufactured. The place he was assigned was. he
tells us, "one of the most beautiful in the hall."
All his mechanical pieces were presented on
a circular tier. The Writing and Drawing
Automaton was given the place of honor:
Louis-Philippe paid daily visits to the Palace of
Industry, and as my automata had been pointed
out as deserving his attention, he evinced a wish
to see them, and gave me twenty hours' notice of
his visit. I thus had time enough to make all my arrangements.
Illustrations 236 to 246 - Louis Philippe, conjurer.
King Louis Philippe was frequently depicted as a conjurer
by satirical cartoonists of the time In engraving 240 he is
caricatured as Jean de la Vigne and in 243 he is wearing
Bosco's costume.
Lit Dllirftt Efct'rfapteil P atf.ri

ftlUntion Citijens l i s a s * de fain disparate cette petite lemaistllt ,t J j substltuer jeao
bonhomme. qui ne demande ini'a vemr saluer laima% societe: mais pour que le lour sort, bien
fail.je demande encore tûelque temps de preparation
(Collections of Georges Proust, Didier Moreait "Morax." and the author)
187
ROBERT-HOUDIN
hi* M M t C'
I MOf U MtlRttRt MITtl!
* 0l
LA
DfRNIERE1
The King made the following inquiry: "How

many inhabitants does Paris contain?"
The writer raised its left hand as if to indicate
that it required a sheet of paper, on receiving
which it wrote very distinctly: "Paris contains
998,964 inhabitants."
The King arrived, holding the Comte de Paris

by the hand, and I stood on his left hand to explain
my various articles. The Duchess of Orleans was
by my side, and the other members of the royal family formed a circle around his majesty, while the
crowd, kept back by the keepers of the palace and
the police agents, left an open space round my exhibition.
The King was in a charming humor and seemed
to take a pleasure in all I showed him. He frequently asked me questions and missed no occasion to show his excellent judgment.
At the end of the seance, the party stopped before my Writer.
This automaton, it must be borne in mind,
wrote or drew according to the question asked.
The paper passed from the King's hand into

those of the royal family, and all admired the
beauty of the writing; but I saw that Louis-Philippe
had a critique to offer; his smile proved that
plainly enough. Hence I was not surprised when,
pointing to the paper which had come back to
him, he said, "Monsieur Robert-Houdin, you did
not, perhaps, recollect that this number will not
agree with the new census, which is almost completed."
188
ACT
II
Contrary to my expectations, I felt quite at ease

with my illustrious visitors. "Sire!" I replied, with
sufficient assurance for a man not much accustomed to the society of crowned heads, "I hope at
that period my automaton will be intelligent
enough to make any necessary corrections."
The King appeared satisfied with this reply.
I took advantage of his good humor to mention
that my Writer was also a poet, and explained that,
if he would deign to offer an unfinished quatrain,
the automaton would fill up the rhyme in the
fourth line.
The King chose the following:
Lorsque dans le malheur, accable de souffranee,
Abandonne de tous, Vhomme va succomber,
Quel est I'ange divin qui vient le consoler?
C'est...
(Philippe]
I' Guizol)
Rien Jans Its Minis, rien Jans les Pnclies,

AHez' Allii 1 loutdms It Sac
[When in misfortune, on a suffering slope,

Abandoned by all, a man is going to succumb,
What divine angel to console him will come?
It is...]
L'Esperance [Hope], the writer added to the
fourth line.
"That is really charming," the King said to me.
"But, Monsieur Robert-Houdin," he added, in a
confidential tone, "you must have given your writer instructions in the poetic art?"
"Yes, sire, as far as my weak powers permitted."
Louis Philippe
Depuis dix-huitans.jelravaillesurcetteplaceouje suis parFailemcnt connu pour

mes tours dadresses Tenez, Messieurs, je vais vous en executerun encore plus
surprenant que ceuxqiie je vons tais voirjusqil'a ce jour
Guiiot
Cestvral.
Louis-Philippe _ Remarque* tien une' deux 1
Chiuot
JinfonceleBanquet'
189
ROBLRT-HOL'DIN
"Then my compliment is merited more by the

master than the pupil."
I bowed to thank the King as much for his compliment as for the delicate manner in which it was
conveyed.
"Now then, Monsieur Robert-Houdin," LouisPhilippe continued, "I see by the note attached to
this automaton that it is a draftsman, in addition
to its merits as a writer and poet. If it be so,
come," he said, addressing the Gomte de Paris,
"choose your own subject for a drawing."
Thinking to cause the prince an agreeable surprise, I had recourse to palmistry to influence his
decision, and he consequently selected a crown.
The automaton began drawing the outline of
this regal ornament with great skill, and everyone
followed its movements with interest, when, to
my great disappointment, the point of the draftsman's pencil broke, and the crown could not be finished.
I was going to recommence the experiment,
when the King declined, with thanks.
"As you have learned to draw," he said to the
Gomte de Paris, "you can finish this for yourself."
This performance...[was the] prelude of the
kindly interest the Orleans family afterwards displayed towards me... [66]
The anecdote about the pencil point breaking, thereby preventing The Writing and
Drawing Automaton from finishing his work,
L'ESCAMOTUR KSCA.MOTE
190
ACT
II
you did not apply the talent you have evinced in

fancy objects to serious labors."
This criticism wounded me the more, because
at that period I considered nothing superior to my
works, and in my fairest dreams of the future I desired no greater glory than that of the skillful inventor of the automaton duck.
"Sir," I replied, in a tone that betrayed my
pique, "I know no works more serious than those
which give a man an honest livelihood. Still, I am
ready to change my views, if you give me the same
advice after you have heard me.
"At the period when I devoted myself to
chronometers, I hardly earned enough to live
upon; at present, I have four workmen to help me
in making my automata; and as the least skillful
among them earns six francs a day, you can easily
form an idea what I earn myself.
"Now, sir, I ask you if I ought to return to my
old trade."
My critic was silent, but another member of the
jury coming up to me, said, in a low voice, "Go on,
Monsieur Robert-Houdin, go on; I am convinced
that your ingenious works, after leading you to
success, will conduct you straight to useful discoveries."
"Monsieur le Baron Seguier," I replied, in the
same key, "I thank you for your encouraging prediction, and will do my best to prove its correctness."
I have followed the advice of the illustrious savant, and find myself all the better for it. [67]
was apparently a forewarning because the

Count of Paris, heir to the throne of France, was
never crowned.
The jury of the Exposition awarded RobertHoudin a silver medal upon which were inscribed the words ''You enrich me, I honor you,"
and he was presented it by the King himself on
July 29 in the Tuileries in the Salle des
Marechaux, where the sovereign distributed the
prizes to the exhibitors designated by the different juries. The brilliant mechanician was one of
the two hundred medallists who took part in a
splendid banquet held in the great hall of the
Louvre. A toast made by the King "To industry
and commerce" ended this celebration.
At the end of his memoirs, the author related
a small disagreement he had with one of the
members of the jury of the Exposition, as well
as the quite "prophetic" conclusion of this incident:
The jury entrusted with the examination of mechanical instruments and designs had come to my
productions, and I had repeated the little performance I had given a few days previously in the
presence of Louis-Philippe.
After listening with interest to the details of the
numerous difficulties I had to overcome in making
my automata, one of the members of the jury said
to me:
"It is a great pity, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, that
soiiTios DI tmnim m mt.
Trois ceufs, dont on cbape*n, iHanl djonfe, on di-ire sato.r QDC! esl cdui <|ui soUondra deboul, sans sc caucr..
191
ROBHH-HOLDIK
STRUGGLES AND TRIUMPHS:
FORTY YEARS' RECOLLECTIONS
P. T. BARNUM
WRITTEN BY HIMSELF.
AUTHOR'S
EDITION.
[BIOGEAPflY COMPLETE TO APRIL, 1873J
"
a map of busy life,
Its fluctuations, and its vast concerns."
BUFFALO, N. Y.
WAEBBN, JOHNSON & GO.
Illustration 248 - Barnum's memoirs.
Illustration 247 - General Tom Thumb.

Engraving from the work Fahrend Volk, Signor Saltarino,
Leipzig. J.J. Weber. 1895.
The Exposition was visited by royalty, politicians, scientists, and artists, including the
great Barnum, [H who was already famous on
the other side of the Atlantic and was exhibiting in England one of his best-known discoveries: Charles Stratton, known as General
Tom Thumb.
Wanting to find novelties for his American
Museum in New York, Phineas Taylor Barnum
could not miss the Exposition. In his memoirs,
he recounts his meeting with Robert-Houdin:
I met and became well acquainted with a celebrated conjurer, as he called himself, RobertHoudin, but who was not only a prestidigitateur
and legerdemain performer, but a mechanic of absolute genius. I bought at the exposition the best
automaton he exhibited and for which he obtained a gold medal [sic]. I paid a round price for
this most ingenious little figure, which was an automaton writer and artist. It sat on a small table,
pencil in hand; and if asked, for instance, for an
emblem of "fidelity," it would instantly draw the
picture of a handsome dog; if love was wanted, a
cupid was exquisitely pencilled. The automaton
192
ACT II
would also answer many questions in writing. I

took this curiosity to London, where it was exhibited for some time at the Royal Adelaide Gallery,
and then I sent it across the Atlantic to my
American Museum, where it attracted great attention from the people and the press. During my
visit, Houdin was giving evening legerdemain performances, and by his pressing invitation I frequently was present. [70] He took great pains, too,
to introduce me to other inventors and exhibitors
of moving figures, which I liberally purchased,
making them prominent features in the attractions of the American Museum, [TX].
We do not know the details of the contract

that was probably exchanged between the wise
showman, the mechanician, and M. Giroux. If
there was a contract, and it is difficult to imagine otherwise, we can reasonably assume it included a clause granting Barnum exclusivity of
The Writing and Drawing Automaton. Thus, during the length of the automaton's exhibition,
no manufacture or commercial showing of a
duplicate was permitted. The end of the story
of The Writing and Drawing Automaton seems
to support this hypothesis.
His business and his home restored, RobertHoudin finally decided to "strike the grand
blow," an exhortation constantly launched at
him by the Count de l'Escalopier, and began to
journey the capital looking for a site suitable for
his future theater.
LE GENERAL TOM POUCE.

Lt ibe'aire du Vaudeville. Tina d'obt?nir un
itCM iueec* him rare* dc mn jour*. Chsqun
oir U re;ptte eit de 4,00>; ft. ci ceue TOIJUC a
Hi p>;>heiiide par (out !<. jnumaux qui imi
>es diTann, rceolt ton Rm, ft mire,fait*i(ohue, caroiso to meoton de la bl&DetaltMnie.

Vo!i qu'it outre eorrepoDdaaeet({U'Hchi.
tie un valet maladroit, et rtrtno de pied fa
cap do costume du f;rand PrMfrio, pom slier combattre i michanl ogre.
renducouipledu U puco du P E T J T i OVCHT.
de MM. Clain-ille et Domaooir.

TomPoucc. d)t le Sihdt, e*t le p!ui jolt
petit enfant qu'on public Imap.iner; nou avons
t6 admix a le titltrr dint, too cablnrt de toilette, il cit Impossible d'ftire mieux fail oi plug
proponlonnfi; l e i ytax trfii vif. ont loujourt
unecxpresvlon Joytuc.ibouchpert bifnd<-xlnfc. On ne peut M faire une ide dc I'jnle'llgenccque Dieu t placee dan* ce petit cerveau,.
Quant aw gfadral. d!t le Commaru, I

ett rcellemem plo* petit que tea protprefoi
cus-rotme*n4lftdlent. Parml let bovqoeu
de Heuri qui lui ont aejotet et dent i'oa
doax pirilafillli lVeraier.il ta*UiU't\nt\
hauti e,w. lui, pour In moini. Tom Pouee,ql.
que part qo lea auteura I'alent fuurrd, dtni
une botte, dsns un nid d'oUeau, dint un pii^>*etnb!c toojours ktonsise.
Gniableau J
On lit darn 1ft Constitvdonntl:
fdiilajjlement a{reable et curieux, e'est c-lui "J^
qui rprdi>ente Tom Pnoce dam non Iwurioir,
un boudoir de* plus / W a n s , orne de glare*
ft dp iriAiib'et rift olr. Tom >'otice. enveloppd
d'une robe de chambrechamanie.M rouls tur
Le Charivari, a ion tour, wmarooe que

|'*dmlnlair*ioo du ihfatre du Vaodeiille t
monte* la pltac. dans laqnetie Tom Ponee parait. aee un luxe extraordinaire tt on toiu
"nalment partlcuHer.
L statuette du glnlral Tom POUCP, qua-t nature (17 c o m . ) , costume du grand Fr6de*ric, s e vend 3 (r.
Chez SUSSK tthrtt, place A* la lkmrse, 3 1 .
Illustration 249 - General Tom Thumb. Advertisement published in the press in 1845 on the occasion of the Parisian performance
of Tom Thumb in the play Le Petit Poucet by M, Clairville and M. Dumanoir at the Theatre du Vaudeville.
193
NOTES TO ACT II
to Act It
1.
3.
Robert-Houdin was probably

still in Blois on February 12, 1830.
See article 3 of his wedding contract.
In his Tablettes Parisiennes

(Brussels, H. Tarlier, Libraire Editeur,
1825), M. Santo-Domingo portrays
the streets of the capital in the following manner:
2.
Relative of Doctor Desfray, former head surgeon of the Hotel Dieu
in Blois, corresponding member of
the Academie de Medecine, district
councilman and widower of
Josephe Madeleine Houdin, who
was the sister of Jean Eugene's future father-in-law, Jacques Francois
Houdin.
But [the people] are more and more

hungry for conjurers. Should I be
surprised, given that I myself cannot see such tricksters without
joining the crowd who, with strained
necks and gaping mouths, devour
the gestures and words of these
amusing mystifiers with eyes and
Illustration 250 - Cover page of "work by
M. Santo-Domingo.
195
TABLETTES
PARISIENNES,
PAE M. SANTO-DOMINGO.
BRUXELLES,
H. TAELIES, HBEAIRE-fiDITEUR.
M DCCC xxv.
ROBERT-HOUDIN
t_9t, s2u/Z*uu
MJ<iOY'^/^ri*
Illustration 251 - Cover page of the army remplacetnent paper of "gunner" Alexandre Francois Roujol.
See note 5. (Archives nationales)
NOTES ro ACT II
ears? Man must really want to be

fooled, because he finds this such
an amusing pastime. The mystifiers are always careful never to
forget the cup tricks; these days
one cannot take one step without
meeting some conjurer. Here, a
joueur de gibeciere changes three
coins into one. and out of that one
makes three.
magic manufacturer, one notes

that their effects are not described. The conclusion of this
opuscule on pages 11 and 12 is as
follows:
All of this apparatus, either in
brass or varnished tin, in modern
shapes, mechanically simple, are
perfectly constructed for the purpose they serve, and for which
any sort of confederates or secret
handling is unnecessary.
Consequently. the master
ROUJOL will provide amateurs
who deign to honor him with their
trust (even the most unskilled in
this art), the means to perform
with ease.
In addition to the objects designated in the present catalogue,
we also build any type of fantasy
instruments and tools related to
the art of conjuring and to science
in general.
All these devices can be easily
sent to any country: one may request this by indicating the number placed next to each piece.
NOTA: Those who wish to add
one franc more per item will receive a detailed descriptive note
explaining how to gracefully use
the apparatus.
Those who are far away must
indicate an address in Paris where
we can receive the sum due when
the article is sent: otherwise we
ask for payment via messenger or
cargo transportation.
Please stamp letters when inquiring about price and other information.
4.
cit . p. 235.
5.
This document is an army order
replacing "gunner" Alexandre
Francois Roujol with a certain
Bruneteau and is signed by the notary Tricard (Caran Etude II. register 778). This act. dated 28 Floreal.
Year VIII (May 18. 1800) situates
Roujol at no. 20. Rue des Petits
Champs.
The addresses I have found for
Roujol are 5. Rue de Richelieu until
1837. and 21. Rue de Richelieu
from 1838 to 1852. One of his sons
was also a tinsmith in 1845 at 368.
Rue Saint-Denis and in 1852 at 232.
Rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin.
6.
Jacques Yoigmer noted this
similarity between names. Roujol
and Rougeole. and this possible
kinship, in the work The Magic of
France: French Laboratories of
Legerdemain
(1769-1992)
by
Jacques Voignier and Robert Albo.
1993, in the Albo Classic Magic
with Apparatus series. It is also in
this work that Jacques Yoignier
describes Alexandre Roujols catalogue, which he was the first to
discover. Roujols little tw eh epage catalogue offers 132 tricks
and 23 articles in boxwood with
prices ranging from one franc for
Le Portefeuilie a la Bague (no.
108). to 200 francs for Le Temple
de Flore (no. 91). Although this
catalogue lists the names of the
effects or props offered by the
7.
Jean-Joseph Pmetti. Amusemens
physiques, third edition. 1791. p 83
8.
Alexandre Frangois Adolphe
Roujol. baptized at Saint-Eustache
on 2 Frimaire. year IX - November
23. 1801 - married Mile. Masse at
Notre-Dame-des-Victoires on January
9. 1836. A Masse family was running
a Theatre Mecanique at this time.
197
(See Act II. The Little Parisian

Curiosity Shows.')
Louis Julien Roujol. born on
April 29. 1811. baptized at SaintMery on April 30. 1811.
Marie Victoire Roujol. born on
April 21. 1808. married at SaintRoch on June 2. 1827 to M. Georges
Langolff.
9.
I here owe much to Jacques
Voignier. who compiled a list comparing the effects described in this
manuscript with those of Roujol's
catalogue, of which he owns one
of the few know n copies.
10,
Comte was born in Geneva,
Switzerland, on June 22. 1788
and died in Rueil. Seine-et-Oise.
on November 25. 1859. His second name is Christin and not
Christian as spelled by numerous
authors.
11.
In this biographical note on
Comte. I ha\e reproduced several
unpublished documents and unknow n facts on the life of the illustrious Kings Conjurer, thanks to
the kindness of descendants from
a branch of his family who agreed
to open their archnes. Other elements from this same source have
allowed me to reconstruct certain
episodes that would later unite
Messrs. Comte and Robert-Houdin.
The obituary from the FigaroProgramme of November 27. 1859
by Jules Prevel also provided me
with a few of the anecdotes that
adorned M. Comte's career. For
all conjurers, no matter howrenowned, Comte's influence was
considerable throughout his long
career. His privileged relationship
with those in power was impressive, and the high rank he held in
Freemasonry at the end of his life
in Freemasonry was perhaps not
unrelated. Comte was initiated into
ROBERT-HOUDIN
MM.
UiVE S O I R E E DE M. T H I E M E T ,
Mercredi 19 Nivdse an iS,
SOIREES D'AUTREFOIS,
Zxz trotsfemeaura lieu le Mercredi 7 Frimaire an iZt
SUAB 01s RiD0aTi3 ET COKCIRTS ( Rue de GreaeUe St. H o n o r e , N u . 40-,

i 7 Acurw et
Sxt.Lt, is RZDOBTIS ET CONCERTS , Rue do Crenelle St. Hoaor^, N. 4 *
a -7 heures et demie tnss~precise$, par
LES
Elle t u n lieu par
DERVICHES ov LES MOINES GOURMANDS,
LE COMSDIEN I3E SOCIRTE,
Settle de moi, que jt jouerat seal, dans laquelh je changerai de visage t de voix
JiuitJbUf et ferai aHec ma figure ctllt d'un Derviche plturantt d'un cdN du visaga
tt riant da I'autre en mime terns ; Suivie :
Proverbe a sceuei dpisodiquei, / Jfi d'argenttla MalUparlant$, t dtfforentei imiiaiiotii.

Le KOHSH SABiLtASDU, Scina imittSe de M. Touztt.
DU Ci5LXBA.TA.iRE an L ' O U I I I T T I , Inlerruede. Easuite J
Lx Diaxn MAMQui ,
Sceuti de Veulriloqiie, duns laquelle M. Tmiutv jeiera volz de maniere qu'etle
aera ealandue commit si eliu parloit de quaire endroili a la fob.
LE CORPS.DB.GARDE ,
Sceae dau ItqueUe M. ThUmet repreieatera 3 ivrogues de di&retu carteieret.
LE DEPART OK NICAISE ,
Seine it 8 voix, dans laquelt* U fora entendre ua MaUde dan* ito Hi et Nicaisetnr
lfl dovDt do la Scene, UQ Ramontur dam It cbgoiin^t, un Tottdeur de chiens iiama
cabinet, le Crigur de Journaux dans U rue, ele.
] ferai diffirentes Seines a"imitation ; entr'autm zs DINSJI MAXQU&, scttci &t

vtnraiLQQUX, dans laquelle je jetterai ma voix de maniire qu'elle sera entendua
comma si elle partoit de auatre endroits a la Jots ; VARRACHBUR
BE
SBNTS,
Scene Italienne de fnu, Carliu j j'imiterai dffirens, Instrument de Musiaue, plusieurt
Acteurscdlh&res, et sur ma main la figure d'un* Vieilte Femme qui toil, mangpek
Le Specitcle ser trraioi pir

$
X'A S S S M B L ^ E D ^ P A I L T E M E N T A L E T^Ke vua,
Dans iaqueUe jHmittrai 40 voix et idi4m*s Affirent j pr&rfdie d
Sans un entr'acte, M. Tmiutt
LA CHASSE 00 LE MOULIS,
Scûs ds X'sravent, ûs j'i faito en 1780* dim laquelle i'imiterai le bruit da
Moulin, la Convtrsauon tin. Meinieret de sa Femmt , le Chant des Paysans, ctlui
des Coqs, VAboyemtnt das Chlens de loin et da pret % le ion des Cars de pris *
iloignd, touts une Mtt&tet enfin tons let acctstoiret d'unt Chats*.
fera ua Seine de Ventriloque* I'iatdrUur delaSalle.
Le Spectacle sera termine* par
LA CHASSE on LE MOULIN,
Kina de Paraveat, de M. T m i x i r , dam laquelle it irniter* lo bruit du Moulin, la
Conversation du Mt&nier et de sa Femme, le Chant des Paysans, ctlui des Coat,
I'Abatement ds Chiens de loin et de prks, le son des Cor* de pris et dloigni,
toute une Me&tt, erifin tout les accestoires d'un* Chats*, CCrT
Mademoiselle STXPIUHJE TSJLYOWIU,* ex^cutera lur U HARP , apr&s U premiere Scene

et aviut It detuiere, difTeren* morceaux de Mmitjue.
Salut et respect,
Prix de* Places t

?mieres en Soft, 6 fr. 60 cent. Secoadet, t fr. 5o cent, TroUtemei x y> 20 conf,
Prix det Places ;

Parquet ca Sofaa j 9 francs. Premieres, Sfr.Qo cent, Seeondes, 5 fr. 5o tent.
TroUIeraes, 2 francs 20 cent.
Tribunei, 1 Jr. 65 cenf.

Les Bureaux seront ouverts k 6 heures,
Hota, On pourrt te procurer a 3'aTance de billet! che M. THXEMET,
iiiviirr^*. 9.
Les Bureaux seroat ouverts h G heures.

27ota. On pourra te procurer A I'ovance de* billet* desquels hs places leroot
yarddeJ > et louer de* Sofoi cbez M. THIEMET, a m 1 fyunni^Wn, 3 . && a>y
Illustrations 252 and 253 - Bills for the ventriloquist Thiemet. (Archives natlonales)
the o . . of Bordeaux. In 1821, he

was 85th/87 on the chronological
list of the Sacred Order of Soph .-.
the time were Baron de Mengen,

Saint-Gilles. Thiemet, Fitz-James.
Borel, Alexandre. and Comte.
12.
13.
In 1805, the ventriloquist Thiemet

(or Tiemet) performed twice a
week, Wednesday and Saturday, in
the Salle des Redoutes of the Rue
Grenelle-Saint Honore, where the
conjurer Olivier also performed.
The most famous ventriloquists of
Illustration 254 - Signature of Thiemet.
Illustration 255 - The ventriloquist

M. Alexandre.
198
Voyages et Seances anecdotiques de M. Comte (de Geneve)

physico-magie-ventriloque,
le plus
celebre de nos jours, pubtie par un
temoin auri-occulaire invisible...
(Tales of the Travels and Performances of M. Comte [of Geneva],
The Most Famous Conjuro-MagicVentriloquist of our time, published by an invisible ear- and eye
witness) Paris J'.G. Dentu, 1816.
Biographie de Comte, Physicien
du Roi, avec des documents historiques sur sa vie, ses voyages, et
ses aventures. suivie de la Biographie en miniature des acteurs et ac-
Non.b ro ACT II
trices du theatre Comte (Biography

of Comte, the King's Conjurer, with
Historical Documents on his Life,
Travels, and Adventures, followed
by the immature Biography of actors and actresses of the Theatre
Comte) by fulien Deschamps, Paris
Desloges, 1845.
14.
See Act I, "The Mysterious M.
David of Bordeaux."
15.
See more about Olivier in the
following chapter.
Robertson recruited the * entriloquist Fitz-James - who claimed to be
the illegitimate child of an actress
and a Duke - while performing at the
Cercle des Artistes in L'impromptu
de la cheminee. He started at the
theatre of the famous fantasmagore
on December 13. 1799 and his talent
quickly became one of the main attractions of Robertson's show. After
leaving this show in 1802, citizen
Fitz-James performed in England before returning to France, where one
could applaud him at Palais-Royal in
the very popular Cafe des Aveugles,
Illustration 256 - Le Cafe des Aveugles, where the ventriloquist Fitz-James performed.
so named because the orchestra that

entertained was composed exclusively of residents of the QuinzeVingts hospital for the blind. He died
heroically on the Butte-Montmartre
on March 30. 1814. defending Paris
against an attack by the Cossacks.
The ventriloquist Borel was also

a Parisian celebrity who performed
at his Cafe Borel, former site of the
Fevrier restaurant, in the Salle
Montansier at Palais-Royal
16.
Grand Dictionnaire du XIX siecle b\ Pierre Larousse, article on
Comte, volume 4, pp. 819-20.
17.
Magic literature is silent about
Bienvenu, v\ hose name Robert-Houdin
cited in this excerpt from the biography of Comte we have included here.
The only information I have been
able to discover regarding the career
of this contemporary of Pinetti comes
from a long letter that he sent from
Tours on December 16. 1814 to the
Minister of the Interior to complain
about certain theater managers. This
letter has great historical interest because the famous conjurer revealed
the main steps of his career as an
artist, scientist, and even as a magic
dealer:
To His Excellency
Monseigneur the Minister of the
Interior
Monseigneur!
Illustration 25^ - The ventriloquist Borel.
199
ROBERT-HOUDIN
/W ^ / ' ^ 2 / , / ,). ,/SU.
--
"'
^ ^Ja/t,fa(ifM/f"
~"~~
*s
^.
fuiuJpot/vr Hi ?bfie i/afcl '"OIL Cdiuef !)c //ujiytu> a. Se i/ttumt/hrlix
Pvfit
etucui m\
ff
'
r
/
^ (fltitiU cxf&t^rjjuActtiQU- fed ftutttpattyn fhxjj 3c J'ifattttJt
V,iSu~*A) Vjaltt
cf
MX Jc fttc-rhoi
JuJituU /*WW uVeîte
4e
t/J
/&##rêM
% S.A I
e/tf/ci4te>j Ufttc. ttKtutwt/taU ttetc e* tttott dou/jitt^ z/t tats*
' /A
/ tf/at'te
/ t/e
0 ft
/ ut&ufw
' toP /'
que
qttt cattjfeutj tie. t/at*4 ttOtwf eneovt *Jeaki<fJ<Ldr Ce^ftu',,< ? W "
/ cMe4<c/J ayec GtuJiaeta Ce te*orveca*ft Or,
J^
Ctfe c
/7
Jeittuj
Illustration 258 - Letter from the conjurer Bienvenu to the Minister of the Interior in 1809- (Archivei nattonales)
NOTES TO ACT II
The undersigned, Bienvenu, professor and presenter of Physique

experimentale, has the honor of
protesting to your Excellency regarding the pretentions of theater
owners in the provinces, who state
their privileges authorize them to
receive a fifth of gross ticket sales.
The undersigned, with the authorization he obtained from the
previous government (letter from
the Minister of the Interior dated
July 11. 1809) to present performances of Physique experimentale
without depending in any manner
on theatre owners, as long as he
did not add any dramatic presentation to these performances.
We have objected in vain to this
claimed privilege of theater owners
allowing them to receive a tax on
all types of performances, including that of the Physicien.
What arc what one calls physiciens? Mostly wandering", homeless charlatans who travel from
fair to fair with a few card tricks,
sleight-of-hand, or white magic adequate to earn the admiration of
commoners, carrying a rickety
wooden table for spreading out the
debris of a few automata and some
shabby devices they call conjuring
equipment, claiming to be a
Physicien.
This is far from the status of the
plaintiff. He is a homeowner in the
Indre et Loire region; his show is
filled with beautiful brass apparatus costing him because more than
80,000 francs; he is perhaps famous enough for it to be pointless
to speak of his celebrity; he requires a vast and decent venue; his
performances call for an enlightened public that seeks science as
well as amusement: and he incurs
large costs, his demonstrations
mainly being performed with the
help of machines and equipment of
the greatest proportions in order to
dazzle the eyes of a large audience.
Finally, the plaintiff asks that one
not confuse a legitimate, serious
series of experiments in various
branches of this science with oldfashioned shows of sleight-of-hand
stunts and card tricks.
It is helpful to recall that prior

to the revolution, the plaintiff had
in Paris. Rue de Roubaix, a boutique with conjuring apparatus
manufactured for him. He usually
gave conjuring lessons twice
yearly, which made him well
known enough to earn him the
honor of a request to maintain the
devices in the establishment of
Monseigneur le Dauphin in Meudon
from 1787 to 1788; during the revolution, the plaintiff, like so many
other Frenchmen, was obliged to
depart Paris and soon after leave
the country. After several stays in
the southern provinces where he
taught conjuring lessons, he sailed
from Marseille to Italy; pursued by
the troubles of this country and
obliged to seek asylum elsewhere,
he left for Spain, where he offered
conjuring lessons in the major
cities.
It was only after ten years of absence and travels that he was finally able to return to France. Back
at home, he traveled through various regions, always with his show,
but not with as much success as
abroad.
Afterward, as a result of these
revolutionary torments, wartorn
France had nearly lost its interest
in these sciences and could not
offer much of a welcome for shows
based on them. This circumstance
forced him to return once again
to Italy, where he remained for
several years. then traveled
through various countries such as
Germany, Austria, and Bavaria before returning to France through
Strasbourg in 1808. It was around
this period that the pretensions of
the theater owners began.
In Paris, before the revolution,
all shows paid a fee to the Opera,
but conjuring performances never
did so.
For three years. I performed
my conjuring in Madrid as I had in
France, without any privileged
theatre owner ever demanding a
fee.
In Milan. Rome. Naples, Florence, Vienna, and Munich, I also
performed in theaters without any-
201
one dreaming of claiming a portion

of my income, in spite of the fact
that the public purchased tickets,
since this is the only way to compensate me for the considerable
expenses necessary for the transportation of my show, which
weighs sixty quintaux.
I have tried subscriptions; they
barely succeeded for me. In
France, one tries to educate oneself without appearing to do so.
I believe that I am the first to
have traveled and given legitimate
lessons in conjuring.
I have had the honor of presenting them before several rulers; the
special protection and testimonies
of satisfaction they deigned to
grant me are titles too precious and
too honorable for me to not mention them.
It is therefore only in France,
my homeland, that I am deprived
of advantages that were enthusiastically lavished upon me abroad.
The type of performance I offer
for the curiosity of an enlightened
public approaches science to the
progress of which it could even
contribute; progress, because its
goal is to stimulate one's interest in
it through the pleasure it creates
too closely for your excellency to
refuse it the high protection that
Your Majesty so generously grants
to the arts and sciences.
I have the honor of offering the
deepest respect,
For Your Excellency,
Monseigneur.
The Very Humble and Very
Obedient Servant,
Bienvenu
Tours. December 16. 1814, Rue
de la Gellerie, no. 100.
18.
At the end of a performance
that he gave at the Tuileries before
Louis XVIII. he invited his majesty
to select a card from the pack. It
may be that chance led the King to
draw his majesty of hearts: it may
be, though, that the conjurer's address produced this result. During
this time, a servant placed on an
ROBLRT-IIOIDIN
isolated table a vase filled with

flowers.
Gomte next took a pistol loaded
with powder, in which he inserted
the King of Hearts as a wad: then,
turning to his august spectator, he
begged him to fix his eye on the
vase, as the card would appear just
over it.
The pistol was fired, and the
bust of Louis XVIII appeared
among the flowers.
The King, not knowing how to
explain this unexpected result,
asked Gomte the meaning of this
strange apparition, adding, in a
slightly sarcastic tone. "I fancy, sir.
that your trick has not ended as
you stated.'"
"I beg your majesty's pardon.'
Comte replied, assuming the manner of a courtier. "I have quite kept
my promise. I pledged that the
King of Hearts should appear on
that vase, and I appeal to all
Frenchmen whether that bust does
not represent the king of all
hearts?"
It may be easily supposed that
this trick was heartily applauded
by the audience. In fact, the Royal
Journal of the 20th December.
1814 thus describes the end of the
performance:
"'The whole audience exclaimed, in reply [of] M. Gomte.
'We recognize him it is he - the
king of all hearts! The beloved of
the French of the whole universe
- Louis XVIII. the august grandson
of Henri IV.'
"The King, much affected by
these warm acclamations, complimented M. Gomte on his skill.
'"It would be a pity.' he said to
him. 'to order such a talented sorcerer to be burnt alive. You have
caused us too much pleasure for us
to cause you pain. Live many years
for yourself, in the first place, and
then for us."
M. Gomte answered this compliment from his King with a ventriloquism feat, in which a distant
voice, with the accent of the conjurer, expressed himself in the following manner:
"Your majesty, a single

glance ennobles my successes:
All of my voices do not equal
yours:
Why can't I. after one. after
the other,
Speak of your virtues, your
talents, your goodwill:
I would become the echo of
the voice of the French".]
cit.. pp. 146-47
19.
Francoise Levie. Etienne-Gaspard
Robertson: La vie d'un fantasmagore
(Etienne-Gaspard Robertson: The
Life of a Phantasmagorian). Collection -Contrechamp.' Le Preambule,
1990. p. 249
20.
Grand Dictionnaire
du XIX'
siecle de Pierre Larousse. letter
C. article on Comte. volume IV.
pp. 819-20.
21.
To His Royal Highness. His
Grace the Duke d'Angouleme
Your Grace.
He whom his Majesty honored
with sueh kindness with the title
of the King's Conjurer, a title that
he seeks to ennoble even more, if
this is possible, by interspersing
his conjuring demonstrations and
feats with moral and instructive
children's performances, is now
about to be ruined and forced to
leave the country if Your Royal
Highness does not deign to cast a
kindly glance in his direction,
and it is with the utmost confidence that he places at the feet of
Your Royal Highness the subject
of his most troublesome afflictions.
A recent decision of His
Excellency the Minister of the
Interior has ordered Monsieur the
State Councilor and Prefect of
Police to forbid me to continue to
publicly perform in my tiny hall
the moral and children's performances that have been presented
202
several times before Her Royal

Highness the Duchess de Berry in
front of the noble children of
France.
Now I am to be reduced to simple conjuring tricks that have no
dramatic element and. despite all
of my efforts, cannot justify the
enormous expense of an establishment in Paris, so. in spite of the
powerful protection of Your Royal
Highness and the tolerance that
S.E.. the Minister of the Interior,
has granted me for almost two
years, I will be exiled, so to speak,
and will have to travel from town to
town to support my large family.
I am a father of eight children,
I have spent more than thirty
thousand francs to create an establishment that the capital needed,
because, between the Chinese
shadows of Seraphin and the monstrous genre of melodrama, there
was no intermediary for a child at
the age of reason. I put the fables of
Aesop and La Fontaine into action,
as well as the Proverbs of Berquin:
with what joy did I not celebrate
for my little children the glorious
victories of V.A.R. in Spain, with
what enthusiasm did the public applaud their songs. H.R.H. the
Duchess de Berry has tried to encourage my efforts; she has even
been so kind as to ask His Lordship
the Count de Corbiere for a twelveyear permit for the genre I have
created and which is performed by
no other. His Lordship the Count
de Corbiere told her that he preferred to grant me a provisional exception rather than a license, but
stated that I would be perfectly
protected; and it is now in the
midst of this apparent tranquility
that I am somewhat stricken by
this curse and threatened with
complete ruin if V.A.R. does not
look upon me benevolently.
Fathers of families have found
my performances a stimulating reward for their children; a single instant could destroy everything; but
informing V.A.R. of the threat looming over me is as good as knowing
that it will never reach me.
I am. with the deepest respect
NOTES ro ACT II
for my lord Your Royal Highness,

his very humble and very obedient
servant.
Gomte. the King's Conjurer.
22.
Words underlined in the manuscript text.
23.
cit.. pp. 141-42.
24.
SPECTACLE INSTRUCTIF
DE
ROBERTSON,
PHYSICIEN ET AERONAUTE,

cit.. p. 152.
25.
Also see page 343 regarding
Olivier's son.
26.
Chansons de Desaugiers. Paris.
1858. p. 110.
27.
By a strange coincidence, Jean
Eugenes notary. Maitre Deschesnes,
was also that of Robertson, the famous inventor of phantasmagoria
and the pioneer of parachuting Archives Caran. cote mc/and/LXV/711
Froger-Deschesnes aine 1820/1842.
etude XXXI. The jurist might have
facilitated a meeting between the
neophyte, whose marriage contract
he had recently written, and his famous client. At this period, the latter was writing his memoirs, and
one might imagine that one or several encounters could have taken
place between the old man. who
readily related his memories, and
Jean Eugene, who would have had
so many questions to ask him.
about optics of course, as well as
about his creations and perhaps
even Pinetti.
Without placing too much importance on what may simply be a coincidence, it is far from unreasonable to
think that one of the first professional
magicians that the young RobertHoudin would have liked to meet
would be Robertson, who. in addition to phantasmagoria and conjuring, had exhibited during his travels
92.
A sept heures.
PROGRAMME.
TJitaih du Spectacle donais pat- le Journal des Sciences et
Arisf dam le n". 38g, du 25 mat i 8 i 5 .
VISION.
Et le jcur dn sabui, apr& le soleil oouche, un esprit me
poussa vcrs la panic des boulevards suspends qui bordent
eette cii<!, il m'entralntt vera un jnlais voisin , (font Teimee
l(wt iwaiijiiee par deux trepieds vomissant t( sflanines
Je mo trouvai transport^ dans un vasle .-Ion, ou eta iu
minis un grand uontbre de babylonicus <jm &*tbU$mlcm
Illustration 259 - First page of the program of the conjurer Robertson.
MEMOIRES
E. G. ROBERTSON,
Aernslah j cs itens )cs princ;] alos v lies de f Kurojie ex-lVofcs
de Physi'jue aa Collrge central do ci-devant dcparteniyut de 1'Our
MotuLtc de h SocieEe Ojfvaa.que io Paris, de la Socitte lies Af
des Sciences de Hambourg cf da Jo SrtnetB d'j^mulitiop Ac r j
OKIES DE PI ASCHES ET FIGLItKS
TOME PREMIER.
A PARIS,
CBE2 L'AUi'liUB, BOULr.VARO M O ^ I M A R T R K . R
EV i l . i LtBHAinib DE DRTZ. HOE DK BOURBON , % f
1831.
Illustration 260
Title page of t h e first
volume of Robertsons Memoires.
203
legitimate mechanical pieces that

would ha\ e enthralled our hero, and
whose memories and experiences
could satisfy his thirst for knowledge.
Young beginners in the art of magic
have always tried to meet their glorious predecessors, who have made it
their duty to receive them and sometimes teach them. Robert-Houdin did
the same during his retirement in
Blois. where he met neophytes and
corresponded with beginners from all
over the world. To meet Robertson,
Jean Eugene had a name that he perhaps used as an "open sesame." because the phantasmagorian was also
born with the surname Robert:
Etienne Gaspare! Robert, known as
Robertson, born in Liege. Belgium.
June 15. 1763. died in Paris. France,
on July 2. 1837.
28.
Jean Jacques Emile RobertHoudin. born in Paris on May 21.
1831. died in Paris on March 17,
29.
Diederich Nicolaus Winkel,
watchmaker, mechanician. in\ entor, and creator of automatic instruments, born in Lippstadt,
Westphalia on August 24. 1777,
died in Amsterdam. Holland, on
September 28, 1829. In this brief
chapter, we cannot describe the
marvels of ingenuity that made The
Componium an exceptional example of a mechanical orchestra.
Philippe John Van Tiggelen dedicated a completely fascinating
and extraordinarily well-documented volume to this instrument.
This chapter owes everything to
the erudition of this author, who
has generously allowed me to
reproduce documents from his
collection. Philippe John Van
Tiggelen. Componium: The Mechanical Musical Improvisor. Institut
superieur darcheologie et d histoire de Tart. Louvain-la-Neuve
1987.
RofShRf-HoUDIN
LE MIRACLE DES CEUPS Illustrations de H
II n'est pm ^^
W on de veus,
Sur laltadesavte, Robeit-IIoudin s'dtaltreilrd
mes peiits amis, qui n'ait emendu parler de aus environs de Blois, dans une charmame prole prestsdigitateui", et lou.^ ks prit6. Or, UR jotif qu'ft passak en voiture sur k
Rabert-Houdin,
>!
tsParisiensontassiH(!uxi-epri>s<inlstions route menaiu ait bourg voisin, il upergm une
sonnentsessuccesseuFs.
grosse (ermiere....
L fermiere ne rtpondit pas.

L-autre inslsuit: - Madame, je n'ni pas de
i;iiui i.chtu i-citi mils pour mon enfant, ilest
maiade.Deuxosufsnevous
rutneront pas!
pp
d'elie,
Voulej^vouSj Madante, ri sou de vos ee

La femme au pameF se i^cria E
Un sou, mes ceufs! Est-ee qe vous
fou? Yitigt-dnq sous la douâine, et encore t
STEIMER.
... qui *"*~ marehait peniblement, poftaottittdtiorme panier piein d'ceufs ffais, quana eiie
fut accostee par unepsuvie vieiHc temme qui lutdit;
Par piiiii, Madame, dotinez-moi ddus cettfs
fraisp<jurmonen!':it-it tjtiU-it maladet
La pVMnne
rtpliaua,
mm s'arrtRobert-lloudtn avait vu touie la ge&ne. IE suklt en
ter r Je uc nourris pas les f.iim'ants I Mon voUure la marcliande d'asufs, gut se reodak aa marbrenest 4 moi, jc U: ;:.mie i Kiellc poursuivii ch6 de Molssac. Quand cite y rut ins talkie, le prestlso chemin.
digitateuf* qui avU conduit a 1'auberge sa voltufe.*,
Robert-iiou
^W din prit an
des eeufs, le cassa, et '
Pesiel Vous ovezraison.dit-il.Void
cinq sous doce1ui-dl
La foulc
La fefmi^ret stuptsfaiie, dctsF4
ie ne ies vends pins Itftucuttprlx I
Et etle s*eftfuit 4 son tour ew emponani son pander, pour
^ter UQ |eu plus loia casser ua de ses asts, et en sontr ne
Bt, devant la femme ^bahle il sorllt de fceuf i

aûe ens or.
* 9 Vt miite francs ks deux, ces ceufs-la, fit-it
Et if se saus*a en emponsnt la liague.
|ue, comme le Monsieur I'avatt fatt.

illecss un oof, tea ceafs.totis les
mufs y pass^rent IUIY npfe$ Iautre, et
nature'llement elle Be trouva ni bsguc,
ni ir<3sor d'aucune sorte.
CeqneUefiit
sait u n e
t^te, 1& fenuKre ( J'ai eu tort, se dit-eHe.
de refuser dmt ceufs a eeite ftmmc. t
efie rentra eher. clle, se promeuant Men
d'etre plus eharilable a ravcnlr.
Illustration 261 - The Miracle of the Eggs. Cartoon published alter Kobert-Houdins death in which the cartoonist wrongly credits the illustrious artist with the anecdote of the gold coins found in eggs, a trick which generations of conjurers from Pinetti to Philadelphia,
not to mention Bosco and Cazeneme. used to "glorify*1 themselves.
No i lib
30.
cit., pp. 173-75.
31.
Robert-Houdin inherited the
majority of his sister's wealth.
Through a notarized act of
October 15. 1832, Prosper Robert
gave his parts and their usufruct in
the five houses in Blois inherited
from grandfather Guillon to his
son Jean Eugene. In exchange,
Robert-Houdin paid him a lifelong
allowance of 757 francs. In a separate act, Robert-Houdin made a
gift to his mother-in-law of a lifetime allowance of 400 francs "only
in the event that she survive her
husband" (Jean Chavigny, p. 45)
Robert-Houdin, therefore, along
with his spouse, was the sole
owner of the five houses situated
in Blois, the sixth having already
been sold and its income shared
among the rightful heirs.
32.
The number of these children,
all having died very young, is indicated by Georges Robert-Houdin,
first son of Robert-Houdin's second marriage, in handwritten
genealogical notes regarding his
family. Among these five prematurely deceased children, we have
the names of only three: Marie
Rosalie Robert-Houdin (see note
42 of this act), whom we will have
a chance to discuss later; Louis
Henri Robert-Houdin, born in Paris
on March 6, 1839 and Auguste
Adolphe Robert-Houdin, born in
Paris on January 1, 1841. The latter,
contrary to writings of Chavigny
and Sharpe, must have died before
1843. because his name is not on
a civil register or a notarized act
of this period, which had the
names of the other heirs who were
then alive. (See Act II.) Auguste
Adolphe could therefore not have
helped his father in his performance in Palais-Royal.
The text of a song by RobertHoudin that the artist sang at each

baptism is reprinted in a letter
from January 21, 1903 written b\
Georges Robert-Houdin to his sister Eglantine in response to a request for information on the number of children their father had.
Here is the excerpt from this correspondence:
I had more trouble finding the
number of children born from both
marriages; I luckily remembered a
song written and sung by my father
at each baptism. The 3rd and last
refrain gives us the total of births
from each marriage; here is the refrain (very joyful):
How much have I spent this year
To pay for baptisms
Because I am at my tenth
To the priest I am going to speak
To get the Church
To give me a discount
Then unlimited credit
Because of the quantity
Friends, I am indeed happy
Very happy to have done
Even better than my father
Even better than my father!
Of the ten children, you were
the last, and my mother had before
us only a little girl (Marie) whom
she lost.
Apparently the eleventh - and
last - child of Robert-Houdin was
Henri Louis, who passed av\ ay ten
days after his birth. It was undoubtedly to perpetuate the family tradition that Emile Robert-Houdin
ended a letter announcing the birth
of his first son Paul with: ''Even better than my father!" (See Act IV of
Volume II.)
33.
Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, op
cit,, p. 176.
34.
cit., p. 69-
35Giovani Bartolomeo Bosco, born

in Torino (Piemont) on January 3,
205
TO ACT
II
1793, died in Dresden (Saxe) on

March 7. 1863. The dates of birth
and death of Bosco. engraved on
his tombstone, are apparently
wrong. The ones indicated above
seem more plausible.
36.
Prior to Bosco, certain authors
attributed this anecdote to Pinetti,
who found gold coins in cakes he
purchased from bakers. It was also
attributed to Robert-Houdin after
his death, and became the subject
of the comic strip reproduced
here.
37.
Decremps's v% ork succinctly provides the explanation for "The Dead
and Alive Bird." The unfolding of
this cruel experiment, still performed decades later by Bosco, is
described in detail in the manuscript of the "Third Notebook of
Experiments, Conjuring, Subtleties,
Small Effects" of David of Bordeaux. This routine, which the author seems to have performed, is illustrated with drawings of this
long-gone amateur of our art:
The Dead and Alive Bird
You must have a sort of tin canister in the following shape
[Drawing] in which fits a second
one [Draining], The surface BB
must be slightly longer than surface AA. Glue to end C and end F a
layer of seed covering the container. In D are small holes. You
must also have a bell [Draining]
that can cover the two canisters
when one is inside the other. All is
thus arranged so that when one
canister is inside the other and the
bell completely encloses them, it
compresses the edge BB enough to
remove it, leaving the other container. Now here is how to use all
this. You have two identical birds,
or nearly identical. One bird is enclosed between bottom C and bottom F. The other is kept to display
to the spectators. State that you
ROBfcRl-HOLDIN
Z,
4,
jf
/,
& A.
&U4 ?
4M^4v
/%.
/?
J-
Umx
<i d
ft'
_ / _ / .
/ .
s5fi
',
'
' f
* AtA
Illustrations 262 and 263 - The Dead and Alive Bird. Extract from the manuscript of the
Third Xotebook of David of Bordeaux
have raised this bird with great

care and that at the command of
the spectators it will sing any requested song. As you say this, you
hold the bird by one leg and in this
manner the spectators, seeing it

struggle, will be quite convinced it
is alive. Ask one of the spectators
to choose a song and during the
brief fun that this choice causes.
206
you suffocate the bird. When the

choice has been made, hand the
bird to someone to hold. If possible, choose a little girl and place
the bird in her hands. Tell her not
to let it escape and to hold her
hands closed without moving them,
which prevents her from seeing
that it is no longer alive. This done,
ask if they want the bird to sing the
previously chosen song or if they
would like to change songs, and if
they would like the bird to sing it
once or several times. While the
audience is thinking about this,
take the bird back and look sad.
Finding that it is dead, gently scold
the little girl. Ask if she did this on
purpose. She always answers, "Oh.
rnon dieu. no." Then, with great
calm, tell her that she has made a
great error. Show everyone that
the bird is truly dead. Throw it
brusquely on the table several
times to prove that it is not a bird
trained to play dead. Next ask the
young lady if she wants to resuscitate it and when she responds affirmatively, show the canister and the
bell as above. State that the seed in
the container is formulated to
bring the bird back to life if it eats
only three seeds. But the difficulty
is making a dead bird eat, but that
by warming it up you hope to succeed. Thus, you place the dead bird
on the layer of seed. Heat the bell
with flame of the lamp. Place the
bird on the container and ask the
little lady to blow on it (I have seen
some who. after having cried over
the death of the bird, have blown
repeatedly with all their strength
and ended up laughing hysterically
when they saw the bird resuscitated). Lift the bell, grasp the canister, and with a little shake make
the bird fly out. While they chase
it, remove the duplicate container
inside the bell and conceal it so
that if someone suspects your
method, you can have the apparatus examined and deter the curious. I have altered the shape of this
apparatus. Here is the one I use
[Drawing]. This shape looks rough
in the drawing but when constructed is infinitely elegant.
NOTES TO ACT II
38.
cit.. pp. 190-91. During a meeting
of collector friends I hosted in the
Bordelais in June 1999 including
Georges Proust, Jacques Yoignier.
Pierre Mayer. Volker Huber. Bob
Read. Bill Kalush. and Ricky Jay,
the latter two told us that certain
words used by Robert-Houdin to
describe Boscos work were abnormally shocking. These words
are "the bird-murders." In comparing this American translation w ith
the French edition, we all noticed
that in the sentence ~Le public
suppose quepar une adresse inexplicable, les executions capitales
et
autres
sont
simplement
simulees" ("The public imagines
that due to an unexplainable skill,
the principal actions and others
are only simulated"), the translator, instead of accurately translating the words "les executions capitales et autres" ("the principal
actions and others"), summarized
them as "the bird-murders." On
page 304, the words "Bosco Vavait
etouffe'e" ("Bosco had suffocated
Illustration 265 - The Canary Caught on

the Tip of a Sword.
it") w ere translated into English as

"Bosco had strangled it." These
differences in text, expressed at
\ arious points in the English translation, could have wrongly given
Anglo-American readers the impression that Robert-Houdin, in
his writings, had excessively emphasized Boscos cruelty towards
animals. Robert-Houdin's opinion
about this aspect of Boscos performances w as furthermore shared
by certain important chroniclers of
the time, among them Philippe
GABINETTO MAGICO
Busoni, who described in L Illustration the treatment of "the poor

ammunition" which the conjurer
"shoves into his pistol alive"; then,
after the gunshot has been fired
by a "well-meaning spectator, the
sorcerer catches the flying bird on
the tip of a sword." All magicians
familiar w ith the principle of The
Card Sword can readily understand the horror of this procedure
for the unfortunate bird, this effect
being its first but also its last performance.
To be convinced of RobertHoudin's objectivity, it seems to
me that it suffices to read The
Secrets of Conjuring and Magic, a
work in which he again praises
the dexterity of the Italian
artist. ..but only his dexterity.
39.
Jean Laurent Gherbrant was one
of the witnesses of the wedding
contract of the Robert spouses.
40.
From written notes of Georges
Emile Robert-Houdin. RobertHoudin's son from his second marriage to Mile. Braconnier. Despite
my researches, I have not found
confirmation of the death of Louis
Francois Houdin during this period.
41.
L'ARTE DEL PRESTIGIATORE
CONTKNENTE
110 giuoehi sorprendenti <h magia naturale

con carte, dadi, pilic monete. anelh. ecc
uon che 19 altn giuoelii di carte
e 68 mterewanileslini graoohi antrnetici
d'amena istruzione nei trattcnimenti e neile bngate
NONA EDIZIONE
ACORNA DEI RiTRATTO E D! TAVOLE If} RAVE
Tip GIO GL6S0M V.ddmt

M1LANO
VOQHERA
Illustration 264 - Gabinetto tnagico del Cavaliere Bartolonieo Bosco.
20^
Robert-Houdin always had great

affection for his father-in-law, M.
Houdin. When the latter became a
widower and could no longer w ork
as before, his son-in-law decided to
host him at The Priory, given the financial difficulties of continuing to
live in Paris. Robert-Houdin traveled to Paris in June 1859- took care
of the moving of M. Houdin. and returned with him on June 20 to
Saint-Gervais. He gave his father-inlaw a lovely room and set up a private workshop for him. On
November 15. a letter informed
M. Houdin that he had w on a silver
medal at the Bordeaux Exposition.
ROBERT-HOUDIN
42.
Marie Rosalie Robert, born in
Paris, second arrondissement, on
February 25, 1836. died in Blois on
February 28. 1844. See genealogical
chart.
43.
Memoirs of Robert-Houdin,
cit.. p. 193.
op.
44.
Joseph Prosper Eugene RobertHoudin. born in Paris on June 19,
1837. died in the battle of
Reichshoffen on August 6. 1870.
See genealogical chart.
45.
cit.. pp. 193-95.
46.
Illustration 266 - M. Houdin during the
final years of his life. (Private collection)
In February I860, his health began

to seriously decline. Dr. Arnould diagnosed his condition as critical.
On February 13 he was given communion and as a result M. Houdin
was quite distressed. His state prevented him from sleeping in his bed
for fear of suffocating, so he had to
spend his nights in an armchair. The
state of his legs and thighs, already
quite swollen, greatly worried
Robert-Houdin. BY the end of
February, thanks to Dr. Arnoult's
good care and the love his whole
family offered. M. Houdin was
graced with somewhat of a remission and was able to return to his
workshop and sleep in his bed.
This remission lasted until
October, when he again fell very seriously ill. He passed away on
No\ ember 10 at three o'clock in the
evening. Robert-Houdin. who called
him Papa, lost a dear relative,
friend, and mentor. His death would
long and profoundly affect him.
In the 18-M business almanac,

Robert-Houdin is listed at two different addresses: 9. Rue Vendome
and 9- Rue Madame. His father-inlaw Jacques Francois Houdin is
listed as In ing at 19. Rue Bergere
in a building where his spouse was
employed.
47.
On this subject, see the inventory reproduced at the end of this
chapter, which shows how limited
Robert-Houdin's handcrafted productions were and how scarce his
creations already were during his
lifetime, chiefly because of the time
and care required for their construction, and probably also because of their high cost, which
reduced the number of potential
purchasers. The number of Mysterious Clocks and other mechanical creations wrongly or correctly
attributed to Robert-Houdin. and
which have appeared" over the
past ten years in England at auctions or private sales, seem to exceed the total number of clocks
made by the master during his brief
career as a clockmaker.
208
The magic community, which

discovers advertisements for formerly scarce objects every month
in its magazines, would appreciate clarifications as to their origin
by the sellers or their representatives, who are "experts' or dealers, all well-known in the world
of magic.
48.
M. Houdin was a traditional
watchmaker who imposed strict
rules on those employed in his
workshop. It is therefore not surprising that Robert-Houdin signed
his Chinese Conjurer automata in
his own name. In fact. M. Houdin
believed that even if a worker had
made all the parts of his work, the
sole fact that it w as done in his
workshops was enough for the
worker to relinquish credit in
favor of his employer, w ho signed
in his place. A few years later,
w hen M. Houdin had become the
foreman of the Destouches workshop, he applied these same principles. This earned him biting
comments from the trade journalists of the Exposition, who criticized him for thus depriving certain workers of their credit at the
company he directed. On this
same subject, see Bulletin de
1 Association
Nationale
des
Collectionneurs et Amateurs d'Horlogerie Ancienne, no. 58. summer
1990. pp. 15-17.
49.
A version of L'Odalisque, from
the Edouard Gelis collection, is
at the Musee Paul-Depuy m
Toulouse; the example known as
the Du Perron, which belonged
to Paul Robert-Houdin. is in the
Chateau de Blois. and a third
version, similar to the example
sold by Emile Voisin to the conjuring amateur Grivolas, is part
of an American collection.
NOTFS TO ACT II
50.
In France, the Chateau de Blois
has preserved a traditional clock in
ebony
supported
by four
columns: a French collector owns
a clock in black marble, as well
as one in elm. also with four
columns, signed "Robert-Houdin
Palais-Royal; and I have in my
collection a gold-plated pocketwatch engraved inside no. 160.
Robert-Houdin, rue Kve Vivienne
no. 41 - Paris Echapt. a cylindres quatre trous en rubis."
Par permission de M. le Maire.
THEATRE HISTORIQUE,
Edairi par 100 Bees de Gaz.
r:
SPECTACLE DES
BARRICADES,
EVENEMENTS DE PAIUS.
Attnqnc et Barricade da Pantheon ,

LE 2 5 JOIN,
51.
OU XiA PRISE DE XiA BASTILLE.
Memoirs of Robert Houdin. op.

cit.. pp. 179-180.
MORT
DE MONSEIGNEUR L'ARCBEVEQUE DE PARIS
52.
Ces Eepresentations seront rendues par des milliers de figures mecaniques

a pied et a cheval, qui viendront combattre contre les barricades. L'artiste
n'a rien neglige pour donner a toutes ces figures meeaniques les mouvements qu'exeeute un eorps d'armee.
Admirable Polyorama mouvant, le seul qui ait paru jusqu'alors, mele
de chromatrophe anglais et suivi d'une double Fantasmagorie nouvelle et
risible par toute espece de jeux comiques.

cit.. p. 192.
53.
In his posthumous work The
Secrets of Stage Conjuring, RobertHoudin related the effect he specially
invented for Monseigneur Affre. After
having entrusted to the eminent ecclesiastic's vicar "a stationery envelope \\ ith seals at each corner,"
Robert-Houdin asked the prelate to
secretly write a sentence or a thought
on a piece of paper. The slip was
then folded into quarters and apparently burned. The ashes having
scarcely been dispersed. RobertHoudin asked the Archbishop to
open the envelope he held in his
hands. It contained tw elve other hermetically sealed envelopes, one inside the other. In the last one. the
prelate found intact the slip with his
handwriting that everyone had just
witnessed being burned. The astonished spectators then passed around
this paper, upon which was written:
"Without being a prophet, I predict.
sir. your great success in your future
career." Robert-Houdin asked Monseigneur Affre permission to keep
this autograph: he was granted this
"with a charming graciousness." In
1849. Monseigneur Affre died a mar-
i S
LA SUSPENSION ETHEREE1E
B'lPRES tiOBERT HOi_DI\.
APOTHEOSE DE M.er L'ARCHEVEQUE DE PARIS.

Les Interludes seront remplis par dens effets de peinture peints par les deux plus
grands maitres, MM. Cioeri et Cambon.
L'inte"rieur de la loee est eleganiment decore J II y aura tous les jours one seancp. A
7 heures l'ouverture des bareanx. On coinmencera .Ji 8 heures. Les Dimanches, deux
stances, ]a premiere afiheures, la derniere ii 8 heures.
La Loge est situde Place
d'Armes.
PBIX DES PLACES : Premieres, SO c ; Secondes, 30 c.

91. CHARLES, olrecteur dc ee Spectacle^ ose ejspcrer, ici eoinme partout
a IIIews'8; avoir un grand noiubre de visit curs ; <|ui snuront appt'ecici* H on
Spectacle} et qui ne le jugcront pas par la niodiclte de scs* prix.
Alencon, Imp. de M."" Y.
Illustration 26~ - Historical Theater, Spectacle des Barricades

This mechanical shcyw appeared to show Monseigneur Affre's heroic death on the barricades, which we mention in note 53. Fate decreed that this evocation of his glorious
death be accompanied bj a demonstration of Robert-Houdin's invention The Ethereal
Suspension, for whom he had predicted, in the earh years in the salons of M. De
l'Escalopier. "great success in [his] future career."
tyr on the barricades. Robert-Houdin

always kept this slip with him like a
pious relic and reserved a special
place for it in a w allet that was always with him. During his journey to
Algeria, he lost the wallet and the
precious document it contained.
209
54.
Here is a letter from Philippe
written to his wife. Louise Yictoire
Masson, a few w eeks before his
death:
Boukharat. May 30. 18^8
ROBERT-HOUDIN
My poor wife,
I am taking advantage of a
friend's departure to write these
few lines; by the grace of God I
have left Russia, which I liked very
much compared to [Illegible word];
everything is new to me in the
country where I am presently. To
give you a more precise idea. I
would say that I left hell for paradise; I entered the first village accompanied by five people: a watchmaker and the Jew to whom I o\\ e
money, a Sarthe-Russian interpreter,
my servant whom I am trying to
train to assist me on stage, and another Sarthe. The Jew. watchmaker,
and the servant have a carriage:
Illustration 268 - One of the last engravmyself, my Sarthe, and my interings of Philippe.
preter are in another; and my bagFrom L'lllusionniste, May 1902
gage in another. The carriages are
tipcarts covered in straw and the
wheels are six or seven feet in diameter: no suspension, but they roll
gently Like simple [Illegible word]
we travel six to eight leagues a day.
At the first village that I arrived in,
Bimanehe Kara 1860
the Bek invited my companions
Chaque personne recevra gratis pour une
and myself to his home. All of the
baignoire et bel Stage, 10 numeros, 2me et
3me rang 8, loge lettree 12, 4tne rang 6, ioge
Sarthe are covered by a sort of robe
letteree 4me rang 8, Fauteuil ler rang 3, Fauteuils Stailles et Balcoo 2, gallerie4me rung,
and a Calicot turban. Impossible to
place au B etage, 1 numero.
see the tip of a woman's nose; they
On commencera a 7 heures 1/2.
are covered with a thick black veil.
It would be difficult to describe the
M" P H I L I P P E
reception we have received and all
DE PARIS
of this is thanks to the letter of inPhysicien
prcstidigilateur
du Bazard bonne
troduction that the governor of
Nouvelle etdes principaux Theatres d'Europe,
d'Asie, d'Amerique et d'Afrique, donnera une
Samarcande gave me I was led into
Soiree mysterieuse Indienne et Chinoise en
a sort of square house made of
3 parties.
earth, as all the houses here are
Premiere Partie.
made of earth and remarkably simTours varies de dexterite, illusion et prestiges Mecaniques des plus nouveaux.
ple. I was able to give a perforDeuxieme Partie.
mance in this house my second day
Grande fete magique. Une nuit dans un pahere. I must tell you that as soon as
lais de Pekin ou seront executes divers tours
indiens et chinois splendides et merveillieux,
I entered the room, which w as
dont rien ne saurait egaler l'effet.
fairly large, a table was set and inTroisieme Partie.
stantly covered with cabaret platters
Les amusement de la soiree seront termines
filled with praline, almond, and pispar une surprise agreable et risible d'un genre
enticiement nouveau. Cette surprise consistera
tachio cakes. The pistachios in their
en une distribution des priz [gratis] composes
de neuf lots heureux et trois raalheureux.
shells are five shillings a pound;
endless tea and sugar as well. In
this country, no white or red wine
Illustration 269 - Russian poster for
nor liquors of any sort are drunk
Philippe at the Alexandra Theater.
Onlv water or tea. This does not
Taken from L'lllusionniste of May 1902.
210
bother me at all because I have had

only water for a long time. The Bek
was charming and grandiose [Illegible
word]; curious to see the audience
attending my performance seated
cross-legged on rugs on the
ground, except for the Bek. who
was seated on a bed prepared for
me. Before leaving, he gave me a
hundred coins of 32 kopecks and
three robes worth 50 to 60 rubles.
The three carriages of my companions were given a robe that the
Sarthes wear I packed up the same
evening and we left the same day
accompanied by two gandouras on
horseback. The same day we arrived in a small town where the
Sultans son lives. Everything was
ready when we arrived because of
the letter I had sent ahead so that
food and lodging could be prepared. The next day the Sultan's
son received us and said that upon
my return I would perform for him
but that his father had to see me
first. While I was leaving his humble home, fifty soldiers bearing
arms told me to wait, and a Sarthe
brought me three hundred coins of
32 kopecks and three pelisses and
one for each of my companions.
The Jew took the 60 rubles by force
and there w as almost a fight. As a
scandal would have ruined me, I
had to give way. On the way to
Boukhara, everything was ready for
us. The emissaries sent by the
Ministry were waiting for us at the
station to show us the way into
town, where everything was ready
for us. One of them took my letter
to the Ministry, who sent it to the
Sultan. The Sultan is currently forty
leagues from Boukhara and at the
moment I am writing I have no response. Paper is scarce: as soon as
I have some I will send you money.
People are half black since I came
to this country. I am housed and
fed free...at the moment It is hotter
than I have ever seen: if you put an
egg on a sand dune, it will be hardboiled in an hour. My position is
NOTES TO ACT II
as much as by age as by the numerous restoration attempts it had endured. Certain parts, among them
Alfred CHAPUIS et Edouard GELIS
the most delicate, were ruined and
forever lost. There were various eleLE
ments mixed in that had nothing to
do with it, and what the repairer
DES
had in his hands could either help
an inventive mind or fool it. And the
mechanism, as such, was not even
ETUDE HISTORIQUE ET TECHNIQUE
the main thing, because in order
Illustration 270 - Philippe's signature.
PRfiFACE
to establish the entire digestive
tie M . Edmond HARAUCOURT
process, the help of more complex
55.
elements was needed, and yet the
TOME PEEMII
Jacques de Yaucanson. born in
mechanical side alone was enough
Grenoble on February 24. 1709, to discourage the most experienced
died in Paris on November 21. 1782. specialist" (Les Automates, pp. 24142).
56.
So here is the pitiful state in
M. de Vaucanson, Le Mecanisme
which Duck, which Rechsteiner
du Fluteur Automate, Chez Jacques
was to restore over three and a
Guerin, Printer-Bookseller, Paris
half years, was found. The first
1738.
presentation of the magic bird reborn from the ashes was in 1844 at
57.
the Scala in Milan, and it was then
exhibited - I am still quoting
Illustrations 2~1 and 2~2 - Cover pages of
cit., pp. 159-160.
Volumes I and II of Le Monde des
Chapuis - in Torino. Besancon.
automates.
and Paris. This new narrative by
58.
Chapuis
therefore
confirms
point
Pierre De\ aux, Automates et
by point that of Robert-Houdin reAutomatisme. Presses Universitaires
garding
the date of the Duck's
de France, Paris, 1941.
exhibition in Paris and concerning
its mechanism. Indeed, Robert59Houdin
could have only described
Alfred CHAPUIS et Edouard GELIS
In Le Monde des Automates, writwhat
he
saw in examining the
ten in 1928 with Edouard Gelis,
LE
Duck in 1844 and could not know
Alfred Chapuis refutes Robertwhether or not the digestive mechHoudin's "secret" of the digestive
anism was Vaucanson's original
mechanism of Vaucanson's Duck. In
DES
1949, in Les Automates, written with work or the result of Rechsteiner's
restoration, assuming the two difEdmond Droz, Chapuis relates new
fered. Despite this evidence.
discoveries about Vaucanson's Duck.
ETUDE HISTORIQUE EJ TECHNIQUE
Chapuis not only remains consisPR?ACE
This automaton, he tells us, after unde M.Edmond HARAUCOURT
tent with his previous writings but
dergoing a variety of circumstances,
was rediscovered in Berlin in 1839 declares on page 246 of Automates: "As for the trick referred to
by Georges Dietz, who found the
owner in Prague, a certain Professor
by Robert-Houdin, it does not at
Doebler; the author does not say all seem to be a creation of the
whether he is the famous magician
great Vaucanson; see footnote 17.'
or one of his namesakes. Having acWhen we hurriedly go to footnote
quired the Duck from him, Dietz en17 of Chapter XI, we read the foltrusted its restoration to Rechsteiner.
lowing text, which completely
Still according to Chapuis, whom we
contradicts the itinerary and even
quote, "...the famous fowl was at the authenticity of the automaton
that time completely broken down,
described by Chapuis in the precompletely changed: if God gives
me strength. I will soon be able to
help you. Adieu. I kiss you all. Your
husband.
Philippe.
MONDE
AUTOMATES
MONDE
AUTOMATES
211
ROBl RT-HOUDIX
ceding chapter: "Robert-Houdin

relates that Yaucanson's duck was
exhibited in Paris in 1844 [This is
exactly what Chapuis has just
written in his Chapter XT] and that
it was subject to certain of his own
repairs. There is in any event a
mistake about the date, because it
was in 1839 that the bird was
found in Berlin and entrusted to
Rechsteiner. It is extremeh likely
that the one repaired by RobertHoudin was an imitation. [!]" We
can be legitimately surprised that
the author so blatantly contradicts
himself in his work in order to
continue to support his initial
assertions, and all the more because Chapuis also specifies that
Rechsteiner. after Milan, did not
want to take Yaucanson's automaton - w hich he had just restored to Torino. Besancon. and Paris, a
city where, due to Rechsteiner's
absence, Robert-Houdin was asked
to repair a wing of the duck that
had broken! It is possible, how ever, Chapuis emphasizes, that
Robert-Houdin made a mistake in
the date (1844 instead of 1846)
because Parisians did admire
Yaucanson's masterpiece in 1846
alongside a mechanical elephant"
at 123. Place du Palais-Royal.
Robert-Houdin had obviously written the truth about the trick he discovered inside the famous Duck.
These observations, which an attentive reader can make in reading
the w orks of Chapuis. are confirmed
by the academic study of M. Andre
Doyon and M. Lucien Liaigre.
Jacques Vaucanson. mecanicien de
genie Presses Universitaires de
France. 1966, in which, on pages
123 and 125. the authors reproduce
an excerpt from the writings of
Christophe Frederic Nicolai. (Chronique a trovers TAllemagne et la
Suisse. Berlin and Stettin. 1789. p.
284) confirming as early as 1781
Robert-Houdins version of the famous Duck's so-called "digestive"
mechanism point b\ point.
In his work Alfred Chapuis

strangely tried to minimize the importance of Robert-Houdins mechanical creations during the nineteenth century. We could do nothing
but bow before his verdict had it
been based on his own personal research on the subject. This was regrettably not the case and the Swiss
historian, who perhaps wanted to
assert the superiority of his eighteenth-century countrymen in this
domain, oddly carried out no research in France and based all his
writings about Robert-Houdin on
the least reliable and least objective
source: The Unmasking of RobertHoudin by Harry Houdini.
The author contacted the famous
King of Handcuffs" through his
compatriot from Geneva. Adolphe
Blind. "Professor Magicus," during
the first decade of the twentieth
century. Harry Houdini then gave
him authorization to use all the "information" published in his work.
Here is one of his letters:
1*
Cote
81
Danr PI-of. Cliapuls;

iMC
OF A u g u r t
-Ht.
23
ThlB
BBfel
WJ "-.'
tdtf: r
~of.--'. e l .
-ong
BB
xi In s=y book "Ibo

;
a r.aj tatai-L
repv
L
":. m
" V*
\lt Si
Illustration 273 - Letter from Harry
Houdini to Alfred Chapuis.
September 14th, 1921

Prof. Alfred Chapuis
Rue de la Cote. 21.
Neuchatel. Switzerland.
212
Dear Prof. Chapuis:

Thanks for your letter of August
21st. This note is only to let you
know your letter has arrived and I
will go into details at my first
leisure moment.
You have my full permission to
reproduce or use any of my information in my book The Unmasking
of Robert Houdin as long as you
courteously give me credit for my
material. [Which Alfred Chapuis
did not always do, especially
after Harry Houdini's death.] I
will send you both of my books
with my compliments some time
this week.
It may interest you to know that
I have at home an automaton
which I purchased from De Yerli,
who claims it was bought at a
Robert-Houdin sale. I will try and
give you a full description of it
shortly.
Kindest regards.
Sincerely yours,
Iloudini
This letter by Harry Houdini includes a sizable inaccuracy. Contrary to what he implied in this letter, the famous artist never owned
any of Robert-Houdins automata.
He merely purchased from the
magic dealer Charles De Yere in
1913 an imitation of the trapeze
artist Antonio Diavolo. manufactured and signed by the mechanician Deveaux. De Vere very
clearly specified - in a letter
which is today part of the archrv es
of the University of Texas in
Austin, which John Gaughan
kindly provided me with the origin of this automaton, which the
"King of Handcuffs" thus could
not have been unaware of.
Although at the time there w as in
fact a Belgian magician named De
Verli, there was never a "RobertHoudin sale"!
The consequences of these unfortunate epistolary contacts influenced Alfred Chapuis's works It
led him to corroborate certain totally erroneous hearsay of Harry
TO ACT
Neuchatelois of May-June 1926

without verifying or carrying out
any additional research.
Twenty-three years after this
unfair and slanderous claim, which
had no basis in fact, and due to
the
discovery of Maillardet's auORGANE
DE LA SOCIETE DKLSTOIRE DU CANTON
tomaton in Philadelphia. Alfred
DE NEUCHATEL
Chapuis was obliged to reverse
FONDE EN 1
himself. In Les Automates, figures
artificielles d'hommes et d'animaux (Neuchatel, Editions du
Griffon. 1949), written in collaboration with Edmond Droz. Alfred
Chapuis qualified Robert-Houdin
1Q2D
for the first time as an illusionist
of genius" and had to resoh e himself to finally write this sentence as
a very discreet mea culpa-. 'Today
one could admit that RobertHoudin. inspired by the work of
Jacquet-Droz. could \\A\ e constructed such an automaton in his
workshops." This short, tardy
Illustration 2^4 - Cover of the Musee
avowal alas did not suffice to reNeuchatelois.
pair the damage caused to RobertHoudin by the author in various
publications
for more than forty
Houdmi and e\ en in one specific
years.
case, to 'authenticate" the writings
Although I believe that Alfred
that the 'King of Handcuffs" had
Chapuis
was deliberately led into
the prudence to formulate only as
error by Harry Houdini. and I do
hypotheses. This was the case connot doubt his sincerity and erudicerning Harry Houdinis theory
tion,
we can only regret that one of
about The Writing and Drawing
the
most
important historians of auAutomaton, which suggested that it
V\ as an automaton created by tomata so cavalierly allied himself
with the revisionist theories of the
Maillardet which had been lost at
"King of Handcuffs" at the expense
that time and which Robert-Houdin
of
the memory of a great artist who
"remade" before taking credit for it!
was rightfully considered to be the
This unfair hypothesis - which is
finest mechanician of his time by
definitely denied by the history of
contemporary scientists and laythe creation of The Writer-Drawers,
men.
of which Robert-Houdin made at
least ele^ en examples: the report of
the 1844 Exposition jun; and also
60.
the existence of Maillardet's origiWolfgang von Kempelen. born
nal automaton, which has since
in Pressburg on January 23. 1734,
been found and can be admired
died in Vienna on March 26. 1804.
today in the collections of the
He was advisor to the court of
Philadelphia Research Museum - Empress Marie-Theiese of Austria,
was surprisingly repeated and cor- w here he show eel his Chess Plaver
roborated by Alfred Chapuis. who
automaton for the first time in
published it in no. 3 of the Musee
1769 or 1770. He apparently ended
MUSEE
NEUCHATELOLS
SOMMAIRE
213
II
the exhibitions of his automata in

the years 1773-74. At the end of
1781. and on the occasion of the
visit to Vienna of Grand Duke Paul
of Russia. Von Kempelen restored
his machine. In April 1783. The
Chess Player was presented in
Paris, then in London in November. In September 1784 it was in
Leipzig, then in Dresden, and finally in Amsterdam in 1785. Von
Kempelen stopped showing The
Chess Player in public and resumed his position as court advisor in Vienna, where he died in
1804. It was at this period that
Maelzel acquired the famous android from his heirs.
61.
Maelzel was born in Regensburg
on August 5. 1772 and died at sea
on July 21. 1838, on a boat going
from Havana to Philadelphia.
Illustration 2^5 - Signature of Maelzel.
62.
Certain reasons could have indeed prompted Maelzel not to take
the original of The Chess Player to
America. Maelzel acquired the automaton from Von Kempelens heirs
in I8O4 and again exhibited it in a
Europe prey to the Napoleonic
wars. Eugene de Beauharnais. the
Emperors son-in-law. who was then
Viceroy of Italy, had the chance to
play against the famous machine.
Impassioned with chess and unable
to accept not knowing the secret of
the automaton, he bought The
Chess Player from its 1 >wner for the
amount of 30.000 francs around
1809 or 1810. The aui >maton then
ROBfcRT-HOUDIN
returned to obscurity for a few

years, but in 1818 Maelzel went to
Munich and negotiated the exhibition rights and the sale contract of
The Chess Player with Eugene de
Beauharnais, who had by then become the Duke of Leuchtenberg.
The details of this transaction are
unknown, but it seems that Maelzel
promised to pay to the duke the
sum of thirty thousand francs, in installments, and also pledged not to
leave the continent with the pawned
automaton until the totality of this
sum was reimbursed. In spite of the
profitable exhibitions and tours in
Europe, Maelzel could not or did
not want to respect the agreement,
and the duke, and then his heirs,
dragged him through the courts in
Paris in 1824. From then, to explain
what next occured, one must think
as both a jurist and a historian.
Maelzel hurriedly left France for
America in the last days of 1825
with his automata and The Chess
Player - for which he did not even
have time to hire a "director"! What
we mean by this is a great chess
player, the actual brain of the machine. In order to not be considered
by the French police as a thief on
the run, which would have earned
him a jail sentence and immediate
seizure of all his material once he
arrived in New York, Maelzel could
have very well left the original
Chess Player as collateral, gone to
America with the copy, and definitively paid off his debt to the Duke's
heirs from the profit of his shows in
America. Concerning the last point,
we have a trace of a final transaction
between Maelzel and the Duke's
heirs after Maelzel had successfully
presented The Chess Player in New
York. We can also refute this assumption and imagine that Maelzel
left a copy of The Chess Player as
collateral to the heirs of the Duke of
Leuchtenberg, or purely and simply
ran away leaving nothing behind,
but we must keep in mind the huge

legal risks of such behavior. It is
hard to believe that he would have
risked such a swindle any more than
he would have left France with a
machine confiscated or about to be
confiscated by the law. Any of these
crimes would have made him an
eternal outcast with no possibility of
return. On the other hand, leaving
with a copy of the automaton would
have been a very skillful maneuver,
such a misdemeanor being negligable compared to leaving with a
pawned or confiscated object. He
would have been sent to prison for
several years and would not even
have repaid his debt. Did Cronier,
the mechanician from Belleville,
participate partially or totally in the
manufacture of the copy of The
Chess Player? Was he aware of the
details through one of Maelzel's mechanicians? Vast questions whose
answers we will probably never
know any more than the arguments
Cronier gave Robert-Houdin to persuade him that the wreckage he presented him was really one of the
most famous trick automata of all
time.
MICHEL SELDOW
ROBERT-HOUDIN
63.
At the Chateau de Blois is a
miniature gilded table that was long
FAYAKD
Illustration 276 - Small gilded-bronze

table of The Writing and Drawing
Automaton.
(Chateau de la Ville de Blois)
214
Illustrations 27"'. 2^8 and 2"?9 - Photograph

and signature of Michel Seldow
framing the cover page of his biography of Robert-Houdin.
NOTES TO ACT II
believed to be a model of the center table of the stage of Soirees

Fantastiques. This confusion can
be explained because we find a
drawing of this table in an engraving depicting the theater stage in
the posthumous work of the master. We now have photographs
from Hamilton's time and that of
Melies in which we can see RobertHoudin's central table, which looks
different from this model. However,
if we compare this miniature table
to the only known print depicting
such an object, which shows
Robert-Houdin next to The Writing
and Drawing Automaton, we realize that the tiny table in the print is
identical to this table, whose size is
perfectly on the scale of the automaton's table and its creator. This
object is probably all that remains
of the famous Writing and Drawing
Automaton. See the reproduction in
the third color section of the revised edition of Confidences d'un
Prestidigitateur published by Stock
in 1994. The engraving of RobertHoudin and his automaton is on
the first page of the first color section. This table is also shown on
page 79 of Michel Seldow's work,
Vie et secrets de Robert-Houdin,
Fayard, 1971.
64.
Marguerite Framboise Olympe
Braconnier, born in Orleans on
October 14, 1815, died in Blois
on January 2. 1901. See genealogical chart.
Olympe's father. Charles Albert
Samuel Braconnier, was Belgian and
from Mons. Having entered into the
administration of the First Empire,
he was assigned to Orleans, where
he married Marguerite Louise
Martin, daughter of an old, important cloth-manufacturing family in
Romorantin. We can therefore assume that Robert-Houdin met his
second wife through old family relationships, because he had an
uncle. Jean Toussaint Robert, who
was a cloth manufacturer in Blois.
Olympe's paternal grandmother was

from the noble Dumont de Longpont
family in Mons, whose ancestors had
occupied important local positions
in the sixteenth century: magistrates, village leaders, etc. Olympe
had maintained close relationships
with the Dumont de Longpont
family. Her brother Charles, although born in Orleans like his
sister Olympe, decided to assume
Belgian nationality, became an officer, and participated in Stanley's
expedition for the conquest of the
Congo. He became a general and
held important positions.
65.
I am indebted to the kindness of
M. Keime Robert-Houdin for the
copy of this letter, conserved in the
Bibliotheque de Versailles. The
words underlined in this letter are
also underlined in the original text.
dwarves and the dance steps of

Siamese twin sisters? Robert-Houdin
preferred to let his readers dream
about his automaton and to end his
narrative after the brilliant tete-a-tete
between The Writing and Drawing
Automaton and the King of France.
This purely artistic and literary choice
to give the chapter on The Writing
and Drawing Automaton a romantic
conclusion does not show any disrespect for the great Barnum, with
whom he maintained the best of relationships, as confirmed by the writings of the shrewd showman. This
again shows that the conjurer, when
he played the role of storyteller, always knew on which 'climax1' he
needed to end a lovely story.
N.B. In the vocabulary of magicians, the 'climax" is the culminating point of a trick, also known as
his 'ending.'
70.
66.
eft., pp. 231-233.
67.
cit., pp. 369-370.
68.
Phineas Taylor Barnum, born in
Bethel, Connecticut on July 5, 1810,
died in Bridgeport. Connecticut, on
April 7, 1891-
69.
Some authors have claimed to be
surprised that Robert-Houdin did not
discuss this transaction with P.T.
Barnum in his memoirs. The explanation is, however, clear: after exalting the qualities of his extraordinary
invention, which earned the admiration of thousands of visitors to the
Exposition and its jury, how could
Robert-Houdin have risked disappointing some of his readers by revealing that the final destiny of The
Writing and Drawing Automaton was
to be displayed in a museum of phenomena, where it was exhibited for
nearly twenty years between comic
215
In this narrative, published in

his memoirs, Barnum is mixing
three of his voyages to Paris, the
first during the 1844 Exposition, the
second during performances given
by Tom Thumb in the capital in
1845, and the third after the young
prodigy's tour in the provinces,
when Robert-Houdin's
Soirees
Fantastiques were at the peak of
their success.
On this subject, see the remarkable biography of the great showman, P.T. Barnum. The Legend and
The Man by A.H. Saxon, Columbia
University Press, New York, 1989-
71.
According to certain authors,
Barnum, following the advice of
Robert-Houdin, negotiated, for
3,000 dollars, a diorama illustrating
the return of Napoleon's ashes from
Saint-Helene to Paris. The great
showman, in his memoirs, mentions
a sum of 12,000 dollars paid for a
huge panorama, "Napoleon's funeral
at the Invalides.''
I - The watchmaker, mechanician, and conjurer.
Robcrt-llouditt's
collection)
I'u > nimU1!1*
Clock iind Mysterious Clocks bv

(Christian Fechnai" collection)
Mysterious Clock "Three Graces" by Robert-IIoudin.

(Volker 11 uber collection)
Mysterious (lliwk
(Chris
collection)
tin h'cchncr collection)
mid IX - Mysterious Clocks hv
Robert-Iloudin from David M. Baldwin's collection.
V "
1 - The Chinese Conjurer by Robert-Houdin.

(Foitner collection of Madame Marteret)
(Christian Fechner collection)
XIV and XV - The surprising "footwork" of Robcrt-I loiulin's Mysterious (Conjurer.

(Pierre A/aver collection)
136" STANCE.
AOJODRD'HUl MARDI 18 NOVEHBRE.
1/2.
siiiiiimtutiuiiin
PALAIS-ROYAL,
Hi i, galerfa d<< Vnlats,
15, ni* (Ic \ aloK,
i i i - LLJ
2 HEURES WUm DE MAGIE

SOIREES FANTASTIQUES
ROBERT HOUDIW
PUYSIGIQH KT MI5<:AMCIK\,
TOURS D ADRESSE ET DE PRESTIDIGITATION

INCOMVUS J l S Q l ' V CE .101 U.
Art seance sera conliniielteinent r/'iV<> par les c.vperii'iu-es Sllivtlllles :
I.t' 1 uutn J iiier\f'iHt'U\ proiUûaiit les [ihulti'ts, It's Qoura, It's dfOg^QB} t'tt-.;
la Pctitliilt- t-at):ilislit|llf,
It) l'a\ori tics
tlaiiK's,
la IN-dif mii-at-ulfiisc,
lt> II^MII tliuliolit]uc,
le Chasseur hi-olieu. It's (irtilesqties A....I el 0
u,
rOranj(er sails pai-ftl la dioucllo faseiiuih'iee, le I*alissier iilt'|Uiis:il)ie, fie.
Pour completer la seance lie prestidigitation, le Fils de M. Hobei'l-iloitdin, djiue dune secmide
rue penetrante, dimnera itvec son pere nne experience entiereinent ninnelle el dti plus
grand inlerel.
PRIX DS PUCES.
t.alerie
1 f. .V)
Loês tie faee t't (ra\aiit-M*em\
IA- jii-ir ilr* fitures IIHIHS tfttintur B*MI Jut*
11. IIOIH'UI H O I I ) 1 \ -c- Tail ml plai.ii

ilc immlwr nn\ iiumlciii'n ttet loars HDtliMUX
wtr^n.nnrnl rnotliM, n l'fdftiiqiitla an pout
pni-mtir a Tarn- illusion. Set lOfOnsiQllI tl ini
prh
IUCKIPIT.
OII Inmvc dniis son wbincl ioui I n iiishii-
V In smindvparlit. i|iiitiimniciicfjtUli. 1/2,

It- |>riv tic* blaws esl rttlnit tie mciitit-.
u. lumi.m-uoi nixm-di.
<- / reparation tie Inns automates ct piiccs wtumitiurs
Robert-Houdin'a S
Htian Fechiwr collection)
com/i%ur
Aiijoiird'ltiii Vendredi 17 Mars 1848.
PALAIS-ROYAL.
.rv4.T.Uafc, I * .
ROBERT HOUDIIU
> MK IMIIKV
KKK nc H I NIKI us MKirn:s *uvm>.
SiffATAMT 2NCORE JAMAIS PAH1I TEIXES ODK
SEANCE ENTIEREMEWT
LE CARTON ROBERT HOUDIN
LA PELOTTE DE LAINE.
LA BOUTEILLE INEPUISABLE
LA PECHE MERVEILLEUSE.
LA VOLTICE OU TRAPEZE.
LAPENDULE AERIENNE
i"li nvuvclie I H M M
2 LdlMMtNL
SUSPENSION ETHEBEENNE
HI SKI'.O%D H U t DE ROBF.BT-IIKIDIH
ii'Mont
T M l EH BQUIUBBK AVIX I.'tIB
Clu^mtjtmr dn ifM,**, fri*, f&mi irlUi i,faM ntfnm,/b< '

LunwuiinuiMini.
lunnmiuiirnnwii
uKwamuoui
u IMMIIII m U K
: Li nnim.
n.i
t A mOONDE VOE. - L'ESCAMOTAGE 1XED. ROSEHT-HOODIN, <-ir., srrlja
mie Mvh' Hcwr.
I 'v"^-**Vy^f- il* Stance sera terminee par le merveilleu\ eflfets du Polyorama. "* J
'.s* Soirees
UKUU
u mm m m
FutlUi&tiifUVH ill
GALEIK DE YALOIS. 1S4
PALAIS-NATIONAL
IDE DE YALOIS. 13,
lx% Hurmut iMirmml a 7 hrwm 1/2.
\iijtiurJ'hiii Merrredi 44 Janvier 1852.
I*C**. 3 t,
SOIREES FAWTASTIQUES
ROBERT HOUDDy
ILLUSIONS, SUBTILITES IIIAGIE
AUTOMATES PRESTIDIGITATION.
DIMANCHE PROCHAIN
DEUX SEANCES
I* frtmiirt
* 1 fctara, la ..camfc a $ V i m <fc an*-.
I . ROBERT HOODIN SE CHARGE DBS SOIREES PARTICDLIEBES.
is Soirees
I'diitttsdifitcs
nt l'nln
(dhateait Jc In \'illv tlv Blols)
SOIREES FANTASTIQUES DE ROBERT- HOUDIN

Tou5 les Soirs a 8 Heures precises. Palais Royal . Gale Me de Valois,164 et rue de Valoisl3
XX - Robert-Houdin's Soirees Funtasticfues at Palais-Royal and the Siiint James's Theater in lcS45 ;incl 184cS.
(Christian Fechner collection and Huriy Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texan. Austin,
ENTilAfflMENT
Tuesday Thursday
Saturday Evening
lHHIII.S IH'I.V
PERFORm ANCE
Mornin
Robert-IIoudin sit the Saint James's Theater in 1S49.

(I'rivate collection)
ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.

Saturday Evening, Aug. 19.
POSITIVELY THE
LAST
NIGHT
OF THE SEASON,
BEING FOR T H E
BENEFIT OF
EMILEHOUDIN
ROBERT
OUDIM
Last Appearance in London
WILL POSITIVELY MAKE HIS
Saturday Evening, Aug. 19,

Owing to his Engagement at the '! hentro Royal, Manchester,
which commences on Tuesday Evoniug nt-xt, August 2 2 .
THE PROGRAMME
WILL Rfi SELECTED FltOM TQB HOST POPULAR
EXPERIMENTS & ORIGINAL INVENTIONS OF M. HOUOIN.

DURING -1 III: I.VKMNG.
E M I U v I I O U D I N will exhibit his extraordinary poiOert of
SECOND SIGHT,
" INVISIB1LETE,"
ESGAMOTAGE EXTRAORDINAIRE,
IJY KMILK-IIOUDIN.
Suspension Etlicrceime,
U Y E t1 O K N E -H O U D I X .
BOKISS, 4 s .
PIT, 2s.
GAL. STALLS, Is. 6d.
PKIVATI, BOXES \ti> STALLS
MAY DS
ECUBI,D AT
Mr. UElTCHEXil'S EOYAL LIBRARY, 33, OLD BOND RTREET;

Mr. SAW*' !to|fll Uhmy, ftt JBIIMT** Uirert. M a n
Aad
**', ANDIKVI", HUOKIIAW'*, ALLCMTT'*, LXADU i C O M , h OLLIVIM*
i H.I ..
i!"t(,( MIM: !,.*'>....,-..; th Caiium Library, ), Itt-goii Sin-et,
t tbo Ooz ORIca of tha Tbtair*, whloh 1* opa di.i.y from 11 to S o'closk.
W J I r n m l ' Iiuit'i f, PiutnJt. LfHnt
in 1S4S.
>t Texan,
Austin)
ROBERT H0UDI1
ST. JAMES'S
THEATRE.
' ' o n . M n c a t t u M, OW Bowl 3uwt
ILLUSIONS.
H
0
/ O
Om
- .

mI
AWT,'
Ae
E,
MONSR
PSBSTIOieiTATBDIL
FRENCH CONJURER,
EXPERIMENTS
>D
WOND13118 OK
NATURAL MAGIC
t> Inv, I,I. .1 l,y him. ..ml Pcrfbimnl fur Tm Ouucmtln U n a n u t k i M i i n
SEANCES FANTASTIQUES,
I T E O
N U M B E R
O F
R E P R E S E N T A T I O N S ,
E V E R Y
E V E N I N G ,
.1t
llalfpait
l.tyhl a {hick.
WEDNESDAY A SATDRDAY IODN1KCS

' m i . * , tii ,n,/ at Half-pott
sr
I""
o'Vluck
FOR FILL PROGR\!B1IE, SEE SMALL BILLS.
""THB E M P E R O R S POLKA, competed by THOMAS ROLT,

THE NEW ' CASTANET WALTZ, i 8 . by EMILY A- WALKER.
"THt
IHI>H(
LOOISA I'ULKA, compoi-il by Mr T. BROWNE.

Mt CHABLES I h l l Of Her Mjcm Th*.trr
Stalls,7* BoocesA* PW Gallery,\

Pltn ATK BO\J-S <l l i . 1 Hi W 4 r* i /
Mr
MITCHELL'S
Hrti
EOTAL'LIBEAET
kr.ll
Th BOX OFFICB of ihe
38, O L
D .ad
BO|_Cni,
H OCaurtu
S T I B T;
Liuu
Qfa^jyly.. from Keren till Five alk-
y W. J COLBOLiKh P i i u n 4mt.
Will - Robcrt-Ilotidin at the Saint James's Theater in 1848.

(I lurry Ransom Humanities Research Center. Lninersitv of Texas. Austin)
THEATRE,
ST. JAMES'S
KING STREET,
ST.
JAMES'S.
The Surprising and Interesting Performances of
ROBlTJlllN
AS PRESENTED BEFOEE
HER HOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY THE QUEEN,

HXS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE ALBERT,
AND THE ROYAL FAMILY,
/
AT THE GRAND FETE, WILLOW BANK, FULHAM,Jpf '
WILL BK REPEATED
\C4 S
At the SI. Jani< s s Theatre,

EVERY
TUESDAY,
THURSDAY,
ANI>
SATURDAY EVENINGS,
DOOBS OPEM A.T SXOHT O'CLOCK.
Jll, IIOUDIN WILL ALSO GIVE A
ON
WEDNESDAY MORNING,
Commencing a t Half-past Two o'clock.
l'HIVATK BOXES mo STALL8 u r DO Mounts u
Mr. MITCHELL'S
ROYAL LIBRARY, 33, OLD BOND
STREET;
w. i. CUUMUIS, r t i i t , 0. paivtt .iMr, LtitiiriK uui
i-crsirv of Texas, Mwttn)
ST. JAMES S THEATRE.

BY PARTICULAR DESIRE.
THEATRE.
ST.
I'OSITIVELV THE
LAST NIGHT
BUT Vi;
OF THE EXTRAORDINARY SEANCES FANTASTIQUES
GRAND
.lnd Final Representations. ^
Mr MITCHELL bc* t o i d u m M that. In compUuct M k nonuroii application*
and ovln to the dUappointmeat *pert*ttcd by n u a r partiw la not procwta*
place* at U J . b u t repreicntatlon of RO2EB.T HOODIK, rra^t>ne D u bar* 1MM mad*
Four Grand Extra

AND FINAL PERFORMANCES,
WEDNESDAY MORNING
AVtiVHT l//(.
FRIDAY ETfENIMUl. 18.

EMILE-HOUBIM'S
THURSDAY I-;\ IIM >., AUGUST 17

FRIDAY 1 '\\ IvM\., AUGUST 18,
AKDTOELAST OK
SATURDAY I; VI1M ><;, AUGUST 19,

Which win Mart po*lUeIjr Unolnat* U u tttraordlaarr M J W r*KTAlioor f
OSCKT-HODBIM At l i t * T&Mtre. pr.rlotwJr to bis depart*** (or Kasek*t*r, vtwr*
be will appear on TM*day u*rt, Aofort 32ad.
BOXES. 4.
FIT. 2
i M P E l T H E A T I t J.. *d
1
ST. JAMES'S THEATRE,
Kl%(. BTBRBT, 8T JKS'8.
ROBERT-HOUDIM
EASTER HOLIDAYS.
Ewery Eienin^
1)1 KIM.
EASTER WEEK,
DAY PERFORMANCE
WV*rfin'M% iS f'riflai/
.Jiominf/s.
FAREWELL
LAST REPRESEMTATION.
SATURDAY EVENING Auc 19

ROBERTHOUDUTI
LASTMGHT
IIS ENGLAND.
FareweU Seance
SATURDAY EVENING.
BEING MOST POSITIVELY HIS
LAST REPRESENTATION
IN THIS COUNTRY,
" I '
'
'
- . X
PerlbruiaiK'eH in this Country

In 0rdr t o pet pctoatt a s a*rttable Koavenir of hi* *U(t to UU* C+wattj
all the moat popular and tb* mic *utjiri*iB EiprtinHt# will h* *xccat*d
""""
FarcTwcU Occasion*,
bUt Uw DtstclbctioB (rom tbe - COSM D iBONDiNCE W W M 4 wltfc
"*""""
Liberality St Profusion.
Tlr Aniuity V.*itTlmam'*ti M H H
tOXm*- rotnt *Hiitjo.

1
- i.s
a/ flalj-p.nl I ujki axA *- .U-faiif
t . TWO *HIU.IMOB
- < ."!" 1 T 1
<**(
I'trfmrmmft. f llal/âtl Turn
A*riTHE*r, u *
The Programme on this occiurton w n eompctae tk*

8 J U L P8WCB A1BEHT, TBS BOTAL FA
the OODBT, at SDOXnrOBAV PALAOM.

n fmm W^t /*>*. a. k l
UfLf - PRIVATI BOXXI u M . . . . . . . ftf
. .
* a H f l K B W l KOTAIi I-J.*.T H ObB OB I T K r t T .
XW - Robert-llomli
ill IS4S .-mil IS53.
LY, and
ENTERTAINMENT
esday Thursday
Saturday Evenings,
D OOJI.S VPt.Y ,
PERFORMANCE
Horning
Iversttv of Texan. Austin)
Hi. James's Theatre

I run
Mr. J O H N MITMIKI.I
XI III! II. ,,.! - . , , ,
EASTER
WEEK.
SEANCES
EVERY
DURING THE EASTER WEEK,
DAY PERFORMANCE WEDNESDAY * SATURDAY

SVAX.UI,
. 4B.
R T . -
BOXKfc I
II II, M. t I.
- >. MIHTUIW, wuxcu ynmm u u i w i
XXVII - Ko
(Private
collection)
OAXAEttY, la.
flliTI
-J
If
ROBERT
FOSITIYJSLT THE LAST SIX XI&ZSTS OF
M.
N\
JOB and
HOIDII
j U
Whose Eitraordinory performaaces have been THREE TIMES HONOURED
BY THE EXPRESS COMMAND OF
B B S SSOST aBACtOHS BEfcJSSTV,
MONDAY- 1HAY 9th. 1863. and Even livening During the Week,
HI. ROBERT HOWDIN

WILL GIVE FOB
ONE WEEK MORE at the PRESENT FRICES

n n u n i n i n
SERIES of MAGICAL
ILLUSIONS
ON A SCALE Or PERFECTION NEVRB H JE.EHTO AVTEMFTED
__
FIRST IMHT,
The rroduction of Flowers.

The Instantaneous Transposition.
The Golden Shower.
The Bnohanted Garland of Flowers.
A Wonderful Surprise for the Ladles.
The Intrepid Soldier.

The Animated Cards.
The Marvellous Orange Tree.
he IMtaphlstophelcs" Telescope.
The Travelling Tnrtle Doves.
The Transparent Crystal Box.
Vbe Confectioner.
THIRD FART.
The Inexhaustible Bowl of Funeh.

SECOND FART.
Robert Boudin's Fortfollo.
The Crystal Balls, or Oreat lories
Astonishing Invisibility.
of l i g h t of Hand Trtofcs.
Dress Circle, - 9m.
Boxes, - a s .
Pit, - Is. Gallery, - Od.
.
,.
PRIVATE BOXES,
Cl. ll, and h Us. 6d
i oa application of Mr. AUSTIN Jim . at the Box Office. The Doors will be opened at a quarter-past Seven, and the Performance!
commence at a quarter to Eight o Clook
(Volker lluber
collection)
XXIX - I'lic I'astrv
Cook
XXX - liohert-Iloudin'x Funtcistie Portfolio.

(Madeleine Mtilthctc-XIclics collection)
The Fabulous Rosebush or The Love Nest,

(Christian Feehner collection)
tttal Hell.
1XXIII - The Garland of Flowers
XXXIX7 - The Transparent Cashbox or The Light and Heavy Chest.

(Ken Klostermun collection)
XXXV - Antonio Dicmolo, the tntpesse artist.

(John Guu&hun collection)
\XYI - The Ladies' Fwoorite.

(Volker Huber collection)
XXXVII - The
XXXVIII - Top luit and magic wand of Ronert-lloudin.

On his wand, the conjurer wrote the following words: "This wand has served me in all the performances
I have given during my entire artistic career." (Chateau (le la Mile tie Hlois)
XXXIX - Reproduction of The Fascinating Owl by Robcrt-Houdln.

XL - The Mysterious Orange Tree.

(Christian Feehner collection)
iipill
Balls
1844-1845
The Big Leap p. 219
1845 The Secret
Machinery of the Theater p. 235
1845 Robert-Houdin's
Soirees
Fantastiques p. 245 1845-1846 Second
Sight and The Inexhaustible Bottle p. 259 1846
First Foreign Tour and the Conjurer Louis Courtois p. 271
1845-1852 Promotion and Advertising p. 281 1847 The
Fortune-Teller Alexis Didier p. 287 1847-1848 The Ethereal
Suspension p. 291 1848 Moreau-Sainti and Andre Voisin p. 297 1 $48 Revolution in France and Triumphs in England p. 307 1849-1851 Return
to Paris and Pierre Etienne Auguste Chocat, known as Hamilton p. 32 7 1850 The English
Connection or the Legrand Trial p. 335 1851 Letter on Education ; Shows and Children p. 347
1851 Roberti de Brescia, De Linsky, Deveaux, Berneuil, and the Electric Light p. 351 1852
"Farewell, My Dear Parisians" p. 355 1852-1853 The Final Flames p. 368 Notes to Act III p. 383
ROBERI-HOl'DIN
Illustration 281 - Robert-Houdin in 1848.

Lithograph in large format by Leon Noel, 1848. Robert-Houdin is shown surrounded by symbols of his favorite disciplines: the
instruments and tools of a watchmaker, the conjurer's Second Sight and Ethereal Suspension, and the mechanicians masterpiece.
The Writing and Drawing Automaton. This very rare lithograph, of which only four copies are known, was given by RobertHoudin only to his closest friends and family. The one reprinted abo\e is dedicated to Dantan: To Dantan the younger with affectionate memories Robert-Houdin." (Private collection)
ACT
III
The Big Leap

After searching all over Paris 'for a fortnight, passing from the largest to the smallest
houses in turn." Robert-Houdin finally decided
on a large apartment at Palais-Royal which
could easily be transformed into a theater. It
was thus at 164. Galerie de Valois [i] and 13.
Rue de Valois that the conjurer finally found
the long-sought location that fulfilled his requirements.
The galleries that surround the garden of the

Palais-Royal are divided into successive arches,
occupied by shops that are, with reason, reputed to contain the richest, most elegant, and
SOIH EES F A N T AST X QUES

1MB
ROBERT-HOUDIN,
Gaff we. 3a Vrtioid
The proprietor of this house had been dreaming for a long time in vain about a benevolent tenant who, while paying an exorbitant price for his
room, would come in without expecting any repairs to be done. I was, therefore, most welcome
when I not only agreed to pay the rent asked, but
endured passively every sort of imposition [concerning doors and windows, caretakers, etc.]
Indeed, I would have given much more, so afraid
as I was lest this desirable house should slip from
me. [2]
The owner, described in a sarcastic tone the two men would have a difficult relationship - and whom Robert-Houdin identifies
only by the initial B. was Marie Jean Baptiste
Bertin, a jeweler at 10, Rue de la Chausseed'Antin who lived at 13, Rue de Valois in an
apartment situated above the one he rented to
the artist. (We may remark that when the author uncharacteristically uses a sarcastic tone
twro or three times in his memoirs, it is always
in regards to someone who has behaved unfairly with him on a financial, professional, or
artistic level, although this is not explicitly
stated.) Here is how Robert-Houdin described
the location of the future theater in his
posthumous work. The Secrets of Stage
Conjuring:
219
-j?d/rL
iGi, efc <u& Da Y O M W , I 3 , *
/Tnuitij^t
4tous* -fat-. <)*A*4 **-
Ô -
Illustration 282 - Letter from Robert-Houdin to Dantan.

This letter accompanied the lithograph reproduced on the
preceding page.
ROBERT-Hoi DIN
most tasteful wares that Paris can boast. Above

these arches there are, on the second floor, spacious suites of apartments, used as public assembly rooms, clubs, cafes, restaurants, etc. It
was in the space occupied by one of these
suites, at no. 164 of the Rue de Valois, that I
built my theater, which extended in width over
three of the above-mentioned arches and in
length the distance between the garden of the
Palais-Royal and the Rue de Valois, or, in other
words, the whole depth of the building. The dimensions of my exhibition room were therefore,
as will be seen, very limited; a couple of hundred persons could barely be accommodated
therein; it should, however, be mentioned that
the benches were comfortably divided into separate seats.
forgotten to ask the police department for authorization to open a theater. There, a disdainful employee told him that a ministerial
decision opposed the opening of new establishments within Palais-Royal. [3] In despair
because of this refusal, Robert-Houdin asked
for the help of one of his clients, Benjamin
Delessert, the police chief's brother. After
having witnessed the conjurer's talents at a
reception, the kindly chief agreed to use his
influence so the artist could obtain the necessary authorization. In reality, things did not
turn out this way whatsoever, perhaps the
only time in his entire life that Robert-Houdin
was confronted with such a situation, in
which he almost lost everything for reasons
beyond his control. To understand the causes
of the conflict between the police chief and
the Minister of the Interior, we must go back
in time a bit.
If we believe his memoirs. Robert-Houdin's

search for the location of his theater lasted
barely a few days. The new director supposedly then began major renovation work before noticing that he had "absentmindedly"
Illustration 283 - Close up" of no. 164 of the Galerie de Valois at Palais-Royal in the eighteenth century. CDldter Moreau Morax collection)
220
Aci III
Although Robert-Houdin had felt ready to

face the Parisian public for several years, and
even though he had precisely defined the formula for his show as well as the setting in
which he wanted to perform, two equally important factors prevented him from taking the
final step. The first was linked to his close relationship with Comte, whose fighting spirit
and ability to retaliate were formidable when a
newcomer tried to hunt on his territory. His
glorious elder had advised him to wait because
he was convinced that two establishments specializing in the same kind of entertainment
could not be successful for long.
the Bibliotheque de l'Arsenal, this man befriended Robert-Houdin. During their conversations in the artist's workshop, he urged him
to "strike the great blow'' and open the theater
whose ingenious devices the mechanician had
already described to him and which would be
the ideal environment for the apparatus and
automata he had worked on for so many
years. The Count de l'Escalopier, convinced
by the practicality of these novel ideas, was
persuaded that his talent, which had developed in such a brilliant way in the salons,
could blossom even more on a custom-made
stage. It was this devoted friend, this patron,
who gave ten thousand francs to RobertHoudin to partially cover the costs of opening
Soirees Fantastiques. Adding generosity to
tact, he refused to have a written contract for
this unguaranteed loan, and only a handshake
followed by a warm embrace sealed their
agreement.
The King's Conjurer was sincere in giving

this advice to Robert-Houdin. He did not fear
potential competitors because during his rule
over the Parisian stage, no magician had
been able to create a theater in the capital to
undermine his supremacy. Robert-Houdin
would just have to be patient, as he had been
during his entire youth. Moreover, M. Comte
would know the right time to very elegantly
step aside to allow his young and talented
colleague to take over, and Robert-Houdin
had no reason to regret trusting Comte's
judgment. Robert-Houdin wrote the following
about this model manager in an unpublished
text: "...he was as remarkable for his skill in
the handling of cards as for his moral and
personal qualities." M
In 1842, Comte, while actively maintaining

his profitable private evenings, began to perform less on stage. Soon there would be no
more professional or financial obstacles to
the inevitable ascension of the future conjurer.
Robert-Houdin's strategic career choices
had always been wisely thought out, and
he never made rash decisions. This visionary, extremely imaginative artist, who
freely expressed himself on all subjects,
always managed to coexist with his twin:
a wise and careful manager. For some time
now, Robert-Houdin had been waiting for
an appropriate space in Palais-Royal to
become available. Setting up a new theater in this area was going against the
trend of the times, which had elected the
Boulevards as the new Eldorado of
Parisian entertainment.
The second reason was purely financial.

Building a theater, even a small one. as
Robert-Houdin had envisioned it, required
considerable investment and he did not want
to take the risk because of his responsibilities
as head of a family. We recall that it was
thanks to the young Count de l'Escalopier that
Robert-Houdin took his first steps in the
closed world of Parisian salons. [5] Rich and
cultivated, an art collector and learned bibliophile who was to become volunteer curator of
For decades, Palais-Royal had been the

Mecca not only of frivolities and chic cafes,
221
ROBERT-HOUDIN
ft PUBLIC D15 SE1UPHIN.
Illustration 284 - Seraphin's
Audience
by Gustave Dore. (Georges Proust collection)
222
ACT
granted by the police department. RobertHoudin, with very solid instinct, had an intuition that his new type of show would attract to this location a quality crowd repelled
by the shady crowds and vulgar shows of the
Boulevards.
but also of prostitution and curiosity shows.

These activities, under the severe directives
of the authorities, had gradually departed,
and a largely family-oriented, bourgeois
clientele once again patronized the arcades.
Seraphin's Ombres chinoises was the last
vestige of the old entertainment of PalaisRoyal, faithfully remaining at its spot at 121,
Galerie de Valois because of a waiver
Among Robert-Houdin's faithful followers was Benjamin Delessert, manager of the

Caisse d'epargne, who was also one of the
friends and clients who sponsored his
entry into society. [6] It is not unlikely that
this young banker was also a lover of conjuring, because he had in his library a book
legendary among collectors of the magic
art, La Premiere partie des subfiles et
plaisantes inventions by J. Prevost, native
of Toulouse, Lyon, 1584. M This is considered by historians to be the world's first
published work entirely dedicated to
magic tricks. Delessert undoubtedly must
have introduced Robert-Houdin to Gabriel
Delessert, his uncle, the all-powerful
Parisian police chief. |>] This meeting probably took place well before Robert-Houdin
asked for authorization to open a new theater at Palais-Royal, because the terms in
which Gabriel Delessert expressed his
high opinion of Robert-Houdin display a
true familiarity "with his artistic and moral
virtues.
PREMIERE P A R T I E DES SVBTILES,

ET PLAISA
III
NTES
INVENTIONS.
Ceittendnt plujjeursteux de recreation, & trdtts defiuppl
fir It difcours defyuelsjes impoftttres des Battleursfint
defcottuertes. Compojepar I. Preuoft,
natifde Tolofe.
A Monfieur Durand de Geftes 3 Efcuyer,
Seigneur de Vernofe.
Par Ancoine Baftide marchant Libraire.

I j 8 4.
Illustration 285 - "Prevost."

Cover page of the copy of "Prevost" from the library of
Benjamin Delessert. This book is now part of the author's collection.
223
When Robert-Houdin finally discovered

his ideal location, the police chief authorized him to present his creations there.
One must emphasize the unique nature of
this authorization, which was in complete
opposition to the political trend of the
time, the eviction of all shows from the
Palais-Royal area. Here is the complete text
of this historical document, the official
birth certificate of Robert-Houdin's Soirees
Fantastiques.
ROBFRJ-HOUDIN
General Headquarters
2d Office
Decree authorizing
a spectacle de curiosites
Galerie de Valois, no. 164
at Palais-Roval
Prefecture de Police
Paris January 11, 1845
We, Peer of France, Police Chief.
In view of the laws of April 16
and 24, 1790,
The decree of the government of 12
Messidor Year 8 (July 1, 1800).
The decree of June 8, 1806 and
the 13th of August 1811 on curiosity
shows.
The decision of Monsieur the
Minister of the Interior of 28th
September 1837, which recognizes
our competency in this matter.
In view of the request of M.
Robert Houdin, mechanician in Paris
asking to publicly exhibit in premises
situated at 164, Galerie de Valois automata and mechanical works of his
own invention, with an interlude of
Physique amusante;
Have declared,
Article 1.
M. Robert Houdin, Mechanician
in Paris, 9, Rue Vendome, is authorized to open a public show of curiosities in the salons of the second floor
of 164, Galerie de Valois at PalaisRoyal.
Article 2.
This show may only include
the exhibition of automata, mechanical elements, performances of
Physique amusante, formally excluding all acting, dialogue, pantomime,
dancing, and singing.
Illustrations 286 and 28^ The official "birth certificate" of Soirees Fantastiques
Robert-Houdin.
de
Ac I III
Article 3.
The preceding authorizations
are granted to M. Robert Houdin
under the following conditions:
1. To show nothing to the public that is immoral and that would
shock propriety;
2. To hold no performances before the formalities are examined by
the theater commission, to ensure security;
3. To refrain from announcing
the show by a crier, either in the
Galerie de Valois or at the door that
leads to the exhibition rooms;
4. To pay taxes for the destitute on the gross income;
5. To pay the police service in
conformity with the tariffs of our prefecture.
Article 4.
The present authorization is
specific to M. Robert Houdin, nontransferable without our authorization
and valid only until January 1, 1846.
However, it can be revoked in
the case of non-execution of the aforementioned conditions or for public
reasons.
Article 5.
The present decree will be rendered to the chief of police of the
Palais-Royal district in order for him
to survey its execution and to be notified to M. Robert Houdin with an injunction to conform to it.
an
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Signed in Paris on 11"' January 1845

The Peer of France Police Chief
[signed] Gl. Delessert
225
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Of course, it was only after having received

the notification of this precious asset from the
hands of Alexandre Vassal, "police chief of the
city of Paris, assigned to the Palais-Royal district," that Robert-Houdin signed a lease under
private agreement with the owner of the location, M. Bertin. The signature of this act took
place on January 15, 1845. The lease was established for a nine-year period and would expire on April 1, 1854. The rent was set at four
thousand eight hundred francs per year. In
conformity with this act, Robert-Houdin paid
M. Bertin the sum of "two thousand four hundred francs for six months in advance, chargeable to the last six months of the lease."
Robert-Houdin entrusted the young architect
Felix Martin, who resided at 35, Rue de

Miromesnil, with the renovation work for his
future theater. As soon as the work began, the
relationship between M. Bertin and his new
tenant became very tense. The owner frequently came to the site, alone or accompanied by his own architect. The following year,
the two men appear to have opposed each
other in a trial or serious litigation because
Robert-Houdin asked Felix Martin to supply
him with a sworn statement, which gives us a
certain amount of picturesque information on
the problems of the famous theater's site:
The undersigned architect asserts that, having been hired in January 1845 to establish
M. Robert-Houdin's theater on M. Bertin's property in Palais-Royal, he had, regarding these
works, many conferences with M. Bertin himself
and M. Guillemin his architect before the beginning of the work and during its execution, and on
several occasions he explained to these gentlemen and especially to M. Bertin the plans, which
remained unchanged during the execution of the
work.
Knowing that the work would destroy the configuration of M, Bertin's apartment, he had a
blueprint specifically drafted by his architect,
which was given to the undersigned to facilitate
his task.
Several times during the course of the work,
M. Bertin came to visit them and had the architect
called to his apartment so he could verify that the
great expanse of the floor above the theater could
not compromise the solidity of his building.
In spite of the assurance given to M. Bertin
by the undersigned and by the contractors
(M. Lemaire, Rue Ghabrol and M. Ballu, Rue
Faub. St. Denis), whom he thought it necessary
to also consult, M. Bertin lengthily insisted that a
column be placed under this span and did not refrain from insisting on the use of this support,
until after many meetings he recognized the impossibility of placing this column in the middle of
the theater.
To cut a door to provide access to the stalls
forced the removal of part of the chimney pipe;
Illustration 288 - Notification of the decree of Police Chief

Gabriel Delessert to Robert-Houdin.
226
ACT III
M. Bertin approved the necessary work to be carried out and even had it done by his own chimney
specialist.
Finally, in all the circumstances where the undersigned had a chance to discuss with M. Bertin
the work underway and which M. Bertin, who lived
above, assiduously observed, it was always clearly
agreed upon that the room was to be equipped
with boxes and stalls, that is to say, turned into a
theater.
Several measures were approved or refined in a
cooperative manner by M. Bertin, who even willingly helped the undersigned by giving him advice
on many points.
Paris January 16, 1846
Felix Martin
We note that Robert-Houdin obtained only a

one-year authorization for the opening of his
establishment, and in spite of this precarious
time limit, he did not hesitate to sign a nineyear lease and undertake major renovation
work. To proceed in this fashion, the artist
must have had the utmost faith in his supporters and friends. They would soon publicly
demonstrate their devotion.
Although he benefited from a certain notoriety in Parisian high society, Robert-Houdin had
also become throughout the years an essential
figure in the small world of magic, which knew
of his creations and often called on his talents
as an inventor and manufacturer. When RobertHoudin moved to London in 1848 to give performances at the Saint-James's Theater, the
English press stressed the fact that for more
than a decade the French conjurer had conceived and created the most beautiful pieces of
the repertoire of current celebrities, from
Ludwig Dobler to Philippe. This relatively unknown aspect of Robert-Houdin's artistic activity "was recalled in Le Charivari in an article of
July 10, 1845 devoted to the flattering account
of the inauguration of Soirees Fantastiques.
Here is an excerpt:
22-
Illustrations 289 and 290 - Ludwig Dobler.

Engraving and playbill of Professor Ludwig Dobler.
DftBLXiRS MASIG,
LAST WEEK OF
Doblcr's Attractive Entertainment.
TUESDAY
JVNB 18,
THURSDAY, JUNE 2O,
SATURDAY, JUNE 2
2
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ROBhRI-HOUDIX
Robert-Houdin was a first-class mechanician,

a precision watchmaker who invented the famous
clock with a glass dial and who manufactured all
the mechanical pieces used by the most famous
French and foreign magicians for their best
tricks.
L'Illustration of July 12th also confirms that

the mechanician's talents had contributed to
the success of his colleagues for several
years:
M. Robert-Houdin, the grand priest of this little
temple, following the path of Vaucanson and
Maelzel, is less a conjurer than a skillful mechanician, who, tired of creating the ingenious devices
that made the reputation of past and present magicians, thought that it was finally time for him to
submit directly for public approval a series of
amusements that are much more perfected given
that he prepared them for his own use and to
prove his talents as a mechanician.
Eugene Hatin, in his mini-biography of the

artist, did not neglect to emphasize this aspect
of the mechanician's work, whose origin probably goes back to his Parisian debut with
"Father Roujol": "However, the success obtained
by his inventions in the hands of others led him
to exploit them himself." It is likely that the creator's decision to perform made a number of his
former clients wince as they foresaw all the
dangers that this talented competition would
represent. Seraphin was the first to worry about
this danger, even more so because he was perfectly aware of the stature of his future neighbor. He had already asked him to create interludes to include between the acts of his Ombres
chinoises, among these a Mechanical Trapeze
Artist that Robert-Houdin manufactured for the
1840 season. Having quickly understood that
the police department approved of the future
conjurer, Seraphin directed his efforts and those
of his contacts toward the Minister of the
Interior in order to prevent Robert-Houdin from
opening at Palais-Royal. We must indicate that
this particular Seraphin - who was the son-
Illustration 291 - Portrait of Dominique Francois Seraphin.

From L'Hhisionniste. April 1908.
in-law of the daughter of the original Seraphin

- was used to epistolary denouncement (see
note 10).
On January 31, 1845, Gabriel Delessert wrote
the following memo to the Minister of the
Interior:
To his Excellency the Minister of the Interior
Your Excellency,
I have the honor of transmitting to you a certified copy of my decree of the 11 th of the month,
which authorizes M. Robert-Houdin to open a curiosity show, 164, Galerie de Valois, and this under
the usual conditions for this type of show.
Please accept my regards, Monsieur le Ministre...
Peer of France, Chief of Police
Gabriel Delessert.
Though the work contracted by RobertHoudin was already irreversible and all his energy was devoted to pushing his workers to
complete it as quickly as possible - the theater
228
Acr III
If M. Robert-Houdin has not yet been notified of the decree you sent me, it seems preferable to withdraw it. If this is not the case, in
keeping with recently applied measures to
these types of shows, it would be desirable to
add to the restrictive conditions one concerning the number of spectators, limiting it to sixty
maximum.
had to be opened by the month of April - in

early February, the conjurer was summoned
by Gabriel Delessert, who had some bad news
for him. Even though ordinarily the ratification of his decrees by the minister was only an
administrative formality that was never contested, the prefect had just heard unofficially
that, in this particular case, the minister was
planning to refuse it. A certain number of interventions from different spheres supported
Seraphin's complaints to the Minister of the
Interior that he did not want an establishment
he considered detrimental to his interests to
open at Palais-Royal. Foreseeing these difficulties, Gabriel Delessert advised RobertHoudin to suspend sine die his work until the
litigation was officially resolved. Although the
prefect reassured the artist that he would put
all his weight behind him, we can easily imagine into what state of despondency he was
plunged. Would he ever be able to open his
theater, and, if so, when? In the best-case scenario, the end of the season was already jeopardized, and in the worst, it would be the ruin
of his hopes and reputation. The site had been
abandoned for nearly a month when the official response from the Minister arrived on
February 26th:
Please receive, Monsieur the Prefect, the assurance of my highest consideration.

The Minister, Secretary of State of the Interior.
The solutions advocated by the minister

both represented a death sentence for the theater: the first prevented it from existing and the
second condemned it financially. The answer
to the minister from the prefect proves how
much Gabriel Delessert took Robert-Houdin's
cause to heart, to the point of "confusing" the
capacity of the foyer of the theater with that
of the main room or including restrictions that
could in no way impede Robert-Houdin.
Moreover, the deep hommage of this highranking person to the work and the personality
of Robert-Houdin amounted to a courteous but
firm invitation to the minister to kindly end the
debate:
Police Department General Secretary-2"d
Office
Paris, February 27, 1845
Curiosity Show, Galerie de Valois, PalaisRoyal
Explanation on the subject of the authorization
granted to M. Robert-Houdin
Urgent.
To his Excellency the Minister of the Interior
Your Excellency,
Through the letter that Your Excellency honored me with by writing on February 26th, Your
Excellency regrets that I authorized M. RobertHoudin to establish a curiosity show, Galerie de
Valois, Palais-Royal, in the same area as
Seraphin's show. He therefore wishes that if M.
Houdin has already been notified of my decree,
several restrictions be added to it.
I have the honor of informing Your Excellency
Paris February 26"1

Spectacle de Curiosite de Sieur Houdin
Contrary notice to its authorization
Monsieur, the Peer of Prance, Chief of Police
We have received the letter you sent concerning the decree in which you authorize M. RobertHoudin to set up a curiosity show in the Galerie de
Valois. I regret in general seeing the number of
these shows increase, the competition of which is
injurious to existing theaters and in particular the
existence of this concern seems justified in the
vicinity of a show of the same type, that of
M. Seraphin, who has long been a few steps away
in the same gallery.
229
ROBERT-HOUDIN
that the permission has already been conveyed

to the agent and that it is consequently impossible to withdraw it. But the nature of the concern
in question and the conditions already imposed
by me will suffice, I hope, to dissipate Your
Excellency's apparent concerns.
In truth, this show has nothing in common
with that of M. Seraphin. It consists mainly of an
exhibition of artworks and automata, whose
mechanisms aroused public admiration during
the last Exposition. He certainly has the right to
add a few amusing conjuring tricks with optical
effects, but he has been positively forbidden,
with precise notification, to present Chinese
shadows or other curiosities like those already
performed by M. Seraphin. Moreover, M. Houdin's
authorization was granted for one year and has
only ten months left to run and has not yet been
used. The room where his automata will be exhibited can contain only 60 people and he has
stated that he will be happy to receive merely 20
to 30 visitors per day [sic].
Here is the Minister's response to Gabriel

Delessert:
Minister of the Interior
Paris, March 4, 1845
Monsieur Peer of France, Chief of Police
In keeping with the wishes presented in your
letter of 27th February, I have the honor of informing you that I approve the decree by which you
have authorized M. Robert-Houdin to open a curiosity show. It would be desirable that in the future decrees of this type be communicated to me
as proposals, and not after the notification of the
decrees to the relevant parties. It would then be
possible to introduce changes deemed appropriate
and the administration would not be given the alternative of ratification of already-granted authorizations or their modification, thereby inciting
the concerned parties to argue when they already
have the official document.
Please accept [etc.]
Finally, M. Robert-Houdin is not at all a mountebank or a charlatan, but a distinguished man, a

savant in mechanical art whose main goal is to
make his curious masterpieces known to the
public.
I think that, as a result of these explanations,
Your Excellency will be convinced this show cannot at all harm M. Seraphin's establishment and
that I have imposed all the necessary restrictions
to prevent any troublesome competition.
I would therefore be greatly obliged to Your
Excellency if you would grant me approval of my
decree of 11th January 1845, relative to the small
proposed show, 164, Galerie de Valois
Please accept the tribute of my respect,
Monsieur le Ministre
The Peer of France, Chief of Police
G. Delessert
In order to be as complete as possible regarding this affair, of which Robert-Houdin was

the unwilling detonator, we have included in
the notes of this section the reply from the police chief, who did not want anyone, including
the Minister of the Interior, to infringe on his legitimate rights. [9] It is with this letter that this
wrestling match between these two powerful
personalities ended, an episode that RobertHoudin had to keep secret and which obviously
could not be included in his writings without
compromising the memory of a devoted friend
and that of a minister of state, and the reputation of his "colleague" Seraphin. [10] The delay
in the renovation pushed the inauguration of
the theater back to the month of July, the beginning of the hot weather and the least favorable time in Paris for the launching of a new
show. The conjurer's immediate success under
In conclusion, Gabriel Delessert added

under his signature this handwritten note:
"M. Robert-Houdin is a knowledgeable mechanician of the greatest distinction and completely uncommon."
230
ACT III
these difficult conditions says much about the

quality of his performance - even more than
the most laudatory reviews.
[During this act, we will see the experiments and automata that accompanied Robert-Houdin at his theater and on the European stages on which he performed. For the comfort of the magician reader to
whom many of these tricks are already known, I
have chosen not to interrupt the narrative to describe each effect, and to place in note 74 of this act
the ensemble of the descriptions of Robert-Houdin 's
main creations noted in the biographical part of this
work. The history, procedure, and explanation of
each trick will be the subject of a technical work
which will be a complement to this essay.]
*i
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audit* V& /;,
Illustration 293 - Official decree of the opening of the theater dated June 12, 1845, listing the conditions and modifications required of Robert-Houdin by the theater security commission.
ROBERT-HOL'DIN
!BI(I. j . M;jn C*
Illustration 29^ -Les Soirees Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin from the 1845-1846 season, by Pruche. (Jacques Vbfgnlercollection)
232
ACT
233
III
ROBERT -HOUDI\
LES SOIREES FANTASTIQUES DE ROBERT HOUDIN

Quadrille inllant
VEBIE A MOniEl'
ism It Kaiis trtc Acccaji.'lad Hit /.jar
AK. IE CARPENT1ER
Public i ?aris,{ CHAIUJnhiH MDBIIU-IK, 1!
Illustration 295 - es Soirees Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin.

Large-format album containing the musical compositions created by Adrien Le Carpentier to accompany the artist's feats at
Palais-Royal.
234
ACT
III
The Secret Machinery of the Theater

In his Memoirs, Robert-Houdin shared with
his readers the principles and reforms undertaken for his performances of Soirees
Fantastiques. The three main artistic trends of
his time were represented by M. Comte, the
King's Conjurer; the prince of mystification,
Bosco, the brilliant and final heir to an ancient
lineage of conjurers; and finally Philippe,
whose hat and costume were straight out of
legends and fairy tales. The principles and reforms that Robert-Houdin defined and practiced would become the new foundations of
the modern, renovated magic art, which all
the practitioners of his time would copy, without always understanding their true meaning
and infinite possibilities:
[My performance was to have two distinct
characteristics:
skill and mechanism,
represented by conjuring and automata. One would
help the charm of the other by diverting the mind
with a pleasant variety. ]
Remembering Torrini's principles, I intended to
have an elegant and simple stage, unencumbered
by all the paraphernalia of the ordinary conjurer,
which looks more like a toyshop than a serious
performance.
I would have none of those enormous metal
shades usually placed over objects that are to
disappear, and whose secret duties cannot escape the notice of the simplest spectator.
Apparatus of transparent or opaque glass, according to circumstances, would suffice for all
my operations.
In the performance of my tricks I also intended
to abolish those double-bottomed boxes of which
some conjurers made such an abuse, as well as all
instruments designed to make up for the performer's want of skill.
235
Real sleight-of-hand must not be the tinman's

work but the artist's, and people do not visit the
latter to see instruments perform.
Of course, after the abuse I have showered
upon the use of accomplices, I quite did away with
them. I have always regarded such trickery as unworthy of a real artist, as it raises doubts as to his
skill. Besides, having frequently acted as an accomplice, I remembered the unfavorable impression this employment had left upon me as to the
talent of my partner.
Jets of gas, covered by opaque [frosted] globes,
were to be substituted on my stage for the thousands of candles, whose brilliancy is only intended
to dazzle the spectators and thus injure the effect
of the experiments.
Among the reforms I intended to introduce on
the stage, the most important was the abolition of
those long tablecloths reaching to the ground, beneath which an assistant is always suspected, and
generally with some show of reason. For these immense chests of deception I substituted consoles
of gilt wood after the style of Louis XV.
Of course, I abstained from any eccentric costume.
And I never thought of making any change in
the attire civilized society has agreed to accept for
evening dress, for I was always of the opinion that
bizarre accoutrements, far from giving the wearer
any consideration, on the contrary cast disfavor
upon him.
I had also traced out for my performances a
line of conduct from which I never diverged; that
was to make no puns or play upon words, and
never to permit myself to be guilty of a mystification, even were I sure of gaining the greatest success.
Finally, I wished to offer new experiments divested of all charlatanism and possessing no other
resources than those offered by skillful manipulation and the influence of illusions.
ROHERI-HOUDIN
So what were the special arrangements whose

surprising devices had been so carefully conceived by Robert-Houdin?
The two semicircular consoles that decorated each side of the stage were equipped with
circular trapdoors mounted on counterweights, to which there was secret access
from backstage. Any object or package set on
these consoles and momentarily covered or
hidden could thus be exchanged for a duplicate.
The first gueridon or side table, whose top
was very thin in appearance, contained a rectangular space that could be loaded from the
back of the stage. The recuperation of these
objects was accomplished through a trapdoor
situated at the center of its top. When the table,
once loaded, was placed in a precise spot on
the proscenium, one could set a box or any
other object on it. A piston, located under the
stage floor and activated by a pull from backstage, made a stem move up and slide into the
base of the pedestal table, thereby opening the
tabletop's trapdoor, which raised the loaded
objects to the level of the opening in the box
that was on the table. This table was used for
the Cabalistic Drying effect. The same system,
applied to a table that looked exactly the same
but whose top was mechanized, was notably
used for the Shower of Gold effect. A third side
table allowed the invisible and instant transfer
backstage of any small borrowed objects previously exchanged for duplicates by manipulation, such as rings, handkerchiefs, coins,
watches, etc. It also enabled the magician to invisibly procure a pack of prepared cards
without his hands going near his coat, and allowed Robert-Houdin to perform his Glove
Column or any other effect using pneumatics.
The top of the table in the center of the
stage was equipped with other trapdoors and
servantes and a set of twelve pistons used to
activate the automata. The piston wires ran
This was, it will be seen, a complete regeneration in the art of conjuring.

My only fear was whether the public would accept these important reforms and such elegant
simplicity, [H]
In his memoirs, if the author does not mention the secret arrangements of his theater in
the list of reforms he brought to the magic art,
it is simply because his goal is not to reveal
these mysteries to lay readers. We must not,
however, ignore this aspect of his magic and
his contribution to the patrimony of the discipline. Robert-Houdin did not invent trapdoors
or sets of pistons. He never claimed to have
done so, but he did create equipment that permitted multiple combinations of techniques,
and the technical innovations of his stage
made Soirees Fantastiques a theater of revolutionary magic in more ways than one. Never
before had any of his predecessors managed
to take such advantage of a permanent set-up
and very few after him would understand the
value of this approach. Later, the artist also
knew how to adapt this arrangement to overcome the difficulties encountered by a traveling show.
The succinct description to follow will concern the secret layout of the theater, which
we will return to in detail in the technical
complement to this work, will better show
today's magicians the many strategies these
devices brought to the artist's magic, as well
as the overwhelming effect they had on the
minds of the audience, whose reasoning capacity was obliterated by these weapons,
whose existence they could not imagine,
given the elegance of the decorated and furnished stage. It was identical to the most refined salons of the time and no object, prop,
or element of decoration had anything in
common with the clattering Pallas of mountebanks and conjurers.
236
Ac i- III
Illustration 296 - Cabalistic Drying.

Engraving horn 1849 English bill for Robert-Houdin.
under the stage after passing through the table's two back legs, and from there, guided by
a set of pulleys, ended up at a command
panel backstage. Because of the wires, the
table was permanently set in place by its four
legs over a large central trapdoor, hinged at
the rear. When the stage had to be cleared
for something large, such as The Ethereal
Suspension, the wires were released to provide some slack, the trapdoor was opened,
lowering the table under the stage, and a
panel covered with the same rug as the floor
took its place. The passages under the stage
permitted the appearance of a child for the finale of The Fantastic Portfolio thanks to a
strong lever activated from backstage.
As in the main room, the ceiling of the stage
- which had no flies - had hooks that linked
suspended apparatus to electrical impulses furnished by Smee batteries. Among those we can
list are The Garland of Flowers, The Aerial
Clock and its Bell, or even The Crystal Casket.
The stage ceiling was also specially set up for
Antonio Diavolo's trapeze, which could be folded up onstage, as well as the finale of The
Light and Heavy Chest, an experiment for
237
ROBERT-HOLDIN
Illustrations 297 and 298 Trapeze
Acrobatics.
Engraving and poem of the famous Antonio Diavolo by

Robert-Houdin. from the English souvenir album of the performances given by the artist at the Saint James's Theater
for the 1848-1849 season.
LA
which part of the proscenium and two orchestra seats were also fitted with special devices.
As in the main room, the ceiling of the
stage - which had no flies - had hooks that
linked suspended apparatus to electrical impulses furnished by Smee batteries. Among
those we can list are The Garland of Flowers,
The Aerial Clock and its Bell, or even The
Crystal Casket. The stage ceiling was also specially set up for Antonio Diavolo's trapeze,
which could be folded up onstage, as well as
the finale of The Light and Heavy Chest, an
experiment for which part of the proscenium
TRAPEZE.
Sur ma oorde voyez comme je cabriole,

Souple oomme un serpent et prompt oomme l'eelair
Je mo roule en tous sens et je vole dans Fair.
Venez m'y voir voler, sans penr que je TOUS vole.
238
Ac I III
and two orchestra seats were also fitted with

special devices.
agem contributed to preserving the secrets of

his creations for decades.
I always arranged my program in such a manner that each trick should last about ten minutes,
thus making a total of twelve for a two-hour
performance. At the conclusion of each trick,
whether at a public or private performance, I used
to retire and remain absent about a couple of minutes. This short interval allowed the spectators
time to exchange notes of their impressions and
gave them a temporary repose after the close attention which the trick they had just seen had involved. To myself these two minutes of interval
were even more valuable. I first took a few seconds' rest, then I ascertained whether all was in
order for the next item of the program, and provided myself with whatever was necessary for the
purpose of that trick.
Several of Robert-Houdin's effects which we

correctly classify today as trick automata were
not seen as such by his audience. The
Mysterious Orange Tree, for example, was at
the beginning considered by the audience as
nothing more than a stage prop. It looked very
much like the orange trees in planters that decorated the winter gardens of the wealthy elite.
Its leaves seemed authentic and the flowers and
fruit which magically grew on its branches were
indeed real. Bouquets of orange blossoms were
offered to the ladies and appetizing fruit delighted their children. On the other hand, these
same spectators could not explain the technical
and intellectual prowesses of the Inexhaustible
Pastrycook (who distributed candy, performed
calculations and conjuring tricks, and made
change) except by believing it to have an extraordinarily complex mechanism due to the creator's talent.
The scene, however, was never left "cold." At

the concluding phrase of each illusion, the orchestra or piano recommenced, and did not cease until
I again came forward. [12]
When we observe Robert-Houdin's magic art

through the engravings depicting his effects, we
might get the incorrect impression that his
repertoire consisted mainly of the exhibition of
automata. Other than the fact that this would
have been repetitive and dull, it does not at all
correspond to the repertoire of his performances, which alternated sleight-of-hand, parlor tricks, mentalism. stage illusions, and of
course automata, the purely mechanical aspect
of which was only one of the components of
the routine or effect. Robert-Houdin is himself
the source of the false view that we have of his
repertoire, but one must not forget that his reputation as a mechanician led him, especially in
Paris, to always emphasize this aspect and to
create a certain ambiguity in his advertisements
and in his memoirs about the specific qualities
of his stage automata. He often called them mechanical pieces, which was more or less justified, depending on the example. This little strat-
This form of psychological misdirection masking the mechanism when in fact it is omnipresent, and doing the opposite when it is
practically nonexistent is one of the many tactics of the artist's magic philosophy.
Robert-Houdin banished from his repertoire
any object that could have been designated as
conjuring apparatus. No more macabre curtains
or confederates, accompanied by a parade of
mystifications and vulgar, primitive double-bottomed boxes. This new outlook on the art of
magic and its presentation, revolutionary at the
time, disrupted and overturned timeless traditions.
The novel tricks of Robert-Houdin's performances accounted for a large part of his success, but it was undoubtedly his style and personality that won all the votes. His distinction,
elegance, and tasteful good humor, which the
European press would emphasize throughout
239
ROBFRI-HOIDIN
CHASSEURUlustrations 299 and 300 - The Hunter.

Engraving representing The
Love Nest by Robert-Houdin
from the English somenir
mances at the Saint James's
season.
Hunter and The Rosebush or

with its accompanying poem,
album of the artists perforTheater during the 1848-1849
his career, would alone have sufficed to set him

apart from his colleagues.
As soon as the theater's devices were finally
installed, the rehearsals for the shows began
every day after the departure of the painters,
decorators, and upholsterers. Robert-Houdin
first coordinated with his backstage operator who also had the job of stagehand and stage
manager - the delicate and precise timing of
the automata that had to be activated from a
distance. He then rehearsed the texts of the introduction of each trick with a pianist, who
quietly played the musical accompaniment
LE CHASSEUR.
Mesdames, mon petit chasseur,

A votre presence est sensible,
E6 pour mieux toucher votre cosur
II fsrait -reaietnent l'impossible,
Si vous n'etiez pas l a !
Si son bnt lni manquait!
Mon sensible chasseur pour la coop deviendrait

Encore plus sans eiblo.
240
ACT
composed by Adrien Le Carpentier, the

nephew of the "knowledgeable antique dealer,
witty writer of tales," Aristide Le Carpentier,
Robert-Houdin's friend and co-worker. These
weeks of rehearsal were quite difficult because
in addition to the nervousness, sleepless
nights, and fatigue they created, he had to
continue to manage his toy and mechanism
workshop. Robert-Houdin also had to be conscious of the health of Olympe, his new wife,
now pregnant, who would give birth to their
first child, Louise Marie, on July 7. 1845, []
barely four days after the premiere of Soirees
Fantastiques. This put his working ability to
the test, as well as his attention to detail and
the unique talent that he had always shown in
anticipating events. Everything had been prepared for months, even years, and the unforeseeable could rarely get the best of such a
carefully designed program.
LE PATISSIER
III
ESCAMOTEUR.
Pour vous consommatoiud je souffle mes foumeaux,

J e fotmris dcs sirops des tartes des gateaux,
Mes brioches surtout prouvent mon savoir faire,
Par leur fumet engageant;
Goutez messieurs, en en mangeanfc
Vous etes sura de n'en pas faire.
Illustrations 301 and 302 - The Conjuring
Pastrycook.
Poem and engraving of The Inexhaustible Pastrycook, later

named The Pastrycook of Palais-Royal, and later, in London,
The Conjuring Pastrycook. Taken from the English sou\ enir
album of the artist's performances at the Saint James's
Theater during the 1848-1849 season.
For his sons, Emile and Eugene, respectively

fourteen and eight years of age, the rehearsals
were a complete initiation. The two children
would be the artist's stage assistants and the
tasks assigned to them were as delicate as they
'were precise. The younger, Eugene who later
became the "subject" of The Ethereal Suspension
and appeared every evening in The Fantastic
Portfolio had the responsibility of being the
invisible servant presiding over the generous
samples of The Pastrycook of Palais-Royal. From
an early age his father had educated him for this
project, and this training, previously a game,
now found its justification. Emile, the elder, brilliantly aided the conjurer in numerous experiments, among them the famous Second Sight
and Disappearance of a Child Under a Cup.
The reader absolutely must consult the end
of the first part of Robert-Houdin's memoirs, in
which the author describes with much humor
the fervor of these rehearsals, then the torpor
and sleepiness that overwhelmed the performer and his close friends attending the dress
241
IA
ROBERT-HOUDIN
E!L,ISUE PAROISSIAOS MM SAINT-ROCH, ME PARIS.
xtva\t bu Jflegistrf bez 2lcUs bt
muf/ftaJ cent auaranie

f
Of t^^
*/*.
' JJ
af
enne a fowamaf, et de&wv /uzr noud
J&arit, ce / /
Illustration 303 - Birth certificate of Louise Marie, daughter of Olympe and Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin.
242
ACT
rehearsal. He then describes the first performance, which was only moderately successful
because of stage fright and accumulated fatigue, at the end of which he almost gave up
everything, and finally the official inauguration
that marked the beginning of a practically uninterrupted successful run.
III
By mid-June 1845 the construction and decoration of the little theater were complete, and
the theater security commission visited it and
reported to the authorities, confirming the ratification of the decree authorizing the opening. This document, signed on June 23, was
conveyed to Robert-Houdin on the 28th. M
243
ROBI R1 -HOUDIN
SOIREES FANTASTIQUES DE ROBERT-HOUDIN

Tons les Soirs a.8 Heures precises.Palais Royal, Galerie de Valois,164r,et rue de Valois 13.
Illustration 304 - Les Soirees Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin in 1845.

Rare lithograph by Pruche, of which only two copies are known, both in private collections.
244
ACT III
Robert-Houdin's Soirees Fantastiques
In La Gazette des Tribunaux the text announcing Robert-Houdin's first performance

was worded in these terms:
with all the usual elements of theaters armchairs, stalls, galleries, and boxes - was designed to give the audience the illusion of
walking into a luxurious reception room decorated mainly in red. The stage's layout - two
consoles situated on either side of an off-white
living room decorated in gold, and two side tables around a Louis XV-style center table in
sculpted, gilded wood - along with RobertHoudin's demeanor, gave the audience the impression of being the privileged guests of a
distinguished host. This apparently simple
decor gave the magician the air of a miracle
worker and made it inconceivable to imagine
the invisible assistance that made the impossible possible. With the opening of Soirees
Fantastiques, a page in the history of magic
was turned once and for all; there would now
be a "before" and "after" Robert-Houdin.
SOIHtKS FAXTASTlUl'ES DE nOBEKT-HOUDLN",
Palais-lioyat, ilii, galtric de Palois.

On HiuuUKV pour jeudi 3 juilloi I'utivorlurc des soirees ftalasliqinjs tie M. Hobert-llouilin, uu PuUis-Uoyal, IGi, galerie
ilo Valois.
M. Hiilvri-Iloiuiin o.-t |>arvciiu, jiar mi long travail, aauplimior la iikVauU|uo a la prestidigitation , et il est arrive a pro(iitire des elfots {ui ticiiiicul rtiollomont de la feerie. Tout Paris
voudra assister a di-s experiences qui depassent lout ceque I'oa
a \n dans if gtciirc.
We announce for Thursday July 3"' the opening

of Soirees Fantastiques of M. Robert-Houdin, at
Palais-Royal, 164, Galerie de Valois. M. RobertHoudin has managed through much effort to apply
mechanics to conjuring and he has produced effects
that are nothing short of magical. All of Paris will
want to see these experiments, which surpass anything seen before of this type.
One of the first spectators of these early

performances was M. Comte, [15] in keeping
with the promise exchanged much earlier between Robert-Houdin and himself, and one
can imagine the quality of the advice that he
gave to his new colleague in this circumstance.
[16] An unpublished document indirectly shows
Nous recommandons les Soirees que donne M. Robert-Houdin,

au Palais-Royal, galerie Valois, n 164. Cet habile prestidigitateur, emploie a la fois la subtile adresse de ses doigts et des
moyens mecaniques trouves par lui et qui etonnenl chaque soir
ses nombreux spectateurs.
Illustration 306 - Robert-Houdin's Soirees at Palais-Royal.
From an article by Madame Juliette Lormeau in Le journal des
femmes,
1845 (Bibliotbique de I'ArsenaO
When the public arrived at the second floor

of the theater of the Galerie de Valois, it discovered a stylish antechamber or foyer, where
the host's automata and mechanical pieces were
exhibited: the Mysterious Clocks, Mechanical
Dancers on a Tightrope, Conjurer Clocks, The
Little Canary or The Singing Lesson, etc. The
appearance of the main room, although fitted
Illustrations 307 and 309 M. Comte's performances.

Cover page of the journal of home performances by M
Comte. the Kings Conjurer, from 1821 to 1853. Page 247.
left: Reproduction of the page noting the artist s sole per
formance of the year I843 at a price much lower than those
of previous years.
2-45
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Illustration 308 - Equilibre
Retnarquable.
Engraving of The Marvelous Fishing from an English Robert-Houdin poster. 1849
ACT
The first newspaper to publish a review of

the opening of Soirees Fantastiques was Le
Moniteur universel of July 6, 1845 in the theater
column:
Ja>
oA
1
M. Robert-Houdin, the skillful mechanician

whose exhibition of mechanical clocks was
noticed at the Exposition, has just opened a
little theater of mechanism and phantasmagoria at Rue de Valois in Palais-Royal, the inauguration of which took place last night. The
room, containing approximately 100 people
[sic] is very comfortably and agreeably laid
out. All of artistic and fashionable Paris will
want to go admire M. Robert-Houdin's charming automata, which walk, act, listen, and
hear as if they were animated, intelligent be-
- \
)
<y&- >
22M^
'
/
C
fa. ?n ^
t /.
i
III
Jf^J
'ML- d O%KJ<"*-
0
1
t ?Ma<ucJit
n
the immediate success Robert-Houdin found
with all social classes. It is the journal of the
private performances given in town by Comte
at the homes of rich individuals from the years
1821 through 1854. The frequency of these
very profitable performances ranges from two
to four per week until 1843. In 1844 this sustained rhythm was reduced to ten performances given in twelve months. From July to
December 1845, the period when RobertHoudin opened his theater, Comte gave only a
single private performance, on September 3 at
the Baroness Billing's home. Robert-Houdin in
turn reigned alone in the capital, and he became the one called on from now on for this
type of lucrative performance. M. Comte was
right to suggest that he be patient; [17] RobertHoudin was smart enough to take this advice,
and both of them had their own season to reap
the fruits of their labor and talent.
La Corne d'abondance.
Illustrations 310 and 311 - The Horn of Plenty.

Engraving and poem from the Album des Soirees
Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin au Palais-Royal'.
CORNE S'ABONBANCE.
Mesdameit, ce cornet, soumis hvos smihaits,

Fount!t des ventails, des corbeilies fleuiies,
De savoureux bonbons, d'exquises sucreries,
Des souvenirs el des bouquets;
Vous n'avez qu% chobir. Cependant je me vante
De voir, au taut que vous, exaueer mon desir :
Vous reeevez ces dons, et moi je me contento
Du bonhetir de vous les offrir.
24-7
ROB] Rl-HOI DIN
EQUIUBRE REMARQUABLE.
On fait en certains mob une p6ohe abondante,

Cert Ytti, mais oea pontons tortia d'nn tour subta,
Bont, quelque toil le mois ou je TOUS lee pr^sente,
Da vnis jtousona d'Avril.
Illustrations 312 and 313 - Equilibre
remarquable.
Engraving and poem of The Marvelous Fishing from the English souvenir album of the artist's performances at the Saint
James's Theater during I848-I849 season.
ACT
ings. This little theater is a good fortune for

lovers of tasteful pleasures and for fathers of
families.
III
given us a new show, where truly all fantasies

imaginable are perfectly realized. M. RobertHoudin does not only perform his own tricks
himself, not at all! That would be too simple! He
makes his automata perform. Under his command, little wooden men, birds, and trees skillfully do what up until now necessitated the hand
and mind of a thinking and living being. The
clock trick with no springs that moves according
to the onlooker's will, the orange tree trick that
makes flowers, then fruits to your liking and
which ends up conjuring away our handkerchief
into its oranges; the trick of the little man that
comes out of an egg and guesses the card you
have thought of; the exercises of a wooden
Auriol and Debureau that jump, smoke, laugh,
and mimic as lively and joyously as their fleshand-blood counterparts...I will pass over even
better ones that are prodigiously remarkable and
successful. It is the science of Vaucanson, of
Maelzel, and of Stevenard, combined with the art
of Bosco, Gomte, and Philippe: it is mechanism
and legerdemain linked together, and all this in a
charming room decorated with taste by the skillful designer Henri Fugeres, a real box of treats,
as commented by a lady who emerged delighted
with her hands full of candy.
From the beginning, the artist was greatly

praised by the press, as seen in the articles written in Le Charivari of July 10, 1845 and
L'Illustration of July 19, 1845 from which we
have already offered two excerpts:
Soirees Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin. In
the Galerie de Valois, at Palais-Royal in Paris,
there is a sorcerer...This sorcerer is named quite
simply Robert-Houdin. M. Robert-Houdin is a
sorcerer, as I have said, but a real one, a true enchanter, guaranteed and tested, who performs
miracles before the naked eye, for a trifling two
francs [sic] from six to eight in the evening
[sic], in a little theater that opened up last
Thursday. O, you who descend from Thomas and
are gifted with Parisian incredulity, eclectic
skepticism, and a philosophical indifference toward the supernatural and the fantastic, go there
and see to believe, and you will be converted;
you will wonder if M. Robert-Houdin does not deserve to be burned or worshipped. [Here the passage already quoted on page 228.] The worker
wanted to become a master in his own right. He
wanted to perform using his own inventions and
under the title of Soirees Fantastiques he has
After this article by Louis Huart in Le Charivari,

here is the review by Philippe Busoni in
L'lllustration:
Illustrations 314 and 315 - The Aerial Clock.
Competition is everywhere, but what we are

going to discuss is not the competition that
shamelessly trumpets its publicity; it is on the

Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin au Palais-Royal
AiHUEKTNE.
Mesdames, ma pendule obeit, compte, sonne,

Marque l'henre ou s'arrite, au gre de tout desir;
Mais pour vous, chaque fois quo son timbre resonne,
Puisse-t-elle sonner une heure de plaisir.
Robert-Houdin.
La Pendule Aerienne.
249
ROBFR I -HOUDIN
M. Koliert-Ifoudin.
Illustration 316 - The Marvelous Orange Tree by Robert-Houdin. Engraving by Forest from L'Illustration. July 12. 1845.
250
ACT
contrary so modest that although it has been running for quite some time, L'lllustration will probably be the first, as is its role and duty, to inform
its readers that at number 164, of the Galerie de
Pierre of Palais-Royal, not far from Seraphin's theater and the crystal staircase, those two favorites
of children and provincials, an emulator of the
sorcerer Philippe has just opened a charming little theater to which M. Martin, a young talented
architect, has given all the finery and comfort of
the most elegant salon. The manufacture of
leather items has already demonstrated some of
M. Martin's best furniture design. [Passage already quoted page 228.] However, without pretending to be a magician, M. Robert-Houdin shows
that knowledge does not exclude savoir-faire and
after having seduced the audience with the most
complicated mechanical pieces - among which we
must cite the fascinating owl, the acrobatic Jack
of Clubs, and especially the magic orange tree and
the conjuring butterflies which are the subject of
our illustration - he manages, without any costume other than a simple black suit and without
any apparatus other than a shawl and a light table
to perform, literally before our eyes, the famous
miraculous fishing trick that made the fashion
and fortune of the mysterious evenings of Philippe
the magician at the Bazar Bonne-Nouvelle. We
wish him such popularity and fortune; others will
predict this for him by saying that the times are
currently favorable to conjurers: we disdain this
banality.
III
him. The most astounding are: the mechanical actors who perform the tricks of Auriol and
Debureau's pantomime; the pastrycook from the
Louis XV period, full of feats and surprises; the
marvelous orange tree that visibly blooms with
buds, flowers, and fruit; this art can go no further;
it is almost creation itself.
Thanks to the support of the press and the

audience's satisfaction, the summer months
went smoothly and word of mouth was such
that, as early as September, the theater was
full. The clientele was particularly elite; Count
de L'Escalopier, Baron Seguier, and Benjamin
and Gabriel Delessert were part of this vogue,
La PSche Merveilleuse.
Illustrations 317 and 318 - The Miraculous
In La Presse of July 28, 1845, the famous

man of letters Gerard de Nerval saluted the
birth of Soirees Fantastiques in the following
manner:
Fishing.

LA PfiCHE MERVEILLEUSE.
Theatre de Robert-Houdin
It is scarcely a theater, but it is not lacking in
marvels. It is an open room above the galleries of
Palais-Royal and which is ready for anything,
even playing variety shows if allowed. Stalls, galleries, pit, orchestra, nothing is missing. However,
Robert Houdin [Without a hyphen] is a rival of M.
Pierre in mechanics and M. Gomte in conjuring]
His skill is marvelous, but more pleasant than that
of street conjurers; he has no spectators behind
Ge tour est tellement subtil

Que ces poissons a l'6cailie brillante,
En quelque mois que jevous les presente,
Sont toujours des Poissons d'avril.
Robert-Houdin.
251
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Illustration 319 The Horn of Plenty. Engraving from an English bill for Robert-Houdin in 1849.
252
ACT
this craze, one could say, that swept the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie and led them to
storm the little theater in Palais-Royal.
Newspaper articles emphasized this, and from
then on the difficulty of getting seats only
stimulated the public's desire to attend the
conjurer's soirees. In the Journal des femmes,
Mme. Juliette Lormeau emphasized the "surprises performed by M. Robert-Houdin, all full
of respectability and good taste." She noted
that "an elite society meets every evening in
this lovely candy box too small for the number
of people who would like to fill it," and after
describing the artist's feats, concluded her article with the following sentence: ''But I will go
on no longer about these mysterious transformations of all sorts; I prefer to give you the
pleasure of being astonished by the sight of
these ingenious marvels, if you manage to get a
ticket to the Soirees Fantastiques of M. RobertHoudin."
Finally, the review in L 'Esprit public of
September 28, 1845 adds to this concert of
praise by emphasizing the fact that the artist's
dazzling debut had forced Philippe to leave
the capital:
III
Le Patissiei' (Automate).
Illustrations 320 and 321 - The Pastrycook.

Engraving and poem from Album des Soirees Fantastiques
de Robert-Houdin au Palais-Royal.
L E PATISSIER (automate).
Poor les eoBsonnmatetirs alhimaBt mes foumeaux,

Je fais des idbamAh, des tartes des gateaux;
Mes brioches surtcmt prouvenfc mon savoir-faire
Parleur gofttsaFOttrenx, lent fumet engageant,
Go&tez-y done ; en les mangeaat
Vons serez a t e de n'oa pas faire.
Robert-Houdin.
Soirees Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin

Never has a title been more deserved because it is
impossible to imagine all the marvels to be seen
during the two hours of magic that M. RobertHoudin performs every evening for a large audience. From the cabalistic clock that guesses your
most secret thoughts to the tiny pastrycook who
calculates as well as our most famous mathematicians, everything here is charming and delightful.
Philippe stepped down before this formidable
rival, and he was correct to do so because it is impossible to compare his experiments to M. RobertHoudin's ravishing creations, which go beyond
everything that the imagination could depict.
J.P4LAIS-R0YAL.
IE MTISSIER
Pour les coBsoramateurs je souffle mes foumeaux.

Je fournis des strops, des taites, des giteaux;
Mes brioches surtout prouveal moa savoir-faire;
Mais vous, Messieurs, en y gofliant,
Assurement,
Vous serez stirs de n'en pas faire.
Illustration 322 - The Pastrycook
To end this chapter, here is an unpublished

text, amusing and instructive, from the manuscript of his Memoirs, in which Robert-Houdin
of Palais-Royal.
Engraving and poem from Quadrille mignonette des Soirees

Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin au Palais-Royal by Adrien
Le Carpentier.
253
ROBtRf-HOLDIN
LA CORNE D'ABONDANCE.
Ma Oorne &'-Abondancfl exance m

Car qnelqna eoit Ie prix des different^ otjete
Qni pour cbacnn de vots s"en &happeni sans
En 90 viani elle lemplii ma ca>t':o.
Illustrations 323 and 324 - T/?e Ht>rw of Plenty.

Engra^'ing and poem from the English souvenir album of the artist's performances m London at the Saint James's Theater during 1848-1849 season.
ACT
III
describes how he "extended" the space and income of Soirees Fantastiques, as well as his
staff:
LA CORBEILLE
The reader, hearing me speak of expenses and

of employee salaries will perhaps not object to
learning about my personnel. It is easy; all I have
to do is set before his eyes the list of my staff.
Theater of...or rather, Show of Robert-Houdin,
Manager, Administrator, Author, Mechanician,
Actor, ete....M. Robert-Houdin, undersecretary
(secondary business)
Cashier (Of course)...Mme. Robert-Houdin,
Manager in training
Actors (Major small parts)...Messrs. RobertHoudin, sons
Stage manager, general handyman, stroller...
Monsieur X or Monsieur Z
Conductor, pianist singlehandedly filling the
multiple positions of his large staff...Monsieur Z,
student of the Conservatory (first place, invariably)
Three welcoming and amiable lady attendants...Mmes. X.... Y.... Z.... (1)
A servant in charge of cleaning the theater...X
Total of salaried workers
3
Of which the combined salary raises my daily
expenditures to the amount of approximately
sixty francs.
As for the income, because I want to reveal
everything, it is somewhat more difficult to indicate the amount. It depends not only on the number of spectators but on thousands of other factors.
For example, my theater might be full and only
produce four hundred francs in receipts, while at
other times it could result in six hundred francs.
I will explain myself.
Normally, the public purchased its tickets at
the box office and if the theater was full, it
amounted to four hundred francs; but in peak season, things changed. All the seats were sold in advance, and since the reservation fees totalled one
hundred francs, I earned five hundred francs. Now
I must explain how it was possible to earn another
one hundred francs in a room that was completely
full. It is one of the secrets, one of the little tricks
of the trade. What I did is practiced everywhere.
QE FLEURS.
Si tie ma corbeille iietme

t e tour que je pi iseiue 2 pour vous quclque a.ppas,
Joignez-k ee bouquet, M&sdaraes, j e vous prie,
La Seur de ie m*ofe/w* pew.
ft. H.
Illustrations 325 and 326 - The Basket of Flowers and The

Cabalistic Clock. Engravings and poems from Quadrille
mignonette des Soirees Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin au
Palais-Royal b) Adrien Le Carpentier.
LA PENDULE
CABAL1STIQUE.
Ma ptmdute obeit, compte> devme et sontie

Les moments que cbactm ici passe \ loisir,
Oraole de ca soir, en n'oublisnt persoune,
Paisse-t-eHe souner deux houres de plaisir.
B. U.
Illustration 32"" - Robert-Houdin's stage handkerchief.

(Private collection)
255
ROBERT-HOI DIN
j^^^
LE FAVORI DES DAMES.
Mesdaines, plaignez moi!
Ma fremisaante allure,
Mea cis^nta et mcs couleuts peuvent bien voua cLarmer,

Mais mon maltre en voulant imitor la nature,
OuWia de mo foire nn cceur pour V0U3 aimer.
Illustrations 328 and 329 - The Ladies' Favorite.

Engraving and poem from the English souvenir album of the artists performances in London at the Saint James s Theater, during the 1848-18 i9 season
ACT
First, we transformed one or several benches

into stalls, then we placed chairs, stools, etc. in
all the corners and empty spots; boxes with six
seats contained eight; and even the space for the
pianist was crowded, leaving him only the space
for his arms. Finally, we managed to sell, for the
same price as the boxes, the right to watch the
show from the openings in doors leading onto the
hallways. We were well packed in, squeezed, and
uncomfortable, but we had much more fun than if
we had had more space. Who is more enthusiastic
than the spectator who had trouble finding a
seat? This is how I eked out the amount of six
hundred francs. I will also add that every Sunday,
and often during the week, I gave two performances, but after my shows I also granted, upon
III
request, private performances that were very well

paid, [is]
(1) Theater attendants are always paid through
the audience's tips only.
In addition to his "very well paid'' home

performances, the artist occasionally performed, after his daily shows, in the large
Parisian theaters at the conclusion of exceptional galas. He also performed free of
charge for charity balls or for his colleagues
in need.
Robert-Houdin's success was discussed in
the King's court and the sovereign of France
would soon invite the conjurer to SaintCloud.
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Illustrations 330 and 331 - Emile Robert-Houdin in Second Sight.

^'atercolor portraits by Dailtan the younger.
ACT
III
Second Sight and The Inexhaustible Bottle
Of all the artists effects, this was one of the

most impressive. Although he never claimed
to have the slightest "power." Second Sight, its
effects, and its inexplicable phenomena could
only cause him to be suspected of heresy by
his contemporaries. []
coat-of-arms of some family, his son had to

answer, for example: "...shield, red field
with two silver emanches placed in pal. "
Sometimes these objects w ere even presented
to Robert-Houdin in a closed case, making it
apparently impossible to perform Second
Sight.
Although the basis of this experiment was
a very sophisticated verbal code, mnemonic
Emile Robert-Houdin stood onstage, blindfolded, while his father, in the audience, accepted the spectators' requests for him. The
young man could obviously not hear the audience's requests, which were spoken in a
whisper. He nonetheless performed them
with great precision, as if the conjurer had
mentally transmitted the instructions. Whether
the request was to "carry a bouquet to a lady
that a member of the audience has secretly
chosen." or even to "remove a snuffbox from
the pocket of a chosen person, take out a
pinch of tobacco, and put it in another person's wallet." etc.. we can understand that
the effects of the secret communication between father and son offered great possibilities. Another aspect of Second Sight highly
interested the public: "Before going to see
Robert-Houdin's son. some people would
agree to bring some object that would make
it difficult for the father. Among these were
partially unreadable antique medallions, minerals, books printed in alphabets of every description (languages both living and dead),
coats-of-arms, microscopic objects, etc." For
an antique medal or an ancient coin, it was
necessary for our two partners to know the
name of the piece, its value, the country
where it had been minted, the engraved texts
and symbols, etc.. and if someone handed
the father a signet ring engraved with the
259
ROBtRT-HOUDIN
I ! "V \
Double vue. Experiosiiius e*eculess par Robcri-Houdin cw 1847. (ft'apres uno graviire de I'epoque.)
Illustration 332 - Second Sight.
Engraving from La Mature, June 7, 1884 (Dicker Korean Womx collection)
exercises, and perhaps certain agreed-upon

signs that reached Emile in spite of the "opacity" of his blindfold, its success was also due
to the use of "the game of Kim" - made popular by Rudyard Kipling in The Jungle Bookand the constant rehearsal of our talented
duo, who must have known everything about
heraldic art, numismatics, and many other sciences to unscramble the enigmas proposed
by a knowledgeable public. Their studious
time spent in Aristide Le Carpentier's antique
office, among others, provided the artists with
concrete and priceless information. It is

highly likely that father and son worked at
this discipline for months, if not years, this
type of exercise not permitting mediocrity or
amateurishness. Over time, the success of this
experiment could only stimulate the activities
of imitators, plagiarists, and even exposers.
Robert-Houdin retaliated a few years later
with a silent version of Second Sight in which
all verbal codes were eliminated; the ''electric
fairy" was certainly no stranger to this new
feat.
260
ACT
In his memoirs, Robert-Houdin implied that

the first performances of Second Sight took
place in February 1846; however, on the earliest poster we have of Soirees Fantastiques,
from the 136th performance on Tuesday,
November 18, 1845, we read the following:
"To complete the seance of conjuring, the son
of M. Robert-Houdin, gifted with a penetrating second sight, will perform a completely
new and fascinating experiment with his
Hrh.n.
father." A brilliant article by Theophile

Gautier, the author of Capitaine Fracasse, reviews this new routine in La Presse, December
1, 1845:
Theatre du Palais Royal - Exceptional performance - Robert-Houdin
Let us continue with Robert-Houdin, who performed a very strange experiment at the Theatre
du Palais Royal.
You know that adepts of mesmerism apparently make their slumbering subjects describe all
sorts of objects presented to them, even though
they are asleep and their eyes covered with cotton and thick bands which let no light penetrate.
We followed Miss Pigeaire's experiments; we saw
Yirginie and Alexis, the phoenix of this genre,
who read a sentence hidden inside three gray
paper envelopes. These extraordinary and inexplicable results greatly preoccupied us, without
convincing us, however. Hidden behind it could
have been unknown sleight-of-hand and magic,
like any trickery we cannot name. There exist so
many bizarre tricks and strange devices!
M. Robert-Houdin greatly contributed to increasing our puzzlement about mesmerism.
Do not conclude from this introduction that
M. Robert-Houdin is a disciple of Mesmer and
Puysegur. Far from it: he is a rival of Philippe,
Bosco, and Gomte; he is a very skillful conjurer
who does whatever he wants with his hands, but
without magnetic gestures.
Here is M. Robert-IIoudin's experiment: He
takes his little boy, a twelve-year-old child; he
seats him on a chair, tightly blindfolds him, moves
away, and asks members of the audience to give
him various objects - rings, watches, coins, or
anything else. The child, with whom he has no
communication, designates the objects given to
his father in a most mysterious fashion. He names
the value and the year of coins, the time, minute,
and second of watches, the name of the watchmaker written in the case, the shape and number
of rings. Incredible details! You will speak of confederates, but an entire theater cannot be filled
with confederates of M. Robert-Houdin; I, for one,
was no confederate, but nonetheless the object
that we lent was immediately identified.
us
Les coc9series amusent les gens qui out un penchant a deviiicr les rebus.
JACQUES DUBOCHET.
Tir6 a la presse mecanique de LACBABPE ct C*, rue Pamieite, i.
Illustration 333 - Second
III
Sight as a r e b u s .
261
ROBERT-HOUDIN
136" STANCE.
AUJOURD'HUI MARDI 18 NOVEMBRE.
PALAIS-ROYAL,
I,es horcntix am rent h 1 Insures ij'Z.
164, galci'ie de Valois,

15, ruodc Valois.
On ctmimviuM'a S II"IIITS piecittOh.
2 HEURES I S
DE MAGIE
SOIREES FANTASTIQUES
ROBERT-HOUDIN
PHYSICIEX ET .Mi
TOURS D ADRESSE ET DE PRESTIDIGITATION

I>CO\NUS JUSQIA CE JOl II.
La seance sera conlinnelleitienl rarii'e par teg experiences suivanfes :
Le Foulard moi'vcilleux prodiguani les plmnels, les (lours, les drawees, ele.; - la Pendule cttlmlisliqiio, - le Farori doa
dames,
la I'eofoe mli'iieuleiiSM',
le Devin dialtoliquc,
le Chasseur lyrolien, li*s<;iM!lesi]nes ,\....l el !)......n,
(Mh'aiiêr san^ pai'eil, la Clionelle faseinati'iee, le Vatissier iuepiiisahle, ele.
Pour eompk'ler la seance de prestidigitation,le I'ils deM.Robei'l-Hondin^done d'une seconds

rue pdndfrante, donnera avec son pere une experience entith'ement nouvelle el du plus
grand mle'ret.
PRIX DES PUCES.
Oalerie
M ItOBRRT-IHM U1S no Ml nil |>li"'

If. 5 0
cr ati\ aniiih'ttlH des nmrs iut:niMiiv

nfill r.icilt^, 1 iliilt* <h'M[iirK on prut
Stulles
5
IvOês de faee el d'avant-seenc. A
,t Cairo illusion. Sos learns snftl tl'un
/.( fiv tlit plucrs tollers ttatxmcn Vs( pus

astiiinfult.
Olive dans son ejibtnrt tons kl> insli'u-
It' |irix <h'* [>laoc!> c^l r'iduit dr illoilii'.
ill. ROIihlYl-HOVnUS se charge de la reparation de Imis automates et pieces mecaniquescomiilujuces.
Illustration 334 Les Soirees Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin in 1845.

This unique bill for Robert-Houdin. dated Tuesday. November 18. 1845 is the artist's earliest surviving program.
The most lucid sleepers are nothing next to

this. How does this feat work? That is what is
impossible to conceive. The nebulous explanation of mesmerism can serve no purpose here,
because the child is perfectly awake; under his
black blindfold there can be no mirror effects,
or acoustic ones because the miracle takes
place in any room at random; never any hesitation, never any error! It leaves one speechless.
This astonishing experiment, which differs
from card tricks and ordinary conjuring, is repeated every evening in the charming little room
that he has built at the end of the gallery where
one finds the old show of Seraphin, who, with his
diaphanorama, now has to bow to the ideas of the
day. Except for the divination experiment, you
can see here automata that Vaucanson would
have been happy to claim as his own: an Auriol,
a Debureau which all the children will believe is
real, a magical pastrycook, all with such incredible tricks that M. Robert-Houdin would have
262
ACT
been burnt at the stake in the fifteenth century.

How can we understand how a man - unless he is
the mysterious person pursued by Pierre
Schlemil who had telescopes, Turkish rugs, tents,
and horse-drawn carriages in his pocket - can
make a huge crystal vase full of water come out of
his sleeve with big violet and blue Chinese fish
swimming in it? Of what value are these mesmeric experiments that have so excited the imagination of savants and poets, now that a conjurer
can imitate all of them and even surpass them?
''Who is being tricked here?" as Beaumarchais
said.
III
En toute saison je fteuris,

Et je fournis
Des fruits
Smbauines de papfums eitqtiis.
te/, geatils enfants dont t'essaim nt'environne;
VfmeZj doux auges aux \eux bteus;
Goutez a mes fruits savoureux,
En attendant que ma llenr vous couronne.
Mesmerists will answer that M, Robert-Houdin's

child is in a waking slumber and that the miracle
is thus very simple. But the little boy is fully
awake, and to answer the questions asked, he docs
not need to be in contact with the audience. This
proves to all those who are familiar with mesmerism that he is not at all asleep.
L'AMOUR
CHASSEUR.
- Theophile Gautier.
As is often the case in Memoirs of RobertHoudin, the dates are approximate and for the
author the most important consideration is the
continuity of the narrative. This leads him from
time to time to make involuntary ellipses, as in
the narrative of the performance he gave at
Saint-Cloud, which in his memoirs begins in
November 1846 and which he concludes five
months earlier on June 6, 1846, while, in fact, it
took place on Sunday, November 9, 1845!
On (Jit partout que 1'amoiti- eat sensible,

Permeuez-moi d'en douter, .s't! vous plait
Puisqu \\ possi'de un tir au pistolet,
On lie pi.'Ut pas dire qu'tl est sans able
Illustrations 335 and 556 The Marvelous Orange Tree and

Cupid Hunting.
Engravings and poems taken from Quadrille mignonette des
Soirees Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin au Palais-Royal by
Adrien Le Carpentier.
During this performance before King

Louis-Philippe and his family at the Chateau
de Saint-Cloud, Robert-Houdin performed an
extraordinary effect specially created for the
occasion. He borrowed six handkerchiefs
from the noble group and bundled them into
a small packet, then asked his distinguished
spectators to write on little cards the location
where they would like these handkerchiefs to
be magically transported. The King agreed to
select three of these cards. The first proposed
that the handkerchiefs be found under one of
the candelabras that decorated the mantel-
piece in the vast living room, a trick that was

judged too easy for the skillful magician. The
second suggested that the handkerchiefs be
transported to the dome of the Invalides. but
this attractive proposal was vetoed because
of the distance that separated the two locations. Finally, the third requested that they be
sent into the planter of one of the orange
trees on the terrace. As soon as this suggestion was approved, the King sent guards and
263
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Illustration 337 - "Today June 6, 1786, this iron box containing six handkerchiefs was placed amongst the roots of an
orange tree by me, Balsamo, Count of Cagliostro...."
Reprint of a page of the manuscript of Memoirs of'Robert-Houdin.
264
Acr III
gardeners to surround the orange tree so that

no one could approach it. Robert-Houdin
then made the bundle of handkerchiefs disappear and a gardener was dispatched to the
orange tree. In the earth, surrounded by the
tree's roots, was a small iron chest that the
gardener brought to the living room. The
artist then made a turtledove appear wearing
a little key around its neck, which he handed
to the King, stating that the handkerchiefs
had been in the small chest for a long time.
Louis-Philippe opened the rust-eaten trunk
and found inside a neatly sealed package ac-
companied by a rolled parchment with the

"authentic" seal of Cagliostro. On the parchment could be read the following text: "This
day, the 6th June, 1786, this iron box, containing six handkerchiefs, was placed around
the roots of an orange tree by me, Balsamo,
Count of Cagliostro, to serve in performing
an act of magic which will be executed on
the same day sixty years hence before LouisPhilippe of Orleans and his family." The King
then unsealed the package, protected by the
same seal, and found the six borrowed handkerchiefs. Robert-Houdin added: "This trick
gained me lively applause, but in my Second
Sight trick, which was to end the performance, I truly had to wage a terrible struggle,
as the King had warned me." Apparently he
won because, to thank him for his visit to
Saint-Cloud, the Duchess of Orleans presented him with a diamond pin.
The acclaim given this feat would, for
many years, make it one of the permanent elements of his conjuring performances. Here is
how Le Charivari of February 5, 1846 commented upon this success:
Les Soirees Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin
at Palais-Royal are causing a stir, and the second
sight of his young son has bewildered all adepts
of mesmerism, who will see him do much better
than they, without charlatanism or trickery. Also,
the only thing Paris is complaining about is that
the marvelous sorcerer's enchanting theater is
too small and that he does not consider using his
magic powers to make it twice as large.
Thanks to Robert-Houdin's memoirs, we

know there were ten experiments on the inaugural bill for Soirees Fantastiques: The Cabalistic
Clock, Auriol and Debureau, The Marvelous
Orange Tree, The Mysterious Bouquet, The
Surprising Handkerchief, Pierrot in the Egg, The
Obedient Cards, The Miraculous Fishing, The
Fascinating Owl, and The Inexhaustible
Pastrycook. On the second bill previously cited
COMTK de'dG
_V'c hi tru>ff,,-/t,/</t/s /-iti-, Ciini>/if / aftf/it/C'1 eiitt'MWIn
mJsir/
, Y;..
n'a/ume
ti Htf-'U ti/j'/t*
A<'> I't'txz./f i/t^t/t 4t
Illustration 338 - The Count of Cagliostro.
265
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Sciini*.t;s UNiAsiiucrsilo Hiiltprl-I'timlm, culoiio <! Vnlruk,
Ilil, flruo ilo Valois, 1.1, f'ulnis-Rnval. Tonic la prom'
I'II'1 uimuiiiin jHiur ri'inlii 1 liiimuinfin sm tiiloiii |M<HJIKI"II\ 

I'lmliili: |>rostuliiliiici'/tl'l sail u i i n w cliaqiic will" In |ilu
In ilUinlo socii'U1! il I'IIIMK duns *.n ilelicitusn Uuih<ianim>. La.
mronilo vno tin fil<le M. UiiViort-lliimliii vinnl MHMI d'uioolor nil uotivol aiU'iiit uu dwrmo <\c cos uniivoK IIIHMIHI*1* ,i
b m ilniil Koin'os luntusliijucs.
Lcs charmantes Soirees fanlastiques de M. Robert Houdin ne perdentrien de leur vogue. On s'empresse chaque soir de retenir des
places a I'avance pour assister a ces raerveilles de I'adresse et du prestige. 51. Robert Houdin se fera line reputation europeenne.
Illustrations 339 and 340 - E x t r a c t s of p r e s s a r t i c l e s f r o m 1846. (Blbttoib&que de I ArsenaO
we note that only four months after the opening of his theater, Robert-Houdin had already
introduced new tricks like The Diabolical Seer,
The Tyrolean Hunter [20] (and The Glove
Column), The Ladies' Favorite, and, as we have
already noted, Second Sight. We must emphasize a few details of this poster, which ends
with the following note: "Monsieur RobertHoudin takes pleasure in showing amateurs
new, extremely easy tricks with which illusions
can be created. His lessons are very reasonably
priced. He has all conjuring tools in his
premises.'' Then, finally, this last advertisement
printed in larger type: "M. Robert-Houdin handles the repair of all automata and complex devices." The conjurer had not neglected to take
advantage of Comte's experience and never let
a chance for potential gain escape him. Comte's
bills specified: "M. Comte sells phantasmagoria
and instruments of Physique Amusante. M. Comte
gives lessons in white magic."
ferred to a trick automaton which produced

four to six liquors and which was similar in
principle and appearance to the Confiseur
Galant of Philippe or to The Dutch House
of "Father Roujol," and which had been made
popular in its time by Jules de Rovere. At the
end of September 1846, Robert-Houdin
rechristened his Inexhaustible Pastrycook,
which became simply The Pastrycook of
Palais-Royal and its old name was given to
the Bottle, which lost its ribbons along the
way! It is therefore under the name The
Inexhaustible Bottle that this experiment appeared from then on in theater advertisements. Although the appearance of ribbons
and all reference to color were eliminated,
the principle of diverse liquor productions on
demand in apparently unlimited quantities
It was during the month of December 1845

that the artist added a new experiment to his
program that would cause quite a stir: The
Bottle and Ribbons. The conjurer produced
ribbons of any color chosen by the audience
from an empty bottle of Bordeaux that was
rinsed with plain water in front of the audience. After each of these productions, he
poured from the same bottle glasses of various liquors, whose colors matched the ribbons. This new trick was quickly given a
subtitle: The Bottle and Ribbons or The
Impromptu Liquor Merchant. This subtitle re-
LA BOUTEILLE INEPUISABLE.
Cctte in^puisable bouteille

Fournit des vins et des liqueurs
De tous leg go&te, de toutesles eouleurs;
C'est tine cave sans pareille.
Bienveillants apeciateura de mes tours favoris,
Ayez autant de jours prospftres,
Anbmt de bong, de vrsis amis,
One ma bouteille emplit de verres.
266
Aci III
Robert Houdin, apres ses libecalites

de bonbons, de liqueurs, d'eventails elc etc.
Robert Houdin et sa bouteille enchaatee
Illustration 341 Robert-Houdin's Inexhaustible Bottle by Gustave Dore.
hn BouteiUe inepuisable.
Illustrations 342 and 343 - The Inexhaustible
Bottle.
Engraving and poem from the Album des Soirees Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin au Palais-Royal.
RODI RT-HOl DIN
THEATRE DU PARC.
Aujourd'huiVendredi 12 Juin 1846,
(Billet* et entre*c* de fateur gdnrfraleaicat sapprime*i)
CLOTURE DfiFlNmVE
DS
SOIREES FAIVTASTIQUES
DE
BL ROBERT-HOUDIJS.
M. ROBERT-HOUDIK escamotera son fit*.
EXPERIENCE EXTJEREMENT NOVVELLE.
PREMIERE PARTIE.
I. Pa Pcndule Caballslique.
2. Lc Clmpcau Sao* Ptreil.
5, Lc Foulard ux Surprlte*.
4. Grnudc DislrlbutioB <3e Donbona Faula*tiqnei,
K. Multiplicntiou del Plumeti.
C. I.es Tourlcrelle* SympaUiiqne*.
1. Lei Carles Ob&asante*.
S, lies F.xcrcicfS Gyuinasiiquet de deux Artist** Into connoi
Automates d'une complication sans ^galt.
Par M. MILB ROBERT-I1OUDIN FHS.

SECONOE PARTIE.
1, Uii Secret dc Coiitrebnnde, ou le rrioyen de tt procurer
Bordeaux k Lou JlarcW
8, L'Oiseau Mort et vifaut, ou le Fa?ori det Damea.
5, La Cage incoiapr^heBsible.
4, Le Boufjuet Merreillcux.
?}. La jifcdie Miraculeuje.
6. L'Oranger Myst^rieux, la Wajsaancc Graduelle del
I'Appm-itson subite del Fruits, ou leu PapUlont DociUt,
7. he I'atissicr-Giacicr du palais-Eoynl, Mi de d
Escomolrur, Mathdinftticicn de premier Oriire.
8, Tombola, ou Distribution de Lot* Pr^cieux.
novwdle,
COB11CORAMA, TOLYORAMA, CHROMATROPE,
Ou Feu d'ArtHice sans bruit ni Future
Lcs bureaux sevont ouvcrts a 7 hcures ija, on commcucer i 8 becrM>
Impi'iuierie et lilUographie dp Delric-TounfOij,
Illustration 350 - Belgian bill for Robert-Houdin from June 12, 1846. (Private collection)
Aci III
First Foreign Tour and

the Conjurer Louis Courtois
The beginning of 1846 witnessed new creations [21] like The Sympathetic Turtle Doves,
The Ladies' Looking-Glass, The Safety Casket
or The Light and Heavy Chest, A Contraband
Secret or The Journey of a Glass of Wine, The
Vanish of a Child under a Cup or The
Disappearance of Robert-Houdin's Son, The
Ball of Wool, and the projections of the
Chromatrope and of Comicorama.
At the beginning of summer 1846, RobertHoudin performed in Belgium, where he received a great welcome from the public and
the press. [22] He was, however, the victim of
an agent who had convinced him to leave
Paris during the hot summer and who misled
him about the portion of ticket sales he
would receive. [23] Here are the terms in
which L'Echo de Bruxelles of Thursday, June
4, 1846 reviewed Robert-Houdin's first performance:
Theatre du Pare: Soirees Fantastiques
de Robert-Houdin
M. Robert-Houdin has unique hands, never
seen before, as La Gingeole would say. Objects
appear, transform themselves, and disappear beneath his fingers with a speed that defies the most
trained and attentive eye. What am I saying? With
his fingers, the skillful conjurer does not even
need to touch the objects he wants to move, or
whose shape or color he wants to change. x\ll he
needs is a single gesture or wave of a little wand,
which we suspect he borrowed from a wizard.
We will not go into detail about the numerous
tricks performed by M. Robert-Houdin; we want
to let our readers be surprised. At any rate, what
is the point of describing a trick whose merit lies
in the skill of the conjurer in hiding his methods?
We could alwavs sav M. Robert-Houdin makes lit-
Illustration 351 - Robert-Houdin in The Ladies' Looking-Glass.

Engraving from The Secrets of Conjuring and Magic by
Robert-Houdin (op cil)
271
ROBFRI-HOUDIN
Illustration 352 The Pastrycook
of Palais-Royal. Engraving from La Nature. September 5. 1891
tie feathers come out of his sleeves or who knows

where, while seemingly pulling them from an
empty basket and showering the theater with
them; we could not describe the undoubtedly
natural-born dexterity with which he accomplishes this feat.
Not only does M. Robert-Houdin have the
most skillful hands in the world, he also has
charming mechanisms that work to perfection
under the influence of the same powerful wand.
We greatly applauded the movements of little
Auriol, who, with his companion Debureau, performs on a stage of six square feet. The little
pastrycook, whose store is well stocked, had no
less success. The young spectators who attended

the Monday evening performance in large numbers truly tested his intelligence and talent in
serving cookies, cakes, candy, and refreshments. A six-year-old amused the assembly by
his imperative-sounding demand for a glass of
Jamaican rum.
The greatest attention was paid to the experiment called second sight, which was carried out by M. Robert-Houdin's son, a ten- or
eleven-year-old young man. The skillful conjurer claimed to have discovered the child's capacity to see objects from any distance through
a blindfold that is impenetrable to visual rays.
272
Aci III
We do not believe in the gift of second sight,

but we readily admit that M. Robert-Houdin's
son answers without hesitation all questions
asked by his father as to the nature, shape, and
color of certain objects he receives from the
first volunteers in the audience; we admit that
he tells the time of a watch and the number a
spectator has written on a chalkboard without
making the slightest mistake. M. RobertHoudin states that mesmerism does not enter
into this, and it is true that the young man is
entirely awake. What are the people who
blindly put their faith in Miss Prudence's mesmeric miracles going to say? There must certainly be a means of communication between
father and son, but it is so prompt and perfectly hidden that even the most clairvoyant
spectators can detect nothing.
M. Robert-Houdin has the advantage over his
rivals of a very remarkable understanding of staging. His theater is not like that of Philippe, whose
performances excited great curiosity two years
ago, and whose show is encumbered with old iron
tools painted white; Robert-Houdin works, to use
the accepted term, in a salon garnished with

a small number of rich and tasteful props.
Moreover, he has a great ease in speaking, and
that is an essential quality for a conjurer who
must alone hold the attention of an interested
public for an entire evening.
The performance ended with a phantasmagoria show. Instead of the traditional figures that
usually appear in these tenebrous exhibitions,
M. Robert-Houdin substituted rebuses like those
of L'lllnstration where a single character, in certain instances, indicates the meaning of an entire sentence. But what we noted most was a succession of paintings, landscapes, cityscapes,
ruins, etc. that followed each other in such a way
that our eyes had not erased the preceding image
before the following one became distinct. This
effect, created by a principle with light invented
by M. Daguerre and applied by him to the
Diorama, was new to most of the audience at the
Theatre du Pare.
Robert-Houdin made his debut on June 1 at
the Theatre du Pare in Brussels, where he performed until the 18th, then interrupted his
show in the middle of a successful run to rush
back to Paris with his wife and mother-in-law.
Their first daughter. Louise Marie, had just
passed away on June 15 in Neuilly at her
nanny's home. On July 15, Robert-Houdin was
back in Belgium to fill an engagement in
Liege. The city press gave him a welcome
comparable to that of Brussels. [24] Here is the
article published in no. 168 of La Tribune de
Liege of Friday, July 17, the day after RobertHoudin's first performance at the Theatre du
Gymnase:
Soiree fantastique de M. Robert-Houdin
The name of M. Robert-Houdin will become
popular here just as the names Bosco, Gomte, and
Philippe have become, and this popularity will be
acquired, we are certain, in every city where he
reproduces the magic, marvels, and even the impossibilities that we witnessed yesterday.
Illustration 353 - The French Guardsman.

Engraving from La Mature. September 5. 1891-
2-3
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Illustration 35-t - The Aerial Clock and The Glove Column.
Illustration 354 - Tfoe Fabulous
Amateur drawing of Robert-Houdin by a spectator (magic

enthusiast?), from the conjurer's archives.
Rosebush.
Another drawing from the same amateur series,
grotesque, shiny, varied, and bedazzling as the diverse subjects and landscapes that he alternately
shows before our eyes.
M. Houdin is so rich in marvels of all sorts that
he gives as a simple intermission, as if it were
just something trivial, a sort of exercise that
would alone make the fortune of any other conjurer, so incomprehensible are the results he obtains. We refer to his second sight interlude, in
which his young son, whose eyes are covered
with a thick blindfold, can clearly distinguish objects. He names them, indicates their color,
shape, destination, and the material of which
they are made; he tells the exact time of a watch;
yesterday, he stated how many cigars were in a
closed case; he sees and designates even more astonishing things. We do not need to say that we
do not believe in second sight. However, yesterday we saw things that could make a reasonable
man have doubts if the experimenters themselves
did not admit that mesmerism has nothing to do
with the masterful effects they produce.
And to come show himself to be the rival

of these renowned diabolical, satanic, and cabalistic men, it is necessary not only to show
oneself their equal in the art of magic and wizardry, but also to prove that one is even more
diabolic; and this is a proof that M. RobertHoudin, who will before long exchange his
name for that of Robert-le-Diable, has no difficulty in producing.
But do not think there is any trace of
Beelzebub's ugliness and rudeness in M. Houdin's
character: far from it. M. Houdin is a lion-conjurer, elegant, a charming speaker, skillfully
launching compliments to the ladies and especially knowing how to continually please his audience.
M. Houdin's show is so varied that we are having a difficult time giving a description. Should I
speak of his sleight-of-hand tricks? This is something with which he astonishes. His automata?
They are little masterpieces of perfection and
truth. His phantasmagoria? Nothing is so graceful.
2-74
ACT
We will make another general remark on the

skillful conjurer's theater and his experiments.
All his instruments are elegant in shape, shiny
and glowing as in an silversmith's shop. In his
feats he not only surprises and astonishes the
public, he pleasantly amuses sight and imagination through the elegance of his words and
deeds. He works with lovely turtledoves, as
well as charming birds, sweet-smelling flowers,
fresh bouquets, bushes that bloom and produce
fruit before your eyes, candies, favors, and sugary liquors, parfait amour, anisettes, even
eau-de-vie - for certain enthusiasts who actually seem to enjoy this drink - and all this is
fresh and appetizing. They smell lovely and are
distributed with an abundance and eagerness
that should win M. Houdin the esteem of
gourmets both old and young. They will hurry,
we surely believe, to make a first visit to ascertain whether or not we speak the truth, and a
second visit to thank him.
We will conclude by saying that the lovely
Gymnase hall was well garnished and that the
public seemed to be having quite a pleasant
time. For each of their feats, M. Houdin and his
son were met with unanimous bravos.
In issue no. 169. Le Liberal Liegeois of
Friday, July 17 saluted the arrival of RobertHoudin in its city and published the following
account:
People frequently discussed M. RobertHoudin before his arrival in Liege; now that he
has given a first performance and it has fulfilled all expectations, we have the right to ask
the reader to believe us in all the details of our
account of this artist, unless he wishes to go
see for himself.
At first sight, M. Robert-Houdin does not
seem to be different from the antique category
of ordinary conjurers. Like them, he walks
about in a very complicated and brilliant laboratory. He has before him all the tools used by
all traditional magicians: tables with draperies,
trunks, vases, magic wands, mirrors, etc. He
even has the appropriate joke and pleasant
anecdote to distract his spectator and relax him
III
at the crucial moment of the trick. But his

sleeves are not rolled up. This is alarming; however, it does not prevent him from carrying out
his tricks with great skill and being applauded
by the entire room, including Father Gourtois,
the prince of the pass and the cup whose competence in this matter cannot be disputed by
anyone. Moreover, the performances are pleasantly varied by the exhibition of mechanical
pieces of admirable precision; this is no longer
in the area of magic, it is true, but that of
mechanism. It is still very interesting. We espe-
Jf
L'Oranger.
LORANGER.
Chaque soir je Beuris,

Et mes fleurs embaumees
Sont tranformees
En fruits exquis.
Venez, gentils enfantsdont l'essairn ro'environne.
Puisse-je par mes dons vous rendre tous heureux!
Venez, regalez-vous de mesfruitssavoureux,
En attendant que ma fleur vous couronne.
Robert-Houdin
Illustrations 356 and 3S"7 - The Mysterious Orange Tree.
Engraving and poem taken from the Album des Soirees
Fanlastiques de Robert-Houdin au Palais-Royal.
ROBERT -HOUDIN
cially noted the namesakes of two famous

artists, Auriol and Debureau. The first of these
automata does gymnastics with incredible skill,
and the second, who is carrying him on his
head, lent himself to the game with a complaisance and stamina deserving all our compliments. The cooks of the Palais-RoyaZ [sic] then
received an enthusiastic welcome: marvelous
cooks, three inches tall, bring on a silver platter, according to your wishes, flowers, brioches,
glasses of rum and anisette [sic], silver sugar
bowls, and golden thimbles! Let us also mention the phantasmagoric paintings, after which
we can leisurely discuss the long sight [sic] experiments.
At this point M. Iloudin works with no
preparation unless we consider the quick
word of warning that he laughingly whispers
to the audience between two feats: "Sirs, you
will perhaps think there is something supernatural in all this. Do not believe it. There is
nothing as simple and ordinary as my secret;
and if it were not my secret, I would take
great pleasure in sharing it with you now, so
guess - there are many possibilities. It is not
mesmerism, Dieu rnerci! It is less than that
or more. However, as opinions are free, I will
not in any way prevent you from thinking
that it is mesmerism. And, as a matter of fact,
why wouldn't I use it?" This little speech put
the audience at ease, which means it redoubled its attention.
M. Houdin takes his little boy, a child of
about twelve, blindfolds him, and, moving
away, leaves him seated on a chair in the middle of the stage in total isolation. He asks the
audience to give him different objects, the first
thing out of one's pocket - watches, rings,
change - and the child minutely and instantly
describes all these as they are handed to his
father. With incredible ease, he carries out
complicated calculations with numbers he has
divined, such as the year of a coin. This is not
all. He even gives the hour and minute of a
watch with a mocking self-assurance, as well
as the name of the watchmaker engraved on
the case; he names the different flowers of a
276
on la Clochette mysteHeuse.
LASEGONDEVUE,
on la Clochette mysterieuse.
Diable, mon cher ami, si votre ceil penetrant
Devine ainsi malgre le foulard qui le voile,
Savez-vous qu'on pourrait hesiter en entrant?
Rassurez-vous, Messieurs, sur ce que je devoile:
Mon pere, en me donnant ce talent precieux,
Pour votre seul plaisir voulut en faire usage,
Et ne double le pouvoir de mes yeux
Que pour vous charmer davantage.
Illustrations 358 and 359 - Second Sight.

bouquet, he designates the nuances of color of

a carnation, etc. He does this from such a distance that this extremely precise and quick
telegraphic communication between RobertHoudin and his son astonishes us. We say telegraphic, because the marvel must work in one
way or another. This explanation is as good as
the next, since mesmerism is not used. The
child is not at all asleep and is the most alert
child imaginable. What confidence! And above
all, what speed! The answer comes almost be-
ACT
III
fore the question is asked and without any

delay. There is never any hesitation or error.
This experiment, which M. Houdin calls
long sight [sic], is definitely the most interesting of the performance. This feat alone could
attract a crowd. We were not yet suffocating in
the Salle de Gymnase, but patience: this will
soon be the case.
For some time prior to the arrival of RobertHoudin in Liege, the fairground conjurer Louis
Courtois, [25] a native of Belgium, was already
performing in this city. Here is the tone of one
of his advertisements:
Grande Loge Place de l'Universite Sunday and
Monday, 12 and 13 July.
The last two PERFORMANCES AND DEFINITIVE
CLOSING.
M. Gourtois, the father, and his family will have

the honor of giving one of the loveliest evenings in
all that the art of Conjuring and Prestidigitation
has to offer. These performances will be varied
with English juggling and balancing. The show will
conclude with Grand Historical and Roman
Paintings. Several Views of Paris, Rome, and
London. 8 o'clock sharp.
Illustrations 360 and 361 Louis Courtois, known as Papa

Courtois.
Louis Courtois seemed to have much trouble doing business in Liege, and in spite of
the publication of new, intriguing advertisements wherein the conjurer promised a
'Soiree Mysterieuse" and "Indian Juggling" or
even "hydraulic lights and diamond lights,"
the public ignored his "Grande Loge. " RobertHoudin, once made aware of his Belgian colleague's difficulties, offered his help, a generosity that he would show unfortunate
colleagues throughout his career and retirement. In La Tribune de Liege of Thursday,
July 23, we can read the following advertisement:
M. Houdin and M. Courtois
M. Courtois and his family have given many

conjuring performances in our city; although
M. Courtois and his son have remarkable talent
277
ROBIRI'-HOI DIN
and skill, they could not attract a crowd large

enough to cover the expenses incurred by the
construction of a theater at the Place de
l'Universite. This father is now nearly in a very
unfortunate situation.
M. Houdin, who is also a conjurer like
M. Gourtois, but whose performances have been
well attended from the first day, wants to come to
the aide of his colleague by performing for his
benefit. The show will take place tomorrow at the
Theatre du Gymnase.
M. Houdin's skill has up until now sufficed to
attract a large crowd to the Gymnase; we hope
that this skill, linked to the pleasure in doing a
good deed, will allow M. Gourtois to make up for
his losses.
It will be even more interesting to see
M. Courtois and M. Houdin working together,
which seems quite possible.
M. Houdin - Closing
Bills have announced the definitive closing of
M. Houdin's performances. Hey, M. Sorcerer, you
have forgotten your host. Do not think that the
public of Liege will let the father conjure himself
away as he does his son. This is not so; when one
works before such a large audience, when one
makes them laugh for an entire evening, it becomes impossible to just leave; although you are
superior in talent, skill, and whatever else you
please, to the numerous conjurers that we have
seen until now, you must stay true to tradition,
as such; we will announce the closing, then the
definitive closing, and then the definitive, absolute, and final closing; you are only at the closing stage, so you owe us two performances; be-
Following this article, the conjurer Louis

Courtois wrote:
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
In spite of all the goodwill and efforts that M.

Gourtois and his family have devoted to their performances, this artist has found himself with little
success and great woes. M. Robert-Houdin, having
heard about his difficulties, has offered to give a
performance for his benefit on the 24th of the
month at the Theatre du Gymnase. M. Gourtois,
father, and his family hope that the public of this
city will deign to attend this humanitarian act,
which exceeds all praise for its very deserving
benefactor.
Greetings and respect, L. Gourtois,
Belgian conjurer.
This generous gesture helped the Courtois

family out of an awkward situation and won
only more praise for Robert-Houdin from the
citizens of Liege. La Tribune de Liege of
Tuesday, July 28, announced the closing of
Soirees Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin for the
30th in warm and humoristic terms:
6/MCH
Illustration 362 - Disappearance under a giant cup.

Engraving from Delion s work (op oil)
278
ACT
cause three minus one equals two - ask your cabalistic clock that calculates and adds like
Bareme.
Readers, you must know that these reasonings and calculations have completely destabilized M. Houdin; his skillful pastrycook, who
was about to turn off his oven, is now heating
it up even more, and is waiting for you with
fresh, hot buns; his ice-cream maker is making
new syrups and lemonade ice cream; Auriol
and Debureau are ready to recommence their
exercises; and M. Houdin will now show you
how he vanishes size 48 balls in a hat, how
from a simple scarf he makes enough feathers
come out to decorate a whole company of national guards, enough candy to feed an entire
army of gourmets, and finally bouquets for
each of the ladies who agree to come and add
yet another attraction to the conjurer's final
performance.
The
second-sight
exercises
between
M. Houdin and his son will be performed for
the sixth time, and for the sixth time the audience may experience the same astonishment,
still without being able to understand the
means by which the father and the son communicate. Bring the most bizarre and unheardof things to try to fool the two sorcerers; you
will be doing us a favor because we have tried
and failed.
Remember: the last performance is Thursday.
Spread the word.
Once back in Paris and after a short break

"dedicated to the development of new experiments," Robert-Houdin reopened his theater at
Palais-Royal.
III
Le Foulard aux Surprises.
LE FOULARD AUX SURPRISES.
Dans les secrets replis de ce tissu soyeux

Sont caches, j'en eonviens, objets de toute sorte;
Evenlails, souvenirs, fleurs, bonbons savoureux;
Pour nos desirs enin il n'est rien qui n'en sorte.
Mais pourquoi devant vous etaler ses vertus?
S'il remplissait de fleurs des milliers de corbeilles,
Mesdames, ces bouquets seraient-ee des merveilles?
Ce ne serait ici que quelques fleurs de plus,
Robert-Houdin.
Illustrations 363 and 36 1 - The Surprising Silk Handkerchief.

ROBtRT-Hoi DIN
Illustrations 365 and 366 - Souvenir fan of Soirees Fantastiques, 1845.
280
ACT
III
InL
Promotion and Advertising
Tradition has always required that famous
tricksters and conjurers offer little gifts to
their audience: candy magically produced
or offered in a raffle - Philippe's specialty or flowers or little bouquets for the ladies the specialty of M. Comte. Robert-Houdin
maintained this tradition. He gave his female spectators bouquets and treated the
public to his cakes and sorbets and the
generously dispensed liquors of The Pastrycook of Palais-Royal. To these perishable
gifts he wanted to add souvenirs of his performances for the audience to keep and
show to their friends. The Horn of Plenty
apparatus, a sort of truncated horn with a
handle, which could be opened vertically to
show that it was empty, provided him with
an opportunity to do so. From this apparatus, first shown empty, Robert-Houdin produced advertising fans; the "Quadrilles
PRIX DE L'ABONNEMENT.
Brilliants" of Adrien Le Carpentier containing the musical scores of his routines; illustrated souvenir albums describing his effects; mini-biographies decorated with
his portrait, written by Eugene Hatin; and
copies of his humorous newspaper Le
Cagliostro. Robert-Houdin generously distributed these "promotional" gifts to the audience. On the fans and in the albums were
printed little rhymes from the hand of the
master himself, who was also "editor-inchief of his newspaper. We must also mention the fake 500-franc bills - printed on
thin pink or white paper decorated with
beautiful engravings bearing the words
"Banque des Soirees Fantastiques. Come
see us five hundred times" - used in The
Shower of Gold effect and copied in the following decade by the conjurers Adrien,
Loramus, and Courtois, and later by the
INSERTIONS,
e^j
S3
1 fr. 50, 3 ft. ct ltr.,ad hbilam
Qncstpridd'affranchirleshUres,
si Von lie profile ks adresser
En s'abonnant, on recoil comme

VRIHE GRAiHITB
I.es puffet reclames b haute prcssion sont seuls admis dans co

Jonnial.
I'espoiV fie
recevoir Uft numdt'o du Journal
tltA>CO.
(N,....Jwe-Pen.)
Journal,les
E
LI
lie Redacteur previent qu'il n'est pas timbre

Illustration 36T Le Cagliostro, Robeit-Houdin's humoristic newspaper
281
QUftl
PAR
Dl^
(le journal).
ROBFRl-HOCDIN
Illustrations 368 and 369 Souvenir fans of Soirees Fantastiques, 1846.
282
Aci III
magic dealer Andre Voisin, as well as the

"Cartes du jour' proposing sweets made by
the mechanical pastrycook and confectioner. The production of these souvenirs, as diverse as they were charming, and whose
presentation and quality were particularly
meticulous, continued from 1845 to 1852.
Robert-Houdin also had Pruche design a
small lithograph depicting eighteen of his
effects from the 1845-1846 seasons and another spectacular one from the same period
depicting the conjurer with one of his sons
onstage at his theater with his automata. A
very large lithograph, done by Leon Noel,
dated from 1848, shows him full length surrounded by symbols of his main disciplines:
conjuring, watchmaking, and mechanism.
There was also a bilingual souvenir album,
a memento of his first seasons in London
in 1848 and 1849. illustrated by engravings
different from those used in France. Finally,
specifically to publicize Second Sight,
Robert-Houdin ordered from a famous
sculptor, Jean-Pierre Dantan, known as
Dantan the younger, a small statue depicting his son Emile during this routine.
ROBERT-HOUDIN ( i
FAR EUGENE HATIN.
Extrait du Feuilleton da Journal le Constitutionnel
Illustration 371 Biographie de Robert-Houdin by Eugene

Hatin.
ROBERT-HOUDIN
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Illustration 370 - Quadrille Mignonette

Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin
des
Soirees
Illustrations 3~2 and 3^3 - Volumes I and II of the Album des

Soirees Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin au Palais-Royal
283
ROBERT -HOUDIN
Illustration 37-i - Emile RobertHoudin in Second Sight. This

small "promotional" statue is the
work of Dantan the younger.
(Chateau de la Ville de Blois)
Illustration 375 - Letter from Robert-Houdin to

Dantan.
284
An III
During his tour in Belgium, the conjurer

wrote to the artist:
we agreed, in as many stores as you can.

Please accept my friendly regards.
Paris, April 25, 1846

My dear Dantan
Gould you please deliver six small statues to
me as soon as possible? I must send them at
once to Brussels because they should be there
at least three weeks before my arrival.
Independently, you may place some in Paris as
Your devoted.
Robert-Houdin [26]
Through the years, Dantan became a close

friend of Robert-Houdin and we will have
many opportunities to discover their relationship.
Illustrations 376 and 3""" - Seances fantastiques de Robert-Houdin. Cover and title page of the extremely rare English souvenir
album of Robert-Houdin's soirees at the Saint James's Theater in 18i8-1849
ROBERT-HOUDIN'S
S PERFORMED BEFORE
Sffiffi SSSSff
SS!E.n8>!BS
THE QUEEN,
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE ALBERT,
ROBERT-HOUDIN.
THE ROYAL FAMILY*
1843 & 1319.
285
RODFRl -HOUDIN
^
| U M Parsons au tour4e carte. - Toyons,mademoiselle, me tos-j?icJ^J^ line cartere*3u^^sa^^.*yiwi;j Kem11 (&
iu>uiw eiâufc.) Surlafoi lafoi de vos
paroles je crois aumajnetisme . a a m m a l
mats mademoiselle peut fairemieux que cela'
#MXiuu, i Sansdoute.etla preavelavoici - Mademoiselle,Yeuillez weciserla carte.- ( t ^ t . ) C'estleroi ie ma.- [Wmm
dwwt savmt w t
UsuÛft^limlk TOWHU m w . ie \fti\ (taibagwieaeu..) Tetais stir gue le sujet eprotLYait des centranetts: ( i
elle apftrdula carte
Y05 tours.. YQs lours... sont ra ra, yissants" |.oj*t.rDieu gue ca m'eabete!'
Illustration 3~8 - A demonstration
of mesmerism.
(Georges Promt collection)
286
ACT
III
The Fortune-Teller Alexis Didier

the result of their demonstrations depended
more on the procedures of the art of magic
than on powers from beyond! [2s] The Marquis
de Mirville was a knowledgeable and influential man, impassioned by spiritualism, mesmerism, and spirit manifestations. He wrote
several volumes on these phenomena, and we
also find this same form of gullibility in certain
contemporary scholars, who support the reputations of our current parapsychologists.
Magicians have always had a variety of attitudes regarding so-called paranormal phenomenon. The majority, who claim to have no
supernatural gifts, are justifiably skeptical.
There have always been artists who publicly
denounce the procedures and schemes of certain individuals who falsely claim that they
have gifts or powers from heaven or hell.
Although we might consider these law-abiding
illusionists to be beneficial to the public by
rightfully denouncing certain abuses, at times
they come close to treachery when obliged
to reveal to the public the procedures used in
the context of a performance. During Robert Houdin's era, mesmerism and mesmerizers
gave rise to great controversy and divided the
scientific community. Although Robert-Houdin
never spoke publicly about this subject, in private he could not refuse to give his advice to
acquaintances who asked him about these
phenomena. The position of arbitrator and expert becomes very uncomfortable when one is
acquainted with both parties. Here is how
Robert-Houdin chose to get out of one of these
delicate situations, in which the protagonists
were the Marquis Eude de Mirville, the
medium Alexis Didier, and the mesmerist
Marcillet.
Alexis Didier and his brother Adolphe [27]
were fairly successful nineteenth-century mediums. They performed for wealthy individuals
who sometimes became their protectors.
Marcillet, who then had the job of road contractor on Rue de la Grange-Bateliere, had the
role of "mesmerist" and presented "his subject"
Alexis Didier, who was then a clerk in his company. It is unnecessary to tell the readers that
ALEHS.
Illustrations 3"9 and 380 - The medium Alexis.
Frontispiece engraving and title page of the work by Henri
Delage.
28"
ROBERT-HOUDIN
are harmless ones. Confronting De Mirville with

his errors and publicly unmasking the two protagonists would create a mini-scandal that
would shame his host, whose only fault was
being blind and content to be so. Diminishing
the marquis in the eyes of his peers would not
have increased Robert-Houdin's prestige and
would have gained him unwanted enemies in
the scholarly set who shared De Mirville's opinions. Robert-Houdin therefore chose to make a
judgment worthy of Solomon, saying that both
sides were right.
These two performances were a succession of
"impossible" predictions and "miraculous" revelations, all in the great tradition of the thousands
of "undeniable" accounts that can be read about
in abundant "spiritualist" literature. The attestations given to the marquis after Alexis Didier's
demonstrations with Robert-Houdin as an accommodating spectator are not to be taken at
face value because their conclusions are masterpieces of irony. The conjurer probably did not
imagine they would be published one day. [29]
LE
SOMMEIL MAGNETIQUE
EXPLIQUfi
PAR LE SOMNAMBULE ALEXIS

EN ETAT DE LUCIOITE,
PAIS HENBI D E L U G E .
PARIS
E. BBNT0, LIBKAIRB-fiDITEUB,
SUXMS H'OmMSS, 13, PALAKi-l;OHI,.
1856
Dtoils to Mfraduotioa et da tadittton risowfc.
Naivete was obviously not unique to nineteenth-century scholars.

On May 3, 1847, the Marquis de Mirville asked
Robert-Houdin to observe a demonstration by
the medium Alexis Didier, which was followed
by another seance a few days later. We do not
know if Robert-Houdin knew Alexis, but we
have discovered that the conjurer had a good
relationship with his mentor, the ''mesmerist"
Marcillet. Robert-Houdin was in an uncomfortable position because if he enlightened De
Mirville, he would ruin the reputation of his
"colleague," whose livelihood depended on
these demonstrations. Robert-Houdin, as an astute psychologist, also knew that the public
rarely forgives someone who shatters their
dreams and fantasies, at least as long as they
288
May 4, 1847
...Although I can hardly accept the praise
M. de M... so kindly grant me, and above all
hoping my signature will show no bias in my
opinions for or against mesmerism, I cannot,
however, avoid stating that the facts recorded
above are entirely accurate and that, the
more I ponder, the harder it is for me to place
them among those who are part of my art and
work. [!]
Robert-Houdin.
Here is the conclusion of the second:
I have therefore returned from this seance as
dazzled as I could be, and convinced that it is impossible that chance or skill could produce such
marvelous effects. [!]
Robert-Houdin.
It is agreed that neither "chance" nor "skill"

played any part in these effects, and that the
author could also write, without contradicting
Acr III
demonstrated by Daniel Home." It is true that

the famous American medium had become the
favorite of the imperial couple.
In conclusion, here is the opinion of an expert in these matters, Alfred de Caston, in his
work Les Marchands de miracles (The Miracle
Merchants) (Paris, Dentu, 1864):
himself, that it was impossible for him to "place

them among those who are part of [his] art and
work!" On these two evenings, the conjurer,
who had promised himself to never again be a
confederate, became one again against his will.
A few years later, Marcillet, having fallen into
dire straits, wrote to Robert-Houdin to ask for
help, which he generously granted. [30]
We have seen all the mediums from

M. Lafontaine and M. Lassaigne to M. Marcillet. We
have attended the seances of Miss Prudence,
Alexis, and twenty other extra-lucid somnambulists, and we can assert that if by chance a glimmer
of truth came to enlighten us, we always returned
to the domain of conjuring.
This refusal to condemn "colleagues" was

also the way that Robert-Houdin's family acted.
His brother-in-law Hamilton publicly defended
the Davenport Brothers in the press while
Robin unashamedly revealed their tricks to the
press and on the stage of his theater. Moreover,
Robert-Houdin's friend Moreau-Sainti, before
Napoleon III, "wisely" agreed "that there were
no usual conjuring techniques in anything
The greatest conjurer-mechanician of our time,

Robert-Houdin, in creating the anti-mesmeric
double sight, has unveiled and multiplied the resources of mediums."
ALFRED de CASTON
Illustration 381 - The medium Daniel Dunglas Home.
Illustration 382 - Alfred de Caston.

Portrait by Etienne Carjat
Photographed by Disden.
289
ROBERl-HOUDLN
Illustration 383 - The Ethereal
Suspension.
(JHarry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas. Austin)
290
ACT
III
The Ethereal Suspension

In 1847, several feats enriched the repertoire of Soirees Fantastiques: the new versions
of The Fantastic Portfolio and The Aerial
Clock, accompanied by its crystal bell; Antonio
Diavolo, the trapeze acrobat; The Transparent
Cashbox; and the extraordinarily renowned
Ethereal Suspension in midair. The latter, the
most sensational illusion of its time, was
shown to the public at the beginning of the
1847-1848 season. We must remember that the
invention of ether and the possibilities this
product offered the field of medicine were an
important topic of discussion for the artist's
contemporaries. As a preamble to his experiment, Robert-Houdin spoke about one of the
new characteristics of ether that he claimed to
have discovered. His younger son, Eugene,
then came onstage and his father had him
breathe the fumes from a fake bottle of ether
for a few seconds. Simultaneously, backstage,
the stage manager poured a few drops of ether
onto a hot shovel and the smell flowed
through the theater, momentarily transforming
the atmosphere of Soirees Fantastiques into
that of a hospital, a perfect example of intellectual and olfactory misdirection. Eugene
began to "fall asleep," and the conjurer placed
a cane under each of his arms to support him.
Robert-Houdin then took away the one under
the left arm and raised his son's body parallel
to the floor, leaving him seemingly suspended
in midair with the only point of contact being
the cane under his right elbow. For the first
time, a body remained miraculously suspended in midair on the stage of a theater, until
the artist decided to break the spell and bring
his son back down to the floor for the final

curtain call.
Here is an article from L Illustration of
October 16, 1847 giving an account of the performance illustrated by an engraving of the
Ethereal Suspension:
And since we are still listing the entertainment for the week, how can we not give an honorable mention to Robert-Houdin's skillful
tricks? L'lllustration offers a reproduction of one
of his marvelous feats: the son of Robert-Houdin
lying in space in a horizontal position. What is
supporting him? An occult force, a genie no
doubt, who is none other than his own father.
The wizard Merlin, the ingenious Paracelsus,
Swedenborg, Bosco, who effortlessly conjured his
world, even Gagliostro, the man with the marvelous flask who brought back the dead, were not
greater sorcerers than Robert-Houdin. This one
knows all your secrets; the present and the future
hold no mystery for him; he is endowed with a
divinatory instinct that never fails him; the malicious imp of magic has subdued the invisible
world before him. I am not talking about objects
that change places and pockets all by themselves
upon the magician's command, nor of candles
that walk, nor portraits that speak; we will also
remain silent about the surprise of Second Sight
and the miracle of the multiplication of flowers; I
will speak no more about the unique bottle from
which flow liquors of every color of the rainbow:
blue, white, yellow, black, and green; but every
evening an adoring crowd fills the theater: to
what trick do we owe this? And every evening
this admirable Robert-Houdin makes gold with a
flask and a pack of cards. Find me a greater sorcerer!
The resounding success of The
Ethereal
Suspension created so many plagiarists that
291
ROBFRI -HOUDIN
Illustration 384 - The Ethereal Suspension. From Llllustration. October 16. 1847.
his reasons as their contents are particularly

fascinating:
Robert-Houdin, in 1849, after his return

from England, created a new version so sophisticated and perfect that it was never
copied during his entire artistic career.
Some of Robert-Houdin's audience took the
routine literally and sent letters, the anonymous ones especially indignant, scolding
him for endangering the health of his child.
The author writes in his memoirs that he
preciously kept these letters, two of which
are still part of his archives. We understand
Many people went on Thursday to M. RobertHoudin's and readily admitted, as everyone else
does, that never before has anything so extraordinary been seen in Paris as M. R.-Houdin's performances. But one notes with curiosity and displeasure the etherization of his young son. It has been
requested that this experiment be discontinued,
otherwise it will promptly weaken and kill this
child.
This unfavorable impression remained even
after the end of the show; on the stairs, many
292
ACT III
said that the police should prohibit the final experiment and that they would surely do so if
it were reported to them. Everything that
M. Robert-IIoudin does is strange and extraordinary enough for him to cease this feat because
he creates a painful feeling in general and elicits
true concern for his child, and one may assume
that either M. Houdin does not realize the harm
he can do to him or that he is sacrificing him to
increase the interest in his show which is impossible to think.
Since yesterday, many people have made the
same remark about M. Houdin's young child.
Here is the second letter, dated January 23,

1848:
Sir,
I attended your performances last year and
they so charmed me that I wanted to return this
year, and recommended to many your astonishing and interesting performance. But Sir, I must
frankly tell you the unpleasant and painful impression that I and many others had concerning
the ethereal suspension of your son, which you
I Ft*
iii
WE
Le Carton de Robert - Houdin.
I.E CARTON DE KOBERT-HOUDIN.
Par un expedient nouveau,

De ce mtsme carton je tire
L'air et le feu, la terre et Feau;
Mais dans ces 616ments que je lui fais produire,
Dans ces difficultes dont je me fais un jeu,
Lea yeux les plus penjants n'y verront que du feu.
Illustrations 385 and 386 - The Fantastic
Portfolio.
Illustrations 38" and 388 - The Ball of Wool.
Engraving and poem taken from the Album of Soirees

Engravings taken from the work by Delion (op cii )
293
ROBERT -HOUDIN
IM.CMM.4t TUMi,
Aiijnurd'hiii Vemlredi 17 H i m 1 8 4 8 .
PAiAIS ROYAL.
ROBERT HOUDHV
PIUHNUHR, MKCMWIIW, MKHBRK K I>U S U M S Kw:if:H':s mvi.vrwt
ES WAYANT ENCORE JTAMAIS PAHU TELLES OCX
SEANCE ENTIEREMENT NOUVEU.E
LE CARTON ROBERT HQUDIN
LA PELOTTE DE LAINE.
bfMum -.wualle if PMiigu, MIUIP> ! Sukliliw.
LA PECHE MERVEILLEUSE.
LA BOUTEILLE INEPUISABLE
Ou If l*ju<irui iwprawiptit.
LA VOLTIGE DU TRAPEZE.
Ou H
SUSPENSION
LAPENDULE AERIENNE
ETHEREENNE
III! SB(.OM> Wl.S DB HOBBKT-HailDIW TRKC RR KQUIMBitF. A V I * I.*A1K ATNOSPHRRIQUB.

i;kafmejmr itt tmfitU*u% ftiMi jMtwl ttlttt 4*farferrtlVrtiimMt, UUu fwt
uitMTmuimNMPi,
uHUEuiuuiiiii1
u I-HMII n M anm, : unmnu.
u n w R ,
t f t SECONDS TOE. - L'ESCAMOTAGE ttED. HODEHTHODDEN, He, wr.mtjwu
tuuuMiLitriuuutut,
uauiuMI
umu*t<Mit.
<Ue nouwNc S.i,iu-e.
sera tcriuiiuta par let merveilleux ettete du Polyorama. ** Tt
Illustration 389 Robert-Houdin's Ethereal
Suspension.
This bill unique and unpublished - dated Friday, March 1". 1848 is the second earliest French bill of Robert-Houdin still preserved today. (Jacques Voignier collection)
return despite the intense pleasure you gave them,

because of this experiment.
Believe me, sir: this feat can please only the
vulgar or the heartless.
I must also tell you, to speak of a lesser point,
that the smell of ether that spread throughout the
theater caused strong headaches to a few people,
which is yet another reason for them not to return.
I hope, sir, that none of these remarks will
displease you, because they are dictated by the
felt you had to add to a program which, before,

left nothing to be desired.
I am telling you, sir, in your interest and in
that of humanity, that you are killing your child
little by little by etherizing him in this way. The
life of this child does not belong to you, and God,
who gave him to you as a blessing, will make you
pay a terrible price.
This child evokes concern as soon as he enters
onstage with his look of suffering, and many people, seeing him etherized, said that they would not
294
ACT
concern that I have for your child and for yourself because of all the pleasure you have given
me.
III
Aren't these letters worth the most laudatory

press reviews for a magician? By preserving
them, Robert-Houdin seemed to think so.
Wht&ttt &o$al, <&totlttntoxm.

anager has the honor to asmoimefi that be has engaged thtt celebrated Ariist
11 Diavolo Antonio,
For this ONE
MIGHT
Only,
When lie will Perforia bis Wonderfnl Evolutions on the
COllDE
On TUESDAY, December 7, 1830,
Will he presented, the interesting Comedy of
The BIRTH DAY

Cut. Vartnii,
Mr.DANBt
H, J. W4TSOK'
Burr;
florinm,
Mr.BLVIK
Joklak, . . . .
Ur.Butna, -. JOHKSTOff & lanjei Circuit, . ,
Mr. ADDIBOK
H n . l b n l , . . . . Hn. BAHBT-km*, . . . . Mm,JOHSSTONB
Emma Bertram,
Jue Voltigeur au Trapeze.
Miss K, WATSON,
H first appearance on thil Sti;6
>i^Sfr >>
ifternhioh,
IJL I A V O t O
AMTOTVIO's
Pcrfotmanee on the
LE VOLTIGEUR AU TRAPZE.
CordLe Volante.
, tba Interlude of
Hr.Bahu'0
llr.ADPBOH
Hn. Bolrnmo, Mn. JOHNsTONR
Bose, Mu. BANBT
Hoiiict,
Avec ardeur lorsque je me balance,

A vos bravos, Messieurs, c'est pour donner l'elan;
C'est pour atteindre a votre bienveillance,
Dont je serai toujours le zele partisan,
Plaire, amuser, c'est ma devise,
Et mon d6sir est, chaque soir,
En me quittant que chacun dise :
Au revoir! au revoir!
Mijs K. WATSON
To wmolniJe with t?ie Farce ofThe
VILIiAGE LAWYER.
SDflBS.
fthe CjRwysr) Mr, ELV1N.
Wsooot
Simrl, K r D4>iBY-ChiLrteii,
Mr. BASBT
Kate,
Mr. ADQISON
M. JT, WATOOir
BQS98 Fire SbiHinge PitTwo Shillings and SixpenceGallery One Shilling (mil Sixpence,
Second }'riceat9, Boxes 8s. Pit l8,6d.Gallery i s .
Tlftces for the Boxes to be takeo withTickets to secure them at the Theatre,Catribray Colon
nadtf, from ten o'clock rmtil four,Servants mast attend to Jieep Places on opening of the
Doors, which c&rjaot be retained after the 1st. act is i>ver bn&by the Parties occupying them
Poors to lie opened at hal&past six o'clock to begin precisely at twenty minutes past sera*
Snenton. ketter-pw* Rnrl Copper-plate Printer, Rose and Crown Passage,C&efteo&ara
Illustrations 390 and 391 - Antonio
Diavolo.
Illustration 392 // Diavolo Antonio.

Robert-Houdin lo\ ed to gi\ e his stage automata famous

names, like the clown Auriol or the mime Debureau. He
therefore chose for his trapeze artist the pseudonym of
this famous acrobat of the early nineteenth century.
295
ROBF.RT-HOLDIN
a- 8uoo.
Shu* tc Sfe
Jj*ituii)_/
j<^v
<k/yvtc>fvute~<e/-
Illustrations 393 and 39^ - Moreau-Sainti's "Philomagique" show.

Decree of the police chief authorizing the opening of theater in the Passage de l'Opera dedicated to conjuring and sleight-ofhand performances by Robert-Houdin's friend Moreau-Sainti. (Archives Rationales)
ACT
III
Moreau-Sainti and Andre Voisin

Following the opening of Soirees Fantastiques, there were few new shows dedicated to conjuring and trickery in Paris. We
must nonetheless note those of Lacaze, "who
had just set up a location in Marigny, and of
Moreau-Sainti, [31] who obtained authoriza-
tion to perform in the Galerie du Barometre.

Passage de l'Opera, Boulevard des Italiens,
in the former Polyorama theater, and to
create an establishment called Spectacle
Philomagique, with a capacity of approximately 250 spectators. If we focus specifically
7/
29"
ROBERT-HOUDIN
atrt/. t'l Me //rt'/ rtyfi-. tmd i/enwit/f*/ //

ii tiilfU'til
Illustration 395 1853 poster for Aubert, manufacturer of conjuring apparatus. (Georges Proust collection)
ACT
on this artist, who was a member of the

Opera-Comique for twenty years and at that
time was a professor at the Conservatory, it
is because he wras a close acquaintance of
Robert-Houdin. Moreau-Sainti had formed a
club for enthusiasts of conjuring and Physique amusante in 1840 called the Cercle
Philomagique, of -which Robert-Houdin was
most likely a member. [32] it -would seem that
the conjurer helped Moreau-Sainti compose
a show with a few similarities to his own.
Of particular note are the feats of Second
Sight and The Aerial Slumber performed in
"new ways." Furthermore, Moreau-Sainti's
Spectacle Philomagique opened only after
Robert-Houdin's departure for England.
Here is what Robert-Houdin wrote about
him on page 81 of The Secrets of Conjuring
and Magic:
PRIX D ABONNEMENT !
CHARLES HAUMCE, t i m t n n ,
13 Ft PAR TRIMESTRE.
FAUBOURG-M0NTMARTRE, 13.
LITTERATURB.
BEAUX-ARTS.
III
COUREUR DES SPECTACLES.

Soirees-Orientates, boulevart Montmartre, 10. Depuis
la reouverture, la foule se presse dans los salons de cet 6lablissement, Les pieces mecaniques de M. Voisin sont tres ingenieuseset captivent l'attention du public. Le Yolligeur aerien de M. Lambert est d'une rare perfection. Les demonstrations du Telegraphe electrique et les experiences du Chloroforine, parM. Lonnier, sont tres suivies. Prixd'entrfie : 1 fr,
Moreau-Sainti, the well-known actor of the

Opera Gomique, was a very skillful amateur conjuror. He possessed, in particular, the faculty of
making even trifling matters effective by means
of his patter. No one knew better than he how to
conciliate popular favo[u]r by witty and appropriate speeches.
Illustrations 396 and 39~ - The conjurer Andre Voisin in

Soirees Orientales in 1848. (Archives nationalesj
Electric Telegraph and the Chloroform experiments by M. Lormier have a large attendance.
Entrance price: 1 Fr.
Another small show, which was short-lived,

also deserves to be mentioned because its program contains the first press reference I have
been able to locate of the name Voisin, who
would become the most talented French manufacturer of magic apparatus in the second half
of the nineteenth century. In the column
"Nouvelles" from the Coureur des spectacles of
January 6, 1848, which also mentions the appearance of the ventriloquist Valentin, ''The
Man with the Doll," at the Spectacles-Concerts,
we find the following text:
Voisin and Lambert's mechanical pieces

were apparently not exhibited for long because their names are absent from the advertisement published in Le Charivari
of
February 16, 1848:
Soirees Orientales, Boulevard Montmartre, 10.
The fashion is definitely set at this establishment.
M. Langlois's conjuring deserves the public's attention; the Polyorama is of a rare perfection; and finally the demonstration of Chloroform and the
Electric Telegraph of M. Lormier has everyone
running. Entrance price, 1 Fr.
Soirees Orientales, Boulevard Montmartre, 10.

Since its reopening, the crowd has been rushing
to the salons of this establishment. M. Voisin's
mechanical pieces are quite ingenious and captivate the audience. M. Lambert's acrobat is of a
rare perfection. The demonstrations of the
Andre Voisin, contrary to legend, did not

open a store in 1834, but performed as a magician prior to 1850. In the main business directories published between 1830 and 1850,
the name Voisin is absent from the listings
299
ROBERT -HOUDIN
Illustration 398 - Portrait of Andre Voisin. (Georges Proust collection)
Illustrations 399 and 400 - Photographs of Andre Voisin.
of March-April 1956 of his journal L'Escamoteur to the magic dealer Andre Voisin. In
the first issue, Robelly, relying on information
provided by M. Voisin's widow, estimated the
date of the opening of his store on Rue Vieille
du Temple as about I860. He nonetheless
added that documents in his possession definitely dated the opening around 1855. In
no. 57 of his journal, Robelly, using a prospectus of Emile Voisin, grandson and successor of Andre Voisin, erroneously returned to
his speculations and set the year 1834 as the
date of the store's foundation. This date has
no historical basis and was apparently only
published by Emile Voisin to make his grandfather's factory seem older than it actually
was. This was perhaps not free of ulterior mo-
of mechanicians, tinsmiths, toy manufacturers, opticians, etc. He only became a

maker of magic apparatus in the years 18531854 and published his first advertisement
a few years later in the newspapers, notably
in Le Journal Amusant and later on in
L'lllustration. We will see later in this book
that Robert-Houdin and Voisin had a good
personal relationship.
The important place held by Andre Voisin
among manufacturers of conjuring apparatus
during the second half of the nineteenth century deserves certain historical clarifications
on points only superficially examined in
magic literature.
Robelly dedicated the front page of issue
no. 50 of January-February 1955 and of no. 57
300
ACT
tives. The two volumes of Nouvelle Magie

Blanche devoilee by Ponsin, published in 1853
and 1854, give us a list of manufacturers of
conjuring apparatus of this time, and Voisin is
not mentioned, just as his name is absent from
business almanacs of the time: Paul Fournay,
Rue Ognard, for brass and tin apparatus;
Devaux, mechanician, 8, Rue Neuve-Coquart;
Veuve Gallet, 9, Rue de la Tabletterie for all
conjuring implements; Armand Diettenberger,
28, Rue Phelipaux, for mechanical automata
and custom orders; and Aubert, 3, Rue
Greneta, tinsmith for conjuring apparatus. We
may also add to the list of craftsmen mentioned by Ponsin: Alphonse Giroux, 7, Rue CoqSaint-Honore, who proposed very beautiful
boxes for conjuring; Delion, 7-9, Passage
Verdeau, conjuring apparatus and magic sets;
and Couthier, tinsmith, 24, Rue Fontaine-auRoi, fabrication of "Instruments for Physique
amusante, Precision workmanship." Andre
Voisin, who went into business as a "brass
worker" at 81, Rue Vieille du Temple only as
of 1852, therefore most likely opened his
conjuring boutique around 1854, as he was
among the Exposition exhibitors in Paris in
1855 in the twelfth section, number 8929.
Andre Voisin won a second-place medal; here
24. RUE FONTAINE- AU ROI. 24*.
FERBLANTIER
Fabrique d'Instruments Ae Physicpeamusantc.OuvTaoesde precision
Illustration 401 The conjuring-apparatus manufacturer Couthier.
301
III
ROBFRT-HOUDIN
HIST01RE VERITABLE
MYSZGISN H U M , 7 I f 9 PASSlil fllDUU.
Venle d1 Instruments,
lol.T haluk-m
rvlre iosfllomet
i.sicwn DSUOM) la feu MIRIIU

, y |t(*slr ei liii fail (ton ,1'esca-ie EAbrftincr trra,Urinent. cute
\1 DKUON. nommc j-rcniH-r |ibjsicien |mr lns

| mafiiciciis des cmtj porlius du rnondc reams en
Itrniidi- ii-iRuiiiUIco lait l.i gnerrB aits soruers fit
e .iv diublca il luir nrt'iKH! dc ue ^ s c m r d c km
scieiif- i|iic pour 1 a muse men t du puLHt
Lecons d'escamotage, Soirees en ville
Mts an iVnsion die/. ParafaiOKaramws. it change

In
son maitrc en si
sitcr. tl'ofge. et allotig.iii ferule de aim
tes nreillea de son profogseur
Lc PhysicUm DKUON J nourncc ohm Mad.im

IWlomago. <\m en I'nlailatu, iui <lonne !vs premier
ic^ns dc inagtc Llanchc; lc pcRl noumwn joi
-itj' trts-bten til! aultelet.
Mis in oii>rntKS3Kr Uu/ Nostradamus, il y ftilltlr

'''"I"'*
*li*"*i*> 'Ie
'
nmtveaux iiiilrumenta
- d<;
iiiApir. (Hi's k i!i^.iii_;i i:..s s;i'. >ns i.'i lo Dianle rose.
.(nil citJir ,i -:i iiinn mtc |r,;r; < h:iti;;i". iou8 les e h t t s
>lu iwrllr
M
DHL1ON. pris |>ar des milieus necromermens
joloux des eserciccB plus fort que les leurs. \tukni
le mi -Lire a !a broehe, il ee sanve en les griwiit. &c
s c n a i i t <ln it imnif.il!.. ii^miiuhl.*
'" !'1 WMIICHMr PiMBit
M DKi ION fust mi *o>age dans les astrcs dine

ciici Ie olctt a qui it dfi'mtintrc ijuelqucs tours di;
carles. sotipe dies la lune. J d i w u \ urn. qiutntlM
de irons cm'il Fcbousiie parson iou>j>r i!i,t:i.|iu! n
ivviem .> lerre u clicval sin la qncu d nne -mmH
ta(>n,3 t|n4l frscotle a%oc sea a
11 DLLION cbangc lous ces BauvaRCsen mBtrumenls dt (ihjsiqiie iiouveyux les embaile soigaeiiiaa
fnwM
f " 1>allon J'r-Beable et relourne en
l;-uropB ou d cst attendii par 20 miiliardsde petita el
(ie p r a n i s 0!if[l[lls
Lft
DtllO/,
ri i! S i
M OEUON, tie rctourcn Prance* ft Iniiuilos Ma8iii> a I'uns. |iassaKu Vtrdtau. 7 ct 9, ou il vend
iK-s bun tuarehc 'kb HistrmnLtits dc plijsiqiu: jwnt-
M. DKLION iietrn.nlrc us JHIIIBII SWX nramls ks

seereiailosa stietii;*, iliunge mi dcs sjMMlaleurs tn
canard ut Iui redoinie sa Tonne niiliirellL. plrtsl
|tmo l|UBIit1te df joel& el Iwnlwna
H. DKLION niontrani in fattliiiitna

des hisfotnsi tte manu re g ftlrfl nrt
ijoiiiicniiUs SHIIS [KJin
M. DEL1ON Ph^sieiea expert au Tribunal, rtuteur du Ma^cien des salons, du Diable rose, des Ecrans magiques, du
Loto historique et geoKraphrque, etc.,etc., etc.
Illustration 402 - The conjurer Delion.
ACT
is the commentary from the list of medal winners:

M. Voisin makes mainly trick tables, small
chests, and other outstanding conjuring pieces.
These objects, shown for the first time, reveal
to the public the secrets of conjurers; all these
pieces require a rigorous precision and the use
of many processes in a single factory. The products shown are of very high quality.
From this date on, although Andre Voisin
became the supplier of a few well-known
professionals, his main clients would be
principally conjuring amateurs, whom he attracted with extensive press advertising.
This explains the exceptional luxuriousness

of certain apparatus offered by Andre
Voisin, who regularly used precious wood,
mother-of-pearl inlays, and gilded bronze,
etc. in his creations. The aesthetics and
quality of his work seduced this clientele of
wealthy amateurs, whereas the professionals
preferred solid, practical apparatus decorated according to the criteria of theater
props, and which was affordable. Andre
Voisin did not publish catalogues during his
lifetime and only a few lists, today very
scarce, testify to the repertoire of the tricks
he sold. None of the lists are prior to the
COMMISSION
EXPORTATION
&LECTR1CIT& AUTOMATES. PIECES MtiCANIQUES.

AUTOMATES
Bobktes d'induction de
toutes les forces.
itlectro-magnetiquc.
La Torpille de poche.
Piles de toos systemea,
notamment la Pile de salon sans odeur.
La tcte du Diable suspends
La Pendule mysterieuso.
Le Timbre de cristal.
Le Coffre de cristal.
La Carafe merveilleusc.
Le Coffee lourd et leger.
La Guirlattde de fleurs.
Le Tambour fantaBtique.
La Corbeille et le plateau
LeTrepied suapendu.
Le Chapeeu electrique.
L'Etoile aux cartes et au\
pieces.
La Couronne eleotvique-.
Le Tambour de la garde,
automate extraordinaire
fonctionnant par Veleetricite.
Le Store on Tableau merveilleux
Le Paon, piece unique

dans son genre.
AurioletDcburau.
Le Chinois.
L'Arlequin sortant de ea
bolte . foisatit tous les
exerciees, finnant et sifflant.
Le Trapezien.
Le Zouave prenant In position au commandement,
tirant un coup de fusil
pour la colonne au guot.
LeVoHigeursurlaeorde.
Leocard ou le double Trapeze,piece extr&mement
remarquable.
Le Danaeur de cordc..
Automates divers disimt
out et non, frappant sur
un timbre, fumant et
sifftaat.
Le Singe musiciert
La tete du Diable au\ cbevenx herisses, et lancant
des Dnmmes par In booche.
MEGANICIEN
Impasse Diihois, N* 10, DANS U. RUE DU PBBSSOIR (MÎLMONTAHT)
PIECES DIVERSES
Le Gueridon a la pluie dor, sans
frange, tres elegant, no parais
sent pas da tout machine (nouveaute).
Le Gufiridonaas cartesK(nouveaute).
Le Gueridon aux 4 ou 6 pieces de
5 fr. | Biles tombent une h. une
dnns uHverro(nouvcaut6.l
Uueridon sur lequel on pose 8
pieces de 5 fr.; elks disparQissent uno & une, ot revionnont
a volonte (nouveaul^J.
Le Gueridon au^ bijou\, pifice
nouvellc
Le Gu6ndon aux 3 bottcs
Le G6ndon uu toulard.
Le Gu6ridon aux ehangements
servant pour toutes les passes
de magie.
La Chaiee enchantee. permettant
de faite une suite a'experiences
les plus surprenantes.
f etit Ecrin servant k mettre 4 ou
6 pieces do i> ir.; elies -lisparaissent une a une.
(He construis ces icrins pour les
mo-wes tiesdifferentespuissaMes).
Bagnier magique pour faire dispjraltrc et appara!tre it volontA
quolquo objet quo ce soit.
Le Gliapeau et 1 Oiscnu mGcnn
III
quo. (Ce t ur est tr$$ surprerumt.) Le Bouquet aux cartes.

Les4 volietes sortant d u n eha- La Cibie pour les monltes ei les
pcau avec oiseau dedans. (Eacartes.
ti^rement nouveau.)
La Voliere des Fees, avec tourLa Maison hollandaise.
niquet
Le Mouhn merveilleux.
Lo Filet au\ papillons
L'Oranger etles Papillons.
LeCarton ou JeMobiher invisible.
Le Rosier et 1'Amour rapportant La Carafe mysterieusek la main
une baguc.
La Coupe et le Verre ou les pieLe Bouquet au*. cartes chnngennt
ces anivent I'une aprfis 1'autre
atoute distance.
deux 1'ois a vo)ont6.
La Montre changeaut d'heure.
Le Chevalet photomagique.
La Hour et le Vnso de cnsUl
L'ojuf dc RocLa Bonle mysterieuse
L Epee a la carlo
LFpeea 1 oiseau.
La Colonne au g.mt
Lt PaBse-passt japonatt>.
La Houiette mcan!<iue.
Illustration 403 - Catalogue of the mechanician Chevallier (circa 1870).
ROBFRT-IiOUDIN
PHYSIQUE AMUSANTE.
SOIREES EN VILLE. LEMONS D'ESCAMOTAGE.
EXPOSITION
EXPOSITION
UxMVEUSELLE
UNIVERSELLE
185S
FABRICANT D'lNSTRUMENTS DE PHYSIQUE,

SI, rue Ticillc-du-Teinple, S i .
Illustration 4O4 - Advertisement of Voisin in Le Journal atnusant, 1857.

The leader will find on page 365 the document that "inspired" advertisements for Andre Voisin Chevallier, Marchal and
Buffard. Antonio Blitz, etc (Collection DidlerMorea-u "MomxV
Ac i III
decade 1870-80, because they include several famous feats created during this period.
Robert-Houdin knew Andre Voisin and must
have liked him since he regularly sent him
clients; many magic amateurs worldwide
who wrote to Robert-Houdin asked him for
the address of a manufacturer of conjuring
apparatus. After Robert-Houdin's death,
Andre Voisin commercialized simplified ver-
sions of some of the most famous of the

master's creations.
The incorrect date of the beginning of Andre
Voisin's business activities and the fanciful interpretation of the article published on him in
Llllustration in 1863 - which says exactly the
contrary of what one wishes it had stated - are
responsible for some of the falsehoods often
published about the famous magic dealer. [33]
MAF\CHAL8t BUFFARD Fabricants
etc eJILerilc a 'Vi^ccpo&itUnt- dt^ vi

X. tcow.6
CL^ccc^GkoisCte/^QJovzceS
c*v ^V
C icdvicil'-L. (ZLutoirLaLe6S-iece6nwcanique6.(ZbeiiMerie,
CX u-towuxte^.
Illustration 405 - Catalogue of Marchal and Buffard (circa 1875).
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Le tour du chapeau, & linstar de Robert Houdin.

(II sura bien malin s'il contenlc tout Ic momlc.)
Illustration 4O6 - Satirical engraving from Journal pour rire, December 30, 1848.
The hat trick, according to Robert-Houdin. (He will be quite clever if he can please ever)one )"
ACT III
Revolution in France and Triumphs in England

The insurrections that took place in Paris on
February 22, 23, and 24 forced King LouisPhilippe to abdicate. The temporary government took two essential measures for the future: the proclamation of the Republic and the
establishment of universal and direct suffrage.
These important events were summarized in Le
Charivari of February 25: "Paris, which woke
up today a monarchy, will go to sleep a republic...'' Theater income crumbled; there was no
longer interest in frivolous distractions, and
civil strife did not seem to be subsiding. In spite
of the reassuring announcements published by
the press, Soirees Fantastiques progressively
hosted more and more spectators with free tickets, generously granted by the temporary government, than a paying audience:
The theater of our conjurer Robert-IIoudin continues to have its vogue and its spectators. This is
because the visitors, too large in number before
the revolution and who could not get a seat, have
come to fill the spaces created by the current
events. Skillful tricks, and the most interesting experiments will always make this theater a choice
place for entertainment. [34]
Illustration 4O"7 Robert-Houdin's seal at Palais-Royal, renamed Palais-National.
How does Robert-Houdin manage to fill his delightful theater every night? This problem is less
difficult to solve than all the marvels he has imagined and presents in his performances. Indeed,
who could resist the attraction of the curiosity
caused by the tales of all those who have attended
his marvelous performances? Therefore, the
charming little room of Palais-National is full
every evening. [35]
r;,
^% 6/,'.
CtJt
<
TrVV
o 'h
* --
?>l'
A,, /' af;
J
7
.
*
We can also note in passing that the PalaisRoyal, having become part of a republic, was
renamed Palais-National. It was during these
Illustration 4O8 - Draft of an outline for a chapter of RobertHoudin's memoirs.
30"
ROBHRT-HOUDIN
troubled times that Robert-Houdin received

from John Mitchell, manager of the SaintJames's Theater in London, a proposal to perform before the English public. There is no
indication that in other circumstances RobertHoudin would have accepted leaving France
for months at a time, but because of the political events that had drastically reduced his
income, the conjurer gratefully accepted the
offer from Mitchell - a man with whom he
maintained a good relationship.
Illustration 409 - Robert-Houdin's calling card.

The artist wrote on this card the following humoristic quatrain:
Amelie Charlotte
Braconnier,
RobertHoudin's sister-in-law, had married Charles
Dominique Devillers. a binder, in October
1846. A son named Paul Michel Louis was
born from this marriage on November 7, 1847.
Robert-Houdin's new brother-in-law had
joined the rest of the family in the running of
the theater, occupying the job of stage manager in the evening. Robert-Houdin entrusted
him with looking after the theater when, in
mid-April, he left Paris for England, accompanied by his wife, his two sons, and the equipment necessary for his performances. [36]
Robert-Houdin moved into an apartment in
London rented by Mitchell at 30, Blury Street,
Saint-James. [37] He could thereby easily survey the construction of his stage setting, made
and decorated on site by the theater's workers, identical to the one at Palais-Royal.
Robert-Houdin performed at the Saint-James's
Theater alternating with troupes of French actors three nights per week, every Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Saturday. His great success
quickly forced him to add matinees to the
evening performances, which were already
overflowing.
/ must here confess

Often I have cursed the charm
Which forces me to cause myself harm
If I try to getridof my adresse [Skill]
The terms in which the English journalists

announced the conjurer's arrival in London
clearly prove that they were in no way unaware
of Robert-Houdin's plagiarists, who had begun
to flourish in London. We will return to the origin of this "mystery" later:
Illustration 410 - The Saint James's Theater.
308
ACT III
ROBEBT-UOUOIN'S SOI KICKS FANTASTIQUES.
Illustration 411 - Robert-Houdin at the Saint James's Theater in London. Engraving from Illustrated London News. Ma> 6. 1848.
309
ROBLRI-HOLDIN
Robert-Houdin - St. James's Theater This

celebrated professor of blanc magic, whose extraordinary and marvellous performances have, for
the last four years, attracted all Paris to the
Galerie de[s] Valois [sic] in the Palais-Royal, is
announced to appear at the St. James's Theater,
on Tuesday evening next. The great success and
renown which this gentleman's performances have
attained have given rise to hosts of imitators, who
base their pretensions to success on being able to
copy more or less closely the inventions of his genius. M. Houdin is as eminent as a mechanician as
he is adroit and skilful as an escamoteur. We predict for him a great success.
M B . MITCBKL seas t o ANSQOHCE THAT
THE CELEBRATED
ROBERT-HOUDIN
(MBMBBB DE FLUSIBUBS SOCXfiTfiS 8AVANTES.)
A w bU GaMr* A Fa&w, Palm Segal, Paru,
IS EHGA3KD TO PRESENT
A ZJHITED NUMBEE OF HIS OSICHNAL AND EXTRAORDINARY
SOIREES
FANTASTIQUES,
AUTOMATES, PRESTIDIGITATION, MAGIE,
AT THE ST. JAMES'S THEAIBB,
On Tuesday Evening, Jfay 2nd,

Commencing at Half-post Eight o'clock, and he continued
It was on May 2, and not on the 7lh as indicated in his memoirs, that Robert-Houdin made
his first appearance on the stage of the Saint
James's Theater before a specially selected audience consisting of the elite of arts and literature. The Times heralded this event in the following manner:
EVIBY
Tuesday, Thursday,
Saturday Evenings.
The Programmeforeach Representation will be varied, and selected
from the following original Experiments,
INVENTED
BY M. ROBERT-HOUDIN,
And exhibited by him in Paris with the most unprecedented Success s

Autiol and
The Ban of Wontod,
The Ladles' tdofelug-QJasj,
Thw SympathUlag Turtledoves.
Th Silk KaudkolclUef with Bonbons
The CabaliiUo Clock.

Sift Pcndule OAtMllvtiûe !
The
Marvellous Fishing.
L Pcohe Merreillenie
Tht Wonderfiil Oraage-Tre,

L'Orancer Mr*eiaenx
The FatclQfttiQg Owl.
lie Xllbau Fftiolnatenf
The Spcirloman,
The Bowl Of Poach.
Lo B o ! d e Pirncb
<
Bxerctees of the Trapesitmi,
The Savoyard.
L* Savoyard
The Safety Casket.
The Prison.
t e Ooffl* de Sturete
I * Prison
The OKaglo Shepherd s Crook.
X,a Hoolette Mftgique
The Tjiltie Clown.
Lo Petit Pierrot
The Bottle with Ribbon*
2A BoutelUft * Pawntt
The Enchanted Basket
La CoibsUl* awfcaotee
The Trinketj.
Lei Bljotix
aober* Hondin'i Portfolio,
L9 Carton 3o Robert-Hondln
ink Bottle; OF, the Oalant Fih
L Vase a I'Encro; oo, I* Poiion Qalaul, The
The
Pastrycook of the Pa!i Hoyal
t e PaUMer da PdMrRoyat
The Pans and Cannon Balla
&e SvwatMU ot let Scmlet*
The OIa of Wine ; or, (he SmugI,e Verre 4 Via j oa, tt Secret de gling Secret.
Contrelwnde
L'OlHaa Mort ei Vivanij on, Le Pa The Bird, Mead or Living; or, th
Ladies' 9eeroti%&.
vort de Dammi
lift Bfrotelll raepuisabl*! o", 1 Liqno- The toexhatutlble BotUe ;
the
rlte improixtpht
litctaomtooger SxtemporeAortol c4 Dttrares*
La Pelotte de Lalne
L Mirobr des Dames
TootisrellM Sympathiser
Ii poniard aoi Drageca
The famous Robert-Houdin, about whom we

have heard so much through the press of the continent, is in London. Yesterday in the charming
Saint-James's Theater was the first performance of
his Soirees Fantastiques. The room was full; all the
nobility was there. Never had the theater had such
a lively aspect, never had admiration been brought
to such a level in this theater. It is also because
Robert-Houdin has reached such a level of perfection in his art as a conjurer that one would almost
believe in sorcerers and magic. With him, nothing is
impossible; he does everything he wants, he
changes everything he touches, and not only are his
hands the most skillful in the world, but everything
seems to flow with grace and ease, that it seems as
though he simply has to speak to be obeyed. So
many marvels took place before our eyes that we
will provide the detail at another time; for the moment we can only say that, as did Shakespeare:
Mine eyes are the fools of the other senses.
. See.
SECONDS VOE
SECOND SIGHT.
SSOAXOTAOH S B BOBBKT-ECOCSIK
SUSPENSION ETHEREENNE.
Faithful to the promise made to its readers, The

Times of July 3, 1848 again reviewed the artist's
performance:
Illustration 412 - Bill for Robert-Houdin's first performance
M. Robert-Houdin, the celebrated French professor of legerdemain, made his first appearance
at the Saint James's Theater on May 2, 1848.

(Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas. Austin)
310
ACT
last night. He is chiefly distinguished from the

rest of his fraternity by the ease of his address, his
ready manner of speaking, and the absence of all
apparent effort when he performs the most astounding feats. The miraculous production of pigeons and goldfish, tricks by sleight-of-hand and
by intricate pieces of mechanism form the substance of his exhibition, and the presents offered
to his spectators from an empty hat or a flat portfolio have the usual effect of exciting acquisitiveness while they produce surprise. M. Houdin's
tricks are all quite original; one of the most surprising consists in putting a hollow cylinder over
the head of his son, a lad in his teens, and instantly making him reappear on another part of
the stage.
The Illustrated London News of May 6 pub-
lished a review of his first performance in the

following terms:
...The old saw that teaches us "one story is good
until another is told" may be paralleled by saying
"one conjurer is good until another is seen"; for,
much as we have thought of M. Dobler, Philippe,
Herrmann, etc., we must confess that M. RobertHoudin is superior to all of them. He has for a long
time enjoyed a high Parisian reputation, and is the
originator of most of the clever tricks with which we
have been made acquainted by other "wizards," none
of whom, however, performs them with the same admirable dexterity. From a very good program, the best
experiments were called "The Fans & Cannonballs,"
"Robert-Houdin's Portfolio," and "Auriol and
Debureau." The last, which was entirely mechanical,
ROBERT-HOUDIN,
MORNING PERFORMANCE.
ST.
JAKES'S
THEATBE.
The surprising and interesting performances of

In Answer to mijnortmi Enquiries, It 1* reapectfnl.y
announced
thnt
ROBERT-HOUDIN,
Soirees
Fantastiques
THE CELEBRATED
Continuing to be received with the greatest Wonder and

Astonishment, hia original and extraordinary
ROBERT-HOUDIN,
Will be repeated
At the ST. J A M E S ' S T H E A T R E ,
HIS FIRST
MORNING
PERFORMANCE
On
Wednesday
V)
30
Next, May 2 4 ,
m
m
z
z
ui
a.
(/>
AND WILL CONTINUE HIS EXTRAORDINARY
SOIREES
FANTASTIOUES,
AT T H I S
THEATRE.
EVERY
TUESDAY,
T U E S D A Y,JTH URSD A Y,
SATURDAY"EVENINGS.
THURSDAY,
AMD
SATURDAY
Door* open at Eight o'clock.
EVENINGS.
DAT PERFORMANCE
FOR PARTICULARS. SEE SMALL BILLS-
WEDNESDATMORNING.
BOXES & STALLS mar b& secured at

MR. MITCHELL'S ROYAL LIBBARV, 3D, OLD BOND STREET.
Daart open at Two o'clock.
y r.ni bj W J (IULBOBUB 6, Pnneii Sltnt, le!c<
BOXES, FOUH SHILLINGS

ftlr
Illustration 413 - Bill for the first matinee performance

given by Robert-Houdin at the Saint James' Theater on
PIT, TWO SHILLINGS

PRIVATE BOXES & STALLS msy be secured at
BHTCHEXtL'S Boyai Library, 3 3 , Old Bond Street;
Printed by W- J. GoHxmra. 6. Prin.e.ttrtt, L
M a y 2 4 , 1 8 4 8 . (Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center. I niversify
Illustration 414 - English bill for Robert-Houdin.
of Texas, Austin)
311
III
ROBI'RI-HotDlN
228
The reference to the trick The Ethereal

Suspension in the Haymarket refers to a performance given in London by Carl (Compars)
Herrmann, who was then starting his professional career with a repertoire made up of
copies of tricks invented by Robert-Houdin.
Herrmann previously resided in France, where
his family had lived for several years; knew
Robert-Houdin well; and was a frequent attendee of Soirees Fantastiques. We must recognize that Herrmann, contrary to many others,
knew how to quickly turn around and devise a
new program with more ''personal tricks." This
intelligent, artistic attitude combined with real
talent made him one of the greatest magicians
of the latter half of the nineteenth century.
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON

FANTASTIC EXHIBITIONS.
THE evenings at the House of Commons lately have been every bit as fantastic as
thoseof EGBERT HOT/DIN'S. There have been tricks, wonderful passes, and sleightaof-hand which have struck every one with amazement, making us wonder how ever
they could he done so perfeotly as to deceive (tus with our eyes open. The trioks
have been very clever, particularly that of the "Washerwoman's Cauldron," in which
numberless Corporations were takes, tied into a bundle, thrown into the cauldron,
and brought out again perfectly clean, though the artful way in which the City of
Ijondott was left out elicited one tremendous " O h ! " and many could not make
out the evident sleight with which it was done, nor have forgotten it to the present
day. I t is in. these sleights particularly that the exhibitions excel. But trie moat
astonishing part is the Wonderful Boy, who supports himself on a slender stick, so
thin that you. fancy it must break under him, and remains in an elevated position in
the easiest manner, just as if he were going to sleep. Tou are afraid that every
minute he mast fall: but no: there he remains, caring apparently for nothing about
him, with his eyes shut, and all his limbs and senses evidently paralysed. I t is the
moat wonderful act of suspension we have ever witnessed. All the support he has
The Illustrated London News emphasized

Robert-Houdin's superiority in regards to his
colleagues on several occasions. Here is an excerpt from one of these articles published on
December 23, 1848:
...But in some of M. Houdin's great effects, we
feel our breath taken away; bringing every possible
application of mechanical ingenuity and scientific
influence to our assistance he entirely beats us.
He is the sole monarch of the world of wonders; all
other conjurers and wizards, from whatever point
of the compass they arrive, sink into insignificant
imitators before him...
for keeping him up ia the little stick above mentioued, which is called ""Whig
QovP->*Timfiat " utiA how he msmairAs t.n lifild on in if. an trine* ia a hit rf w^niHvmp Rn
marvello
before us
us. The name of this wonderful little boy is JOHNNY RTJSSELL," and we
advise all our readers not to fail on any account to witness bis incredible tricks, for his
evenings of performance
performan are drawing to a rapid close. There never will, or can be,
anything like it again.
Illustration 415 The Ethereal Suspension as portrayed by

the satirical newspaper Punch, man) Ransom HumantHes
Research Center. Lniversity of Texas. Austin)
We find such flattering assertions in every

article about Robert-Houdin in the English
press:
We hope that everybody will go and see RobertHoudin. The emotion of astonishment is pronounced by all physicians to be of healthy consequences, and Robert-Houdin and surprises are
synonymous. He is the veritable Robert le Diable
and "Toi que j'aime" [You whom I love] is a chanson in which everyone will indulge who has once enjoyed his society. He is a gentleman from a country
much farther "down east" than the Wizard of the
North, and he as far excels M. Philippe as that celebrated Frenchman surpassed all true British wizards. Robert-Houdin is as superior to contemporary
magicians in the character and variety of his leg-
was a clever performance of two dolls closely representing the Clown at the Circus and the late Pierrot
and the Funambulists, whose life-like antics, when
apparently left to themselves, cause the greatest diversion. The "Second Sight" was also exhibited, and
the performance concluded with the "Ethereal
Suspension" of which we gave a detailed account
some weeks ago. The child appeared supported in the
air at right angles to a walking stick, as at the
Haymarket. The performance gave the greatest satisfaction to a very elegant audience, and we expect
M. Robert-Houdin will create some sensation.
312
ACT III
MAGIC.
Illustration 4I6 - Robert-Houdin's
incredible
magic. English version of Pruche s lithograph (Barry Ransom Humanities Research Center
University of Texas. AustinJ
erdemain as in the grace, ease, and elegance with

which he conducts his operation, and parries the
wonder of the spectators. There is nothing of the
mountebank about him, and he discards all the old
traditional tricks, not because they are not perfectly
familiar to him, but because he seems resolved to be
thoroughly original and to attempt nothing that is
not a novelty. He has himself wasted the midnight
oil in subjecting all material things to his weird control; and those who visit him will have the satisfaction of being assured that what he does nobody else
can do. It took Sir Isaac Newton to assert the laws of
gravitation; but it is only a M. Houdin who can "repudiate" them.
tive and on the contrary omits the most enthusiastic accounts published in the English
press regarding the artist's performances and
which are innumerable. The reader, who may
find these mostly unpublished texts highly interesting, can find many of them in note 38 of
this act.)
In a letter written on July 14 to his friend
Dantan, Robert-Houdin describes his shows and
the economic recession in London. We can see
to what extent the artist always judged every aspect of a given situation with clear-sightedness
and frankness, and never lost his practical
sense.
(The choice of reviews published here was

dictated solely by the demands of the narra313
ROBERl-HOUDIN
ST. JAMESS THEATRE,

KIMi
KING STREKT, ST. JAMES'S.
STREET, ST MMKS'.S.
THE
ROBERT-HOUDIN
v\ !1 i t . i v i
DAY PERFORMANCE
in-- n S a T f
WEDNESDAY MORJYINO
DAY PERFORMANCE
WEDNESDAY
NEXT, JUNE 14,

Commencing at Half-past Ttci o'clock precisely:
AND ALSO COIsTINUE HIS KXTRAORDIÂRY
MOHMLW
SOIREES
FANTASTIQUES,
MAY 24,
> \ l l n i l . I . U . s o (ONTINLK Hi!- KXTItAOKDINAlO
SOIREES
FANTASTIQUES,
TUESDAY, THURSDAY,
SATURDAY EVENINGS,
TUESDAY, THURSDAY,
SATURDAY EVENINGS,
f mmtartnjf} .it Half yi,t Right
THE
THE
PROGRAMME
D*bui-c.t3
I.* Pvotw Maglque
L'Of"ut.ig*r MorTallieiui
l. liouteilie Isaputikble | on, te Liquo
rbU' Itsprompiu
Am lei ftod
1U.
Tta. &l(u-*liou rUMng.
1 h<- Wondatfttl O n u | ( T*.
Ttn- inezhAOtUbl* Hot lit , oi
LI
BY M, ROBERT-HOUDIN.
Dart .
he* Totrrterenei Sympathiqne>

VOtmxgisv Uterveilleoz
lie Ooffre de Surete

La Pec&e REaglqae
AarloJ et Defcureau
i'.ltt t
The rMi tutd Qi*onoij Uli<
Th Biu Undkrchl( with,
Th C*hlUUc dock.
The Triakot*.
Robert Hodio prtfoU.
-in nohtit* Mondtn
PROGRAMME
Will comprise the following original Exjuriments,
INVENTED
L. \
BY M. ROBERT-HOUDIN
L* CveaUtU * le
Le Fotf.lwtt u> Df
Commencing at irulfjjasi fight o'Cl eft,
Will nxnpnK tii*- folin*tfig nriguutl Kxfwnmmiif,
INVENTED
t'l.Ll.URATED
ROBERT-HOUDIN
ii lutiiiltlei, It U repol
THE iKl.r.UHATKD
The Bsmipathlsing Turtledove*.

.. The Wonderful Orange-Tree.
The Safety Casket.

The Marvellous Fishing,
Auriol aad JDebureau.
&.c. Ac. &.c.
13avt IE.
Las
he
Id
Lea
Le
EvealsiMi et les Botiletf-.

Foolard a u i Dragee*
-
Feodole CabalUtlque
Bijoux.-~
CJartoa de Robert Houdifl .
The Silk Handkerchief with Bonbon

The Cab&listlo Clock.
The Trlnkett.
Robert-Houdin's Portfolio,
I>a Bnutellle Inepulsable; The Inexhaustible Bottte ;

Uqnorlste Impromptu,
Liquormonger Extempore
Ut*
Vn't EES.
pan ii-t
SECONDS! VUE.
itacAMO'fAoi; c i SOBIBT-HOCBIN rxx.
SECONDS VtTE,
E80&MOTAOB
DE
BO BBRT-H O ODIK
PILE,
H
fa
a
0
w
P1T
2t
'
aM3j
a r
' -*
JLLg
\ Son Suspended in Equilibrium by Atttiomherio Aa, ttuotajh the 3

of Concentrated Etlioi,
'
on orcty occaaion, esoitee tho most cntliusiastio AdminUioa.
4s.
GAIi. 6TALL8,
- '' J ^ -
iPBITiM BOXES, ORCIIEHTEA STiLIS. AND TICKETS
PEITAJE BOXES, OltOHESTEA STALLS, AND TICKETS*

BTTrataszz's BOYAX. ZIBBAJBT^SS,
OLD BOND B
Aad t the BOI Offioo of tho Thantro, whicli 13 opfln Daily from 11 to 5,
Illustrations 41 and 418 - English bills for Robert-Houdin at the Saint James's Theater in May and June 1848.
314
ACT
HI
(7
Cîtc - JL*-C4Oct<X
ViAS
Illustrations t!9 to 422 - Robert-Houdin's letter addressed to Dantan from London, July 14, 1845.
London, July 14* 1848
Dear Dantan,
I received your letter in answer to mine with
pleasure. I could not reply earlier because I
wanted to also send you the press reviews that
Mitchell grouped together on a single sheet. In
spite of the general uneasiness in England, we
were very successful and will have nothing to
complain about. We would have been even
more successful if we had been in London during a good period. The cheap seats are always
empty; only the aristocracy pays for entertainment at this time; business is very bad and
scarce.
Until now, it had been impossible for us to perform before the Queen. Since the February revolution she had not come to the French Theater
[The Saint James's Theater], which was nonethe-
315
less her favorite entertainment. We were told that

her ministers would not allow it. I had therefore
resigned myself to making a profit without such an
honor, but Mitchell nonetheless found a way that
could not be refused, that is, performing at a party
of which the Queen is the primary patroness.
Roger and the Italian artists will sing; the party
will be magnificent. I am sending you the program;
I believe you know enough English to understand
it.
The nobility has now started to leave for the
country. Our income will drop but I want to
squeeze the last bit of shillings out of London. I
will not leave until there is nothing left to accomplish. I have not yet made a decision about
the English provinces; it will depend on the stability of the situation in France. I have learned to
get by in English, but not enough to perform in it.
ROBERT-HOI'DIN
I am satisfied with translating a few sentences,

which always makes the audience laugh a bit because of the accent that I cannot perfect.
We learned with the deepest regret of the unfortunate events of the insurrection; my first
fear was for our mutual friends. I sent my relative to you who luckily reassured me on this
matter. How happy we are to be far from Paris at
such a time.
Please receive, my dear Dantan, the assurance of my sincere friendship and I beg you to
present my friendly greetings to all the gentle-
men of the Club and in particular to our close

friends.
Robert-Houdin
When I return to Paris I will show you some
caricatures drawn of my performance.
M. Dantan, Rue Saint-Lazare, Cite Orleans.
On July 19, the day set for the festival of

Fulham, Robert-Houdin went to Sir Arthur
Webster's residence after lunch. His manager
and the stagehands of the Saint James's
Theater had already been there since the
morning, and so he found his open-air theater
completely organized upon his arrival.
Settings, backstage, borders, curtains: everything was there except the footlights, deemed
unnecessary because the sun would advantageously replace them. The list of the guests
participating in this charity ball is impressive,
among them the Duke of Wellington, the
Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge, His
Highness Prince Frederic William of Hesse,
the Duchess of Kent, Duchess Bernhard of
Saxe-Weimar, Princesses Anne and Amelie,
Prince Lawenstein, Prince Leopold of Naples,
Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, and Prince
Louis-Napoleon, future Emperor of France, all
received with the honors due to their rank and
accompanied by accents of the music of the
Royal Horse Guards:
Imagine a large lawn rising before me in an
amphitheatrical shape and arranged like the pit of
a theater. It would have been impossible to say
whether the ground was covered with grass or
gravel, so thronged was it with ladies, who alone
were allowed to sit down.
In the first row and nearest my theatre, the
Queen, with her royal husband on her right, was
surrounded by her young and graceful family.
[The] ladies-in-waiting and the lady patronesses
formed the royal escort [behind her]. At a respectful distance behind, the wives and daughters
of the subscribers took their places, while the gentlemen formed symmetrical groups around this
vast space.
The sight was truly magnificent; all the ladies,
1/
316
ACT
[glowing] with youth and beauty, covered with diamonds and flowers, and rivaling each other in
good taste and brilliancy, resembled a vast enameled prairie on which the richest flowers of spring
were displayed, while the black coats of the gentlemen who framed this smiling picture, far from
dulling it, only heightened the effect.
On both sides of the lawn, old oak-trees lent
their refreshing shade to this improvised theater.
I felt a noble pride at that moment, when I
thought I held, as it were, at my fingertips, the
pretty eyes of duchesses, at times so haughty but
now so gracious, and which seemed at every moment to gain fresh brilliancy at the sight of the
surprises I offered them.
In this unique performance the time passed so
r t$r rtptrtt JJMratugr
TEE
QUEEN,
HIS ROYAL, HIOHKESS THE PRIKCS A.L&EKT,

HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DBCHES3 OF KENT,
THEIR ROÂL HIGHNESSES THE DUKE 4 DlfCKESS OF C^MtllUDOli
HER ROYAi. HtOHMESS THE DUCHESS OP OLOUCESTEh.
A GRAND
A CONCERT '& DANCING,

i *Ji> or
JSat^s ana SStaijôusw ioc tfe EaftourEng attaspea,
OK WEDNESDAY, JULY THE 19TH,

TJader the sftcrtre XMtaA Ftr<rcftge>
ST JAMES'S THEATRE
* AM teen mstr ki<u)lg ptaiti at tht 4Upoia! cf th* La&Ut fit
IMSB
JByi Pariicwinr
s ot i
MADAME ORISI,
MADAME
M^.Dl<tB AI,BONt,
S1O. BSARIO, M, KOOER, SIO. TAMBURIMI, & SIS. tABLACHB.
III
TE-VT WILL BE ERECTED IN THE GROUNDS,
MPesiwe
EXTRA
ROBSItT-HOtJDtN,
AND FINAL REPRESENTATIONS.
open from On* Clock untU !$%('
SOT. SSITOHELZi bogs to annonaoo that in compliance with aamoroiw

applications, and owing to tho disappointment ozt>orionso4 t>y raatty parties In
not procuring places at tho last reprosontatlon oi KOXflillT-HOUDlW, arrrangoments navo boon made lor giving
OKETS F Oil 3PHB FE*B,

y b* procured a 'f pr*s(u;ai!on of Youchefi from tV,e foi'owtr.j
FOUR GRAND EXTRA
Cor if
*CJJi o r B
Anil Final Performances,

IHtWsM Of
Sf-UClUOfB..
Of V . A I B B V D R K
t u o r tdiTiK,
Caw
Coo
til
0 WUTOV.
Cots
Cw~
:-S\ OT Bn.1.!.,!'-
Uot
WEDNESDAY MORNING
Oltf
AW1UST ltith,
1 Pl"VF6,
OF AlIIcr)lT.
THURSDAY EVENING, Aug. 17

FRIDAY EVENING, AUG. 18.
SATURDAY EVENING, Aug 19.
Ml B])Tt,
LJPT Saruo
V t K o r s T t s s C*!*Jti.
V*COTXTT E6RICWI.
Hov. i, nri N6KJ0J..
%
2 2>. MC*."
Additional Tut*u,for tt-nmOrrkd Sons and Dauglurs oflU same Family, i I* tadi.
VNU THE LAST ON
V Votc-hcn wlU 1KstSangM at Mr. MITCHEJ.H.5Koyil t.ilir>T,33, OW Hood SUt

CM 7H!s )lv:i, UT, *O liTS jyj.Vt
WMch WU1 most positively topmiaato tao extraordinary BoaaeeB PANTA8TXQ0B8

ol BOBBET-aoirx>l
ata TS
o, prwioaty to M dapartttce for t t ehe.'itnr, wboro fto will'- >oar oa- tnHday noxt, August 22ad.
Illustration 423 Program of the July 19> 1848 celebration

given under the auspices of the queen.
Illustrations 424 and 428 - Bills for the last performances of

August 1848 at the Saint James's Theater.
From The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin by Harry Houdini.
CHany Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas, Austin)
317
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Illustrations 425, 426. and 42" - William Manning, his wife, and their two children Sissy and Betty in December 1878.
William Manning was the student, faithful friend, and London correspondent of Robert-Houdin. (Private collection)
318
ACT Til
child.'' Henriette was welcomed with much

love in her new family, who raised her almost
until she came of age. [4i]
rapidly that I was quite astonished when I found

myself performing my final trick.
Before leaving her seat, the Queen, although
she had several times evinced her satisfaction,
sent me her compliments through an aide-decamp, who also expressed her Majesty's desire to
have a performance at Buckingham Palace at a
later date. [19]
The very next day, Mitchell put the
Queen's coat of arms on the tops of bills announcing Robert-Houdin's next performances,
and below, the following passage, as a sort of
baptismal certificate: "Robert-Houdin, who
has had the honor of performing before her
most gracious Majesty the Queen, Prince
Albert, the Royal Family, and the Nobility of
the United Kingdom..." The popularity of
Robert-Houdin increased at Saint James's. The
last performance in London took place on
August 19 and was followed as early as the 22nd
by the opening, at the Royal Theater of
Manchester, of Robert-Houdin's first tour
through the English provinces. Manchester,
Liverpool, Birmingham, Worcester, Cheltenham, Bristol, and Exeter were among the
cities where the French conjurer performed.
In December Robert-Houdin was back at the
Saint James's Theater for a series of fifteen
performances and gave his second Royal
Performance at Buckingham Palace before
Queen Victoria. [*>]
During Robert-Houdin's second season in

London, in 1849, a young boy, whose parents
were friends with John Mitchell, became the
playmate of Robert-Houdin's two sons, Emile
and Eugene. His name was William Manning

Saturday Evening, Aug. 19.
POSITIVELY
NIGHT
LAST
OF THE SEASON,
BEING FOit Till:
BENEFIT OF
EMILE HOUDIN
ROBERT
nOJUDJN
WILL POSITIVELY MAKE HIS
Last Appearance in London

Saturday Evening, Aug. 19,
Ohj t<* hi" riua^ri'iiK-iii (it (hi 1 '! UoiltCO R a \ a l , Mam'lit'sfvr,
w h i c h comitu'itct'* on Tti<?tlit\ K w m t i g 11 '\f, \uu*u-4 2 2 .
THE
Olympe Robert-Houdin, never entirely recovered from the death of Louise Marie, had become fond of Henriette Knight, the daughter of
a humble employee of the Saint James's
Theater, Henry Knight. The latter, a widower
having difficulty raising his family, entrusted
his daughter, aged seven or eight, to the
Robert-Houdin couple for them to raise and
educate. An act lasting ten years was written
on February 27, 1849 "confiding [the child] to
the care of Monsieur Robert-Houdin," who
promised to "house, feed, and clothe the
THE
I > H ( ) ( , IIA MM K
EXPERIMENTS & ORIGINAL INVENTIONS OF M. HOUDIN.

til KIM! THE hAKNt.Nff.
E M I L I M I O U D l N irtff M A J W kit rxhut>,<tm<ir3 jwirrm <,/
SECOND SIGHT,
" INVISIBILETE,"
ESCAMOTACE EXTRAORDINAIRE,
11V KMILK-IIOUOIN.
Suspension Ethereenne,
BY BUO EN KHOU DIM
BOXES, 4 s .
PIT, 2 s .
GAL. STAI.LS, Is. 6 d .
PIUVATK IIOXCS ^ 1 . .STALLS *t E tttoKKu AT

Mr. MITCHELL'S ftOYAb LIBRARY, 0 3 , OLD BOND
4kl<> (MM 11 I t 1
319
ROBLRT-HOUDIN
ROBERT IIOIIMV
RECOLLECTIONS
ROBERT-HOUDIN
PRESTIGES.
ILLUSIONS.
WILLIAM MANNING,
TO THE SETTE OF ODD VOLUMES.
Delivered at a Meeting of the Sette field at Limmer's Hotel,
on Friday, December 7, 1890.
1
M A 6 I E.
IMPRINTED AT
MO>\S
THE
CHISWICK
PRESS,
TOOKS
COURT,
CHANCERY LANE, LONDON.

.MDCCCXCI.
Illustration 430 - Title page of William Manning's work.
FRENCH CONJURER,
and throughout the years he remained the privileged correspondent and friend of RobertHoudin, whom he kept abreast of all the news
of the magic scene in London with great insight. In 1891, Manning published the text of
a lecture on Robert-Houdin that he presented
on Friday, December 7, 1890 before the members of the scholarly society The Sette of
Odd Volumes, of which he was a member.
This small volume, which bears the title
Recollections of Robert-Houdin, is the enthralling, moving, and precise testimony of one of
the master's few pupils. The author, through
charming anecdotes of which he was the witness or the involuntary hero, sheds light on several intimate aspects of Robert-Houdin's charming personality. Here is a brief extract from
the conclusion of his work:
EXPERIMENTS
\1VD HO.\Ul:US Ol
NATURAL MAGIC
-< Km I. I'trc untlurflx tul. i,r
TOE
L I M I T E D
N U M B E R
O r
R E P R E S E N T A T I O N * ,
E V E R Y
EVENING,
At Hall p<ut Sight o Cluck.
D.Ir
i'isiePoKJ.i.^-cE
n i l B U T * SATURDAY JIOBIIPS
Commniriii; nl Ilalfpatt TKO 6Clock
FOR FULL ritOfilUME, SEE SMALL BILLS.
THE NEW ' OASTANET WALTZ MB bj KMILT A. WAI.KE!

THh LOUISA POLKA composed by Mr T BROWNE
Slalls,7> Boxes A' Pit2s Gallery,\*

BITORELL'B
EOTAL LIBEARV
33, OLD
Ths BOX OFFICE of th Theatre wMch U opfln dally, from KLg7BH till FiTB o olk
Illustrations 429 and 431 - Robert-Houdin at the Saint

James's Theater in December 1848. uiany Ransom
Humanities Research Center. University of Texas, Austin)
320
I have endeavored, very rapidly, to give a

sketch of my good friend, who was one of the most
interesting of men. He had an individuality pecu-
ACT
liarly his own. He had a geniality of manner positively magnetic, and exerting its influence upon all
who knew him.
His figure upon the stage was never to be forgotten. His animation, his gesture, his ready wit,
his quick transitions from fun to serious earnest
would have fitted himforthe highest forms of acting - COMEDY and TRAGEDY would both have
claimed him as their own!
He never played twice alike, and never flagged
for a moment; but an interruption from a member
of his audience invariably drew forth some brilliant but good-natured repartee, which was crushing, for he was a fellow of infinite jest! He was no
common entertainer surrounded with showy stage
properties, for, as Garlyle said of Dickens's readings, "his face was the scenery!"
III
Robert-Houdin
KING STREET, ST. JAMES'S.
Leoee, Mr JPHM MITCHELL. 38, OU Bor.d Street.
CHJRISTMAS^ HOELDAYS.
U. ROBEvRT-HOUDIN will have the honour of repeating his Original
and Extraordinary
^ - ^ ^ .
^^^^^J
SOIREES *sssz'
FANTASTIQUES
TUESDAY, THURSDAY,
SATURDAY EVENING,
Until the End of tlie Christmas Vacations,
PROGRAMME
Le Verre de VIn
fOranger
. 1'Eacre
>
FOR THIS
EVENING.
The Glas of Wine,

The Wonderful Orange Tree,
The Vae of lull) or, the Magic Filtration
T h e Miraculous Balance.
The Automaton Rope Dancer.
The Sportsman.
$art 5.
Lea Eoulets de Canon

Les Plumeta
La CorbelUe de Fleurs
La CORNS d'Abondance fouraiasant
Eventatl, Sonlioiii, Atbtutts, Jomnau
L Carton
Le Colibrl; ou, U Favorl d>s Baroea
Le Piiiisdev de> PaltUa Royal
Manning, who was a manufacturer of optics

material, confided the following in a letter dated
July 22, 1898, addressed to H.J. Burlingame in
Chicago, an author of many works on magic: "It
may interest you to know that at one period of
my life the great master - Robert-Houdin - finding me an apt imitator and inventor, proposed
to my guardian to take me as a pupil, and adopt
me as his successor!" The quality of Manning's
accounts of conjuring performances in England,
of which we find many examples in his uninterrupted correspondence with Robert-Houdin,
makes one vividly regret that the guardian of
the young man did not accept the master's offer
to enthrone William Manning as his successor.
The entente cordiale and magic could only
have benefited from this initiative.
The Cannon Balls,

The Plume of Feathers.
The Basket of Flower*.
The C O S K U O O P I A , appljlng
Fans, Bonbons, Albums, Jonrnals, Ac
The Portfolio.
The Ladles' Favonrite.
The Pastry Cook of ttto Palais Boyal.
Iia Bouteille Inepuisable THS INEXHAUSTIBLE BOTTLE.

&ECOSrX>B VCTB, iu winch EMILS-HODKIK will Kcliihit his extraordinary powcis of
SSCOND SIGHT;
3 T A O B OF
BfflCII.B-ECOTjrDIfif.
The Eveniua"s Entertainment will conclude with
SUSPENSION ETHEREENNE,
BY EUGENE HOUDIN.
ROBERT-HOUDIK"S Son Suspended in Equilibrium by Atmoaplierio A!r, thiough the action

of Concentrated E t W ,
Ai Pietair-1 before Her Most. Grjcmi;, Mtjtily
T H E QtTUEN, H . R . H . PIUKfOE A I . B E R T , *. ROYAL FADULT.

The Sntevtalnmeat will be divided Into Three Paris; Commencing at
Sightj &n& Terminating before Eleven o'GIodx,
g^
PUIKBOLTOVS SfiBENADERS will repeat their Popular
ETHIOPIAN
EWTBRTAINMBNT
at this Theatre, on WEDNESDAY & FRIDAY EVENIKG, December 27 and 29.
BOXES, 4S.
PIT, 28.
AMPHITHEATRE. |8. B
and a journalist from the Morning

wrote:
Robert-Houdin started out on a new tour of

the English provinces, apparently beginning at
Hereford and ending in Colchester. During this
tour, he returned to the stage of the Saint
James's Theater in alternance in March and
April 1849. The French conjurer gave his third
Royal Performance on the 25Ih of April at
Buckingham Palace. In a few months the artist
had truly become the darling of Londoners,
Chronicle
Robert-Houdin is leaving London without having worn out the curiosity of the English people.
He gave 180 performances at the Saint James's
Theater and the room was still full yesterday for
his farewell performance! We believe that this skillful artist will keep a good memory of England and
that we will often be able to say, like today: Bon
voyage! Au revoir!
521
ROBERT-HOUDIN
ROBERT-HOUDIN,
ST. JAMESS
THEATRE.
ROBERT-HOUDIN,
ST.
JAMES'S THEATRE.
LAST WEEK BUT ONE!!
The celebrated T&- ROBERT-HOUDIN will continue his Incredible

Delaslons and Extraordinary
The celebrated HI. ROBERT-BOUDIN will repeat bis Incredible

Delusions and Extraordinary
FAIVTASTIQUES
FA *T ANTIQUES
TUESDAY
EVENING,
DAT
PERFORMANCE
THURSDAY
SATURDAY
ctcdb
MORNING,
EVENING,
II.Blil .*>' UH'
Houdin's Original Delusions.

Houdin's Modern Miracles.
THE MIRACULOUS BALANCE,
THE INEXHAUSTIBLE BOTTLE,
SECOND SIGHT,
I:XYISIBIM;TE,
ROBERT-HOUDIN'S ORAND DISTRIBUTION.
HB
H I T C 3 I B L L & It D X A I. L 1 B K & K T . 33 OLD 1 D K T

:
, .-.
- Li;? I. ' .
Illustrations 432 433 i34 and 436
Ik- I'l-yiiniHmi icill comprise it Schetiofi.i.n Hubert Ttimdias Original l.ipcr.t*cnl$ u-d
},:>
rittitr-it l\o;l'Li*
i ^ j i i ' . r t i i ^ i / u i : /'llA> .r and .Slu'li-.'tf ^ ' l ' -^-'-' * >"-' *'i:!/
THE MIRACULOUS BALANCE,

THE IHBSHAUSTIBI.E BOTTLE,
SECOND SIGHT,
SUSPENSION ETHERfiENNE.
BrHEHT
English bills for Robert-Houdin at the Saint James's Theater in February and March
1849 IHany Ransom Humanities Research Center. University of Texas. Austin)
ROBERT-HOUDIN,
* ,"
' >*\ ' J
LAST THREE PERFORMANCES

DUCKIKQHAM PALACE,
SEiNOE
ft
R0 BERT-HOUOIN.
FROORAKHX.
ciirtuli- CibMliMiqno .
pathl>iucM
The I nbtliitlf Clorfi.

nc S>iiipih!inaTurtleDow.
1* V*j A VBnew..
Thr WmidetAil Orange T
TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 6,

Last Day Performance
WEDNESDAY MORNING, March 7
COJUSirXCr.YG AT HJLF-PAS-I-
TWO O'CLOCK.
The Mnpn Hullrt.
L o EvmuU.
l* Uouii> >u Down
The riume of F*(h*.
!, Fkm
L M Ityuu* fli lc OlIMl
FAREAYELL REPRESENTATION,
Ilw I'tiuion UsiU.

LiuBukct orFloM>.
The Trinket* and I'wKolio.
l-V BROMUB V I E . 8KCOND SIOUT.

I
iK DK FMIJ.B.HOVIJIN.
THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 8
CLOCK
"
"
'
' .
"
"
noons opn\ AI i K.HT OCL
Illustration 435 - Program for the Command Performance of

Robert-Houdin at Buckingham Palace on April 25, 1849.
Ac i III
On May 6th, Robert-Houdin rediscovered his

public in Brussels at the Theatre Saint-Hubert, [42]
where he performed until the 10Ih. Here is how
L'Independance beige of Saturday, May 5, 1849
announced the conjurer's return to Brussels in its
column "Nouvettes des sciences, des arts et de la
litterature":
Next Sunday Robert-Houdin will give his first
performance at the theater of the galleries.
Robert-Houdin is to ordinary conjurers what
Galzolari is to provincial amateurs. In his tricks,
he shows the same agility and assurance that the
much-missed primo tenore showed in his cavatina; and the England that took Galzolari away
could not do any less than returning RobertHoudin to us.
The skillful magician will find in Brussels the
same audience and the same applause that heralded his first appearance in our city. A tireless inventor, he has taken advantage of his time away to
enrich his repertoire with new surprises, but for
the greater pleasure of the spectators we have resolved to be discreet. Let it suffice to say that the
second-sight experiments are more incredible than
ever, and surpass all that Robert-Houdin has presented before. We do not believe we are wrong in
predicting that on Sunday, despite the pleasant
weather, thanks to its new host's magic wand, the
theater of the galleries will conjure strollers away
from their ordinary promenades.
After Belgium, Robert-Houdin would travel

for four months for a long series of performances in Ireland and Scotland. It was also
in this year of 1849, on January 17, that
Robert-Houdin bought in Saint-Gervais, near
Blois, a property known as The Priory, the
former country home of the monks of SaintSolenne de Blois (during the time of SaintLouis) for the attractive sum of thirteen thousand francs.
After his tour of the British Isles, Robert

Houdin was summoned as ''expert in cheating" by the Tribunal of the Seine in a trial
where a defendant, with a "heavy" past, was
accused of using and selling decks of cards
that were thought to be marked, although the
police had no proof of this. In the first volume of Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, on page
213, the author describes his research and
ST. JAMES'S THEATRE

L!H,Mr JOB* MIT
ROBERT-HOUDIN'S
LAST
Representation,
SATURDAY EVENING,
March 1O,
MONSIEUR HOUDINTS
Last Appearance
OWING
IN LONDON,
TO HIS PROVINCIAL ENGAGEMENTS.
mumm.Hi.
#nrt
T h e Cabaliittc Clock,
Pendule Cabalirtlque
L'O
Le Val er a IT.nci-fj
Eqnilfbre Rtimarquabie
hK.
LB
OHAS sEtra
Thel
Wonderful Oraage Tree.
of Ink; or,
the Magic Ftitrattoo
T h e /ase
IQiracnloUB
Balance.
....-..^.T T h e Sportsman.
; %z.
L e 5 Bool eta de Canon

T h e Cannon Bolls,
Lea
T h e Plume of Feathers.
La Gorfaellle
T h e Btuket of Plovers,
L.. OORHB d'AboHdsiiice fonruiasant Th,- CORNUCOPIA, supplying
as, Bonbons, albums. Journals, &c

Ev entails, Qi tuboii3h Albums, Journam,
Fa
...._;
T h e Portfolio.
Coltbi-i: on, le Favorl des Dames T h e Ladles' Favourite.
T h e Pastry Cook of the PaUii Boya!
Le Carton
f
Le Pallssier des Palais Royal
La Bouteille
THE
S33CONDB
Ine puisable;
INEXHAUSTIBLE
BOTTLE,
KB
V U E ,ra!iich EsaL&-Hi)DBW 1ull exhibit bis eilraorduiiiry powe[= U
SECOND
E S CAMOTAOB OF
SIGHT;
IILB-HOUDIN,
Tl.e EvemGg'a Entertami utnt >vil] conclude with
SUSPENSION \ETHEREENNE,
H R . H. PRINCE ALBERT
Doors open at itight ,<foci, and the gntcrtammentco < es at half-pi M Eight.
In October, after more than eighteen months

of absence, Robert-Houdin reopened his theater
at Palais-Royal and happily returned to his
faithful Parisian public.
323
BOXES, 4S.
PIT, 2S.
AMPHITHEATRE, |8. 60-
PMVATE )3OXC^ OKC1IES1rRA STAI.IA AND TtCKLTS
ar^.
MXTCMUZZS XOTAZ J.ZSI,'JWTt 33,

Amto
t Office of Ihc Thcaf;v, wbich is occti
SS1
sown s
ROBERT-HOUDIN
the prosecuting attorney who was quite in love

with the Queen of Spades. To clarify things, the
president made a unique proposal to RobertHoudin: "Please play a game of ecarte with the
prosecuting attorney, who will be so kind as to lend
himself for this test." Everyone laughed and
agreed; Robert-Houdin before the very attentive
audience, and without its knowing, performed his
sleight-of-hand at the moment when they are at
four to four. "I won," he proclaimed in turning over
the king. - "Again!" cried the prosecuting attorney, carried away in his excitement. There was
again general laughter. Monsieur d'Arcosse, a witty
magistrate, a refined man of letters, and charming
conversationalist, told me this story. He was advisor to the Court of Appeals in Paris.
the skillful way in which this "Greek" had

marked his cards, 150 packs of which the police had seized from his home. In Histoire
anecdotique
et psychologique
des feux de
cartes,
des, e'checs by Victor Du Bled
(Delagrave, Paris, 1919) we find the following
anecdote on page 228. which gives evidence
of Robert-Houdin's participation in this trial
or a similar one:
Robert-Houdin, summoned as an expert in a
trial of card cheating, revealed to the court the little tricks of criminals of this kind. In the middle of
his demonstration, the defense attorney interrupted him; there was then a short argument between the defense attorney, Robert-Houdin, and
Le Chasseur et la Colonne au gant.

LE CHASSEUR ET !& COLONNE AU GANT.
ou les Pieces voyageuscs.
Ce tour avec un autre a quelque analogic.

Dans tous les temps
Combien n'a-t-on pas vu de gens,
En cette vie,
Faire sauter For et l'argent
Tres lestement
Sans le secours de la niagie!
Je suis adroit chasseur; mon fusil c'est la foudre

Aussi, sans vanite, je pretends vous prouver
Que celui qui si bien sait employer la poudre
Aurait fort bien pu 1'inventer.
Robert-Houdin.
Illustrations 437 and 438
Illustrations 439 and 440 - The Transparent
The Hunter and The Glove Column.
Cashbox.

Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin au Palais-Royal -

324-
ACT
III
II est sorcier dans son palais magique;

11 est sorcier, nuand jjar un art unique
Grfice dit-il au soufle de 1'ether,
11 tient son tils horizontal, en Pair.
0 est sorcier, lorsque sa double vue,
lies speotateurs 6bahit la cohue.
II est sorcier, nul ne peut le nier .
iit cependant queue chose bizarre
Ce grand sorcier, oui oe sorcier si rarb,
Au domino, certes, n'est pas sorcier
Illustrations 441 and 442 - Robert-Houdin by Dantan.

This portrait of Robert-Houdin by his friend Dantan was published along with this poem in the Album des dominotiers, a publication exclusively reserved for the few dozen members of this very private club.
ROHfcRT-tfol DIN
Illustration 443 - Hamilton by Disderi.
Aci III
Return to Paris and Pierre Etienne Auguste Chocat, known as Hamilton
Robert-Houdin had returned to a France

whose president, elected on December 10.
1848 was named Louis Napoleon Bonaparte,
who reestablished the Empire following the
coup d'etat of December 2. 1851.
In the conjurer's repertoire was a new
version of The Ethereal Suspension which
left all the plagiarists' presentations far
behind, as well a revised version of
Second Sight...silent, in response to its
exposure by a certain F. A. Gandon, [43] in
La Seconde Vue Devoilee (Second Sight
Revealed) (Paris, 1849). The Garland of
Flowers debuted in January 1850, followed by The Instantaneous Impression

in September. Like many dates in the
Memoirs of Robert-Houdin. those of the
creation of his routines must be taken
with caution. In general, he prefered to
cite the years of favorable press reviews
praising a new effect rather than the actual time of its introduction into his program. Therefore, quite often, the most famous of the masters tricks are post-dated
by a few months or more in his Memoirs.
SKMD1 fill DlVOILi,

DERNIER CODP PORTJS
AUX SORGIERS ET AUX SORTILEGES,

Outrage entitlement nouveau, dormant a tout le
monde la facility de faife des experiences dites
de Scemide-Vue ou de Double-Vue
Par N. 9. A. fiilNBON
DOUBLE VUE.
AYAMT PROPOS.
Depuis longtetnps !a soeiele a besoin de sinstruiro et d'airoir|
,;i mil sin ce fjiu, pour in plupart est un sortilege, un tnystere,|
|en un mot ce qui jelte bicn souvent l'inqiiie(nde et doiit la I
creJu!it6 publique est souvent la dupe,
PARIS
CHEZ TOUS I.ES HAUCHANDS DE NOIJVBAlltlfe
ET CHEZ InKITgUR, PASSAGE 8AIHTE-HAIUE, 1 3 , RUB DC BAC.
Illustrations 144 a n d i45 - La Seconde

Vue Devoilee
by
Gandon in 1849 and the Dictionnaire de la Double Vue
(Dictionary of Second Sight) (circa 1855).
1849.
32"
ROBHU-IIOUDIN
a Suspension fcthereen
LA SUSPENSION ETBEREENNE,
Cette chere enfant suspendue

Presente tant de grace et de Wgerete
Que le speclaleur enchants,
Pour Papplaudir, lorsqu'il I'a vue,
En mspem n'est jamais reste.
Robert-Houdin
Illustrations 446 and 44^ - The new Ethereal Suspension by Robert-Houdin.

The accompanying poem is from the Album des Soirees Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin au Palais-Royal.
ACT
While continuing his research [a] and including more novelties in his repertoire, RobertHoudin began the preparation of the third part
of his career, which he planned with the same
care as the preceding. He had not lost his passion for mechanism and science and wanted
to spend more time on them. Moreover, the
steady rhythm of his shows and tours took a
toll on his health, as he candidly explained in
his memoirs:
Need I describe the delight with which I presented myself once more before a Parisian audience, whose kind patronage I had not forgotten?
Those professional men who, like myself, have been
long absent from Paris, will understand it, for they
know nothing is so sweet to the heart as the applause given by a man's fellow citizens.
Unfortunately, when I resumed my performances, I noticed with sorrow the change that had
taken place in my health; the performances, which
I formerly went through with no fatigue, now
caused me a painful state of exhaustion.
L'Impression instantanee.
La Guirlande de Roses.
X.'IMPRESSION INSTANTANEE.
LA GUIRLANJDE DE ROSES,
on le Miroir des Dames.
A ma seance fantaslique,
L/impression cabalistique,
Passant par un cordon magique,
Touche la corde sympathique
De plus d'un spectateur sceptique,
Et cet effet typographique
Imprime un cachet diaboliquc
A ma seance fantastique.
Le titre de ce tour doit paraitre etonnanl:

De miroir vous n'en voyez guere,
Et puis pour refleter un tableau si brillant
Un miroir aurait fort a faire.
J'enconviensdonc, Messieurs(je suis franc quelquefois),
Ce mhoir, ce n'est qu'un mirage,
Qui montre quels moyens je puis metlre en usage
Pour faire remarquer quelques tours de mes doigts.
Illustrations 448 to 451
III
The Garland of Roses and The Instantaneous
Impression.
Engravings and poems from the Album des Soirees Fantasliques de Robert-Houdin au Palais-Royal
329
ROBKRT-HOUDIN
It was easy to find a reason for this disagreeable

change - lack of sleep, fatigue, the incessant
thought connected with my performances, and still
more the foggy atmosphere of England, had exhausted my strength. My life had been in some degree used up during my emigration. I should require
a lengthened rest to restore it, and I could not think
of it at this period, the best part of the season. I
could only take precautions for the future, in case I
should find myself suddenly compelled by my
health to stop; so I decided on educating a pupil to
take my place in case of need and whose labor
might assist me in the meanwhile.
A young man of pleasing exterior, and whose talent I was acquainted with, seemed to offer the conditions I required. My proposals suited him, and he
immediately joined me. The future sleight-of-hand
professor evinced great aptitude and zeal in learning my lessons. I employed him in a short time to
prepare my experiments, then he aided me in the
management of my theater, and when the summer
of 1850 arrived, [in fact in 1851], instead of closing
my theater as usual, I continued to send out my
bills in Paris; the only change was that Hamilton's
name was substituted for mine.
source is authenticated, though not necessarily

its content, is in his obituary in Paris-Journal
of March 1, 1877:
We have just learned of the death of Hamilton,
the conjurer predecessor of M. Robert-Houdin
[The son] and M. Brunnet. M. Hamilton (real name
Ghocat) was a true child of the theater; a mediocre
actor, he quickly gave up theater to perform
magic, in which he excelled, and by which he
earned a very handsome fortune.
Hamilton-Chocat was 65 years old.
Robert-Houdin implies that he was looking for
a substitute capable of managing his theater during the rest periods he so needed. We can imagine that there were talented young magicians in
Paris who, once trained by the artist, could have
easily waved the magic wand on the stage of
Soirees Fantastiques. There is in fact one for
whom Robert Houdin had particular affection:
Considering his short period of study, my provisional substitute could not be yet very expert; still
he pleased and the public [was] satisfied. During
this period, I enjoyed in the country a repose that
had been long desired. [45]
We know nothing about the professional
life of Hamilton (born Pierre Etienne Auguste
Chocat) before meeting Robert-Houdin. He
was born on March 25, 1812, at Neuvy-surLoire and was thirty-eight years old when he
began assisting Robert-Houdin in his performances. Had he been a painter, actor, or musician? Did he already know the basics of
conjuring? History seems almost completely
silent about him, which is all the more frustrating because he is the successor that
Robert-Houdin chose himself; but did he really have a choice?
iH A M
The only information on Hamilton's artistic

beginnings I have been able to find whose
Illustration 452 - Portrait of Hamilton.
330
ACT
Pierre Edouard Brunnet - born May 20, 1824 and

perhaps considered too young or too capricious
- whom we will later have the opportunity to
discuss in depth - so why Hamilton?
This choice was essentially for family reasons, which perhaps prevailed over other considerations. In fact, Robert-Houdin's sister-inlaw, who was a widow and the mother of a
little boy, had fallen in love with his pupil. For
the greatest happiness of Amelie Devillers, born
Braconnier, Robert-Houdin, probably encouraged by his wife Olympe, was going to turn this
handsome young man, with neither wealth nor
recognized skill, into a very presentable successor in just a few months. However, although
Robert-Houdin had a more amused than critical
view of Hamilton's ego and talent, he truly recognized and appreciated his managerial and
business skills. The future would confirm that
III
this decision, dictated by reason, although also

with emotion, was a good one.
Toward the end of the year 1850, Olympe
was pregnant again, and Robert-Houdin
wanted his wife's delivery to take place in the
most peaceful environment possible to provide
the best conditions for the future birth.
Accompanied by her mother and young
Henriette, Olympe moved into the calm and
comfort of The Priory while Hamilton replaced
her as administrator of the theater. Upon the
birth of their first son, Georges, |>6] on May 29,
1851 at Saint-Gervais, Robert-Houdin wrote a
letter to his wife that is a unique and unpublished document because, to amuse her, he related the details of the little magical events of
the capital, the state of the theater's income,
and the account of Hamilton's first performances:
Paris May 30, 1851
My dear love,
You must realize with what impatience we
awaited news from you and with what pleasure we
received it; so it was at three o'clock, and we
wanted to celebrate the good news; we went to get
a bottle of champagne for dinner and we heartily
drank to your health and that of our little
Georges. The wine was good and your sister and
Emile had a lot; you know them, it is their weakness. Eugene and my uncle were also present.
Now, you must have patience; take care of yourself, no imprudence. Remember what you have already suffered and I count on you to be reasonable. I hope to have news of you this morning. I
am writing immediately upon awakening. I also
wrote to you yesterday as soon as I received the
letter; I only wrote a few words as I did not have
time to write more.
Now, to entertain you I will tell you that
Lassaigne, [47] as I have mentioned, gave his famous performance; the bills were everywhere the
days before wherein he challenged, in insolent
terms, certain mesmerists, but the day prior there
was a huge bill that was placed just underneath
his opening statement with the following words:
Illustration 453 - Olympe and Georges Robert-Houdin.
331
ROBFRT-HOUDIH
end. Only a third of the room was filled. He created a difficult situation for himself.
Lacaze opens Saturday; I will be unable to attend; Ghocat will not be ready to perform alone;
as soon I as can I will attend a performance wearing a beard. On Tuesday we earned 181 Fr.,
Wednesday 223 Fr., and yesterday 235 Fr. In this
good weather, it is extraordinary. Ghocat is not
doing too badly in his performance. He cannot
change his voice; this will always be his weakness. He has begun to joke with the audience;
yesterday he shone. M. Horace Vernet from
Versailles came and upon entering greeted
Ghocat, who was onstage; Ghocat was overwhelmed with joy for M. H. Vernet to see him perform. Let me make you laugh a bit by describing
Ghocat's presumptuousness. The day before yesterday one of Auriol's cords broke; yesterday
morning he came and said to me, very seriously.
"Seriotis response to the challenge launched by

M. Lassaigne"; it said his challenge was willingly
accepted but on the condition that it would not be
in a mechanized theater like his, that the chosen
committee would not be a troupe of anonymous
confederates. Finally, that his challenge was nothing but an advertising stunt, etc. The next day at
the bottom of Lassaigne's poster giving the program of this famous performance was written in
large print the following strange response: "We
will not answer the Orduriere [Resembling
garbage] bill that was placed below ours, etc."
What do you think of this word orduriere? Never
has anyone dared to put that on a bill; that really
says what kind of man he is. I sent my uncle to
give me an account of what went on at the performance, but he could not tell me anything; I do not
know whether or not he fell asleep; he only told
me that he was so bored that he left before the
332
ACT
III
Illustrations 45-t to -i56 - Letter from Robert-Houdin to his wife.
Illustration i5~ - Antonio Diavolo

Engraving from Z Nature. September 5. 1891
"Do not bother, I will fix it myself." I burst out

laughing but could not convince him he would be
incapable of doing so as it was hard enough for
me to do myself. I think that later Ghocat's
biggest fault will be his lack of modesty; once he
has mastered my performance and takes over the
show, he will think no one can surpass him.
I will do my best to try and come see you next
week; I prefer to wait so I can spend a few days
with you. I will let Ghoeat perform three or four
days before leaving him.
Today I am going to write to a few friends in
Paris to tell them of your delivery.
I warmly kiss you
Your devoted
Robert-Houdin. []
We cannot refrain from smiling w h e n we

imagine Robert-Houdin wearing a fake
beard to secretly attend his colleagues'
perfomances! In his public or private
sketches, the author precisely and clearly
describes the qualities, defects, or little
faults of the "subjects" he portrays. This
frank writing, through which humor and affection always shine, allows us today to
see a vivid image of the great figures of the
past. It is a much less conventional view,
but it complements the most talented journalistic reviews and the most scholarly historical studies.
333
ROBl RT-HOL DIN
STRAND THEATRE.
PROFESSOR
ARE ACKAOWl.im.EO Tt> HF Tll>.
Legitimate Wonders of the Nineteenth Century!
_ yjyjQWEM DF DEMWoLTeffi
This Evening;, Monday, Jan. 8th, & during the Week,
UK "ILL MAKE His APPEARtfi('h
|M> (y[\r W-i
Illustrative of the Fallacy of Magic, Secremaief, Witchcraft, a*d Demonelogy, $

u d SDVAL FAHJLT otStnin. kttlmlirfiS.ho.il M #<*r Uk'rt \i* KlhO d fftlMSSIA i-.dfc;.a<IH-KT^M tiJfujBJ P.lM*".f P e l ^ ,
KW IMPKtUAC itklV&TW {ilCBOLAS .f Rl'SaiA. K KrtUy In tHMel f.t lit Bmiib KIUM, iiocd rtiv cat *f rt. .-# 4I T U U I H
P ( M W J I * toftnu rtiUitK^ in Pioft-=i J a ANDERKO.I far i n P.tfeiaMW*, hi U.BJ li h i 8i.tS Atiut i"UuM Ctp.nl.
Jamymii* Ixat - ( * i 6 t a M r a TliE EHPEHUX? IMPIBUt FAUiLV. THE COU&T, i rtt iT".'f iXe COBFa DlPlilMitlffiJt i W
nnlfM it 8L Pfi<n&|. la ill* PuJiKti ef !t *V>i* E I ; H t i t Hrhrw^ M m i k o , u i UiCiiit H* h ^ a ithitlt PiMiiUind ?<**. M b . iLLTUI! CROWHKft HEABs Or NQSTHRH.H tUROPE, H . H > t t s . a C=.a t t . Bisil) f tit Thuu* W tt K m in ill
CmlnMkktnMHtoWtaHfMdkMi t>4 h* kw k m w t i i M ' ^ ^ t> t* (kf;6RUT MiSTEK i< tkt CiBALiSTIC ART!
fflSBIEn
r
ifiK KASIC DANK, I Fishing cxlrMrdllmty.
AMAtOA.
WT9AO80IHABY ELEC1RIC EIPEMMEIT,

Tit! / (iig SIX WiTCHES (hno|* >} Qiullf+t-* ***}
The
KT8TIC B S E A X F A 8 I .
The learned Saves, the Broken Ring, Dissolving

Orsuge, sad Knchantftd Walnut.
Grand FOT?OGBRI of HAKBEERGHIEFS.

SUSPENSION" CHLOROFOREENE,
OHtU) sf tie AST^"Jk

j>n
ÎABI^
t U j . *itKfc fctTttflki Tie M> ri ti M-
AS 4 CK1IISTYAS PatSJST.IUT FKOfEMWS ANDSftSOf.8 MAti.C PICTUag OAl-I" 1*1"

ii ikr WetM r*i'J eta wrfiB ill f'Ji. utiaukiftz tmf Bfcai<i
. H ftHOESti'S-s IIAKD KOOK OE ifMiir. yrJCii O;.K ^tirn.i:
-k-t-
Illustration 458 - Anderson, "The Great Wizard of the North." Anderson was undoubtedly the most famous English magician of the
time but also one of the biggest plagiarists of Robert-Houdin's repertoire. On this bill from January 8. 1849. taken from Magic. August
1901, one can clearly see the thefts committed b) this artist from Robert-Houdin's repertoire: The Fantastic Portfolio. Second Sight.
The Suspension Chloroforeene. etc
334
ACT
III
The English Connection or the Legrand Trial

Robert-Houdin's success, the modernity of
his presentation, and the originality of his inventions, far from stimulating the creativity of
his colleagues, instead whetted their appetite,
to the detriment of his repertoire. Several of
them unscrupulously plagiarized his routines
and some did not even hesitate to undertake
criminal procedures to appropriate the secrets
of his tricks.
Indeed, the artist's stage equipment, apparatus, and automata were often equipped
with complex mechanisms and this in and of
itself should have sufficed to protect them for
a certain time from the predatory instincts of
his less-scrupulous colleagues. Every magician knows that there is a great difference
between understanding the secret of a trick
and being able to construct it: "It is a long
way from the cup to the lips." In the case of
Robert-Houdin's works, the fruit of nearly fifteen years of research and trial and error, imitators would have had to have seasoned mechanicians build several models, thereby
incurring heavy costs and spending much
time before even hoping to find a working
model. Although Robert-Houdin was copied
by the majority of magicians of his time, or,
to be a bit more indulgent, although his art
"inspired" several of his colleagues, their
"borrowings" from his magic rarely exceeded
the acceptable limits except for certain magicians performing in England who behaved
like true plagiarists. It seems important to me
to again mention that the British press,
whose articles on Robert-Houdin's performances in London have been included here,
strongly emphasize the actions of his col335
leagues, whom they repeatedly depict as ''insignificant imitators" or "pale copies." It is

also revealing that none of the magicians
named, from Herrmann to Anderson, and including Jacobs and many others, ever re-
NOTICE.
ThU splendid pUce of public amusement is now complete ; the Reserved
Seats, lately erected, afford an accommodation which was much needed ; the
whole now forms four separate departments, viz., Upper Hall, Lower Hall,
Reserved Seats, and the Picture Gallery, containing Dr. FELIX THIBERTs
unrivalled Tableaux or pictures in relief, valued at 2,000 guineas. This etablishment now ranks first in the lino of entertainment for which it is devoted, viz. song, music, characteristic dancing, or any available novelty fleeting on the wing of time. The vocalists comprise the celebrated M r s .
STEPHENS.
Messrs. WARDE, and FOX, in the comic
department, every evening; also the talented LAURIE FAMILY,
CHARLES SLOMAN, the English Improvisators, &c.
Admission, 6d.; Reserved Seats, Is.
Mr. DE BRENNER,
Tbe Olebratwi Paganiiii Violin and Bwijuist, will appear every Evening.
On F r i d a y E v e n i n g NextExperiments A Soirees Fantastique ala

Prugr.imire will include the following Betntiful Illusions:
K O'DieU
E R V II O I 1> I 1
PSPENSION
ETHEREINCEi
The only English Improvisatorc, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Mr. W. FEARGE,
The Celebrated Tenor Singer, every Monday and .Saturday.
MR. W. WARDE'S NEW COMIC SONG BOOK,

PRICE SIXPENCE, MAY BE HD IN i'HE HALL, ADD o r ALL
BOOKSELLERS.
Voors open at Seven, commence at Half-past, and vtotet at Half-pan Eleven.

VOCAL DIRECTOR
MR. W . W A R D E .
Le*drof the Bnd. Mr. STtmiiKS, Prufmor nd Tchirr of tlif Violin * Cornopein
Pumi-Fi.rtf,
Mr. W A I K G .
Illustration 459 - Experiments & Soirees Fantastique [sic] a

la Robert-Houdin [!]. Bill for a plagiarist of the artist, w ho
printed the engraving backward depicting the Suspension,
which had now become "Ethereince (sic)'' (jiany Ransom
Humanities Research Center, University of Texas, Austin)
ROBERT-HOUDIN
sponded to this very critical press, nor did

they ever claim to have originated RobertHoudin's inventions. It was only sixty years
later that a 'well-meaning" historian generously attributed to them 'creations" they
never spoke of during their lifetime, and for
good reason.
ASSEMBLY ROOMS,
PHINCK SiltH-T HKIMOL
The SEVENTH WEEK of the
BOTTLE II!
LCKXOn LEDfcED HI i l l TO BE THE
Wonder of the WorldS

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, fhursday, and
.<:
Prfdaj
Should we thus conclude that conjurers on

the continent had more professional ethics
than their British counterparts? The answer is
obviously negative, but the latter benefited at
the time from an organized criminal network
that would have probably ended up spreading
throughout Europe had not French authorities
put a stop to it, as we will see in several examples of their lapses in later chapters.
J. M. BUCK
LEARNED
This criminal network consisted of three people: an English future consulate chief, magic
enthusiast, and mineralogist named William
Garrow Lettsom (1804-1887) who, under the
cover of his diplomatic post as an embassy
attache, carried out intelligence activities
from 1831 to 1852 in legations of England in
the major European capitals, as well as in
Washington, Mexico, and Uruguay: a clockmaking worker named Omer Augustin
Legrand, an employee of Robert-Houdin; and
a French conjurer, Robin. [49] The latter introduced the other two figures in this sad affair,
of which he ended up being one of the main
beneficiaries. Robert-Houdin never forgave
the betrayal of Robin, whom he had helped
start out and who knew how his workshops
functioned as well as the personnel did. For
HYDROHANCER'S
MAGNIFICENT
MlRACULOUSÊCEPTIONS
SISriiSIOr "BY ETHER!!!

Or A IICJIAN HOin i> MllhAlRU
PIANIST MR, C BUCK
Illustration 46O - The conjurer J.M. Buck.

This artist presented plagiarisms of experiments by RobertHoudin such as The Inexhaustible Bottle and "The Suspension
by Ether."
Illustration 461 - Signature of Omer Augustin Legrand.
336
ACT III
more than a decade, Robin had

to flee Robert-Houdin, who.
with the unlimited patience he
had shown since childhood,
waited for the right moment to
settle the conflict with this dishonest colleague on his own
territory and in his own way.
For the time being, the plagiarism of his works and the
theft of his creations were
causing
severe
damage,
thereby forcing him to sue.
Here is the account of a trial
before the Cour d'assises de la
Seine on June 25, 1850
presided by M. Barbou:
SOIREES FANTASTIQUES DE ROBERT-HOUDIN

Ton 1 iei Soirs a 8 Hemes precises Palais Soyai . G a i e n e de Va:ois.!64 eS r u e de Valois 13.
:*>
An affair of a very special nature attracted an uncommon

group of inquisitive people today.
This time, one must admit, curiosity was totally justified. The
defendant Legrand was brought
before the court for having sold
to an Englishman some of the secrets of Robert-Houdin, the famous conjurer of Palais-Royal.
The public therefore hoped to
learn during these debates some
of the secrets that arouse its astonishment
and admiration
every day. Alas, the public had
forgotten about article 81 of the
constitution and article 87 of the
civil penal code. M. RobertHoudin, and he was within his
rights, carried out an apparently
very difficult trick: he conjured
away all public hearing of the arguments.
Illustrations 462. 463. and 16 \ - Original
bill for Robert Houdin in 1845 and
plagiarisms of it by Robin and
S a v r e n . (t(>2 - L 'Almanach de Cagliostro dc
Robin; t64 - Magic, March 1905)
Fig. 89. LI S PQISSONS D OR KT LA Mt-NAGSniK IMPROVlbfcK, public par IHluslrUts /eihch ift Stutlgard, le 33 octobrs
THEATRE
wOK
JR 0 YAL,
MIX: :**: Trsi
(A
ID bis Splendid Temple of Enchantment

Bexcs
Is.
337
Gallery
e*.
ROBI RT-HOUDIN
BAV.MARKGT
Mr, B. WMCTBft * L m tat Mutt", 01
WONDER OF THE WORLD!

I l l MMMt Two KifjhU!
Thursday,&Saturday,
ApHt MH, aid SSd, WM8.
ML HERRMANN.
rlUMljr tie ly occasions he cm

l i w this Beanos.
HERKMANN
SFtiytfiittt tit union*!
. . . - T ir,-,I,,- P mil, | | H , M 1 I L
MADE. HERRMANN
vniB, ^fturdty, April *tfc

EGCTELUS iHSPo*iBi.sTnui n n u o n n i u JMOTJWU
>belfcmit| MHMCnr
LE DOUBLE VUE!
Or, Second Sight,
HERRMANN.
II tllMIOlI Oi YABIBBS BIRDS,
VOL. H E R R M A N N .
He sued for damages; Maltre

Thureau represented him.
The defendant was represented by Maitre Nogent St.
Laurens, attorney. The seat of
the public minister was occupied by prosecuting attorney
Suin.
Here are the facts of the accusation:
M. Robert-IIoudin runs a
theater at Palais-Royal known
under the name Soirees Fantastiques. He uses mechanical
instruments whose secrets belong to him. To manufacture
these objects, for seven years
he employed Legrand, watchmaking artisan, in whose integrity he had complete faith.
This worker earned approximately 50 francs per week.
HAY-MARKET.
FAREWEIA
MORNING
PERFORMANCE*
at Two o'clock.
WONDER Of THE WORLD!

THIS MORNING,
SATURUAY, Hay 6th,
Nl. HERRMANN.
FIHST P&OFESSGB OJ rtAGlO IN THJJ WOBLO,
isi s t *m
ar L
Morning Performance,
%h New Extraordinary Tricks,
MH4I,
MADE. HERRMANN
But in the month of November

1849, chance allowed M. RobertHoudin to discover that Legrand
had perfectly forged a mechanical piece called "The Transparent Gashbox" and that he
had sold it to an Englishman,
M. Lettsom, an attache to the
English embassy in Torino.
M. Robert-Houdin did not immediately turn him in to the authorities, but simply dismissed
him.
But Legrand had scarcely
left before it became apparent
that this worker had betrayed
him in an extreme manner. He
had copied and sold the majorillustrations 465 and 466 - English bill
for Carl (Compars) Herrmann.
Herrmann, then debuting, performed
in London in 18 18 with a program exclusively made up of plagiarisms of
Robert-Houdin's repertoire. Illustrations
from The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin
bv Harrv Houdmi.
338
LA DOUBLE VUEi
Or, Sccourf * r
MADAME HERRMANN.
vmraw TAIUIHM WBW
ILLUSIONS WITH CARDS
mAOMB BLANCHE!
11IB1T1TI0I 0 ! WB10DS BIBBS,
BE. HEKRMAWlf.
ACT
ity of his mechanical pieces.

Robert-Houdin decided to file
a complaint. A search of
Legrand's home revealed a
large number of objects belonging to M. Robert-Houdin or
reproduced from examples invented by him. A correspondence from M. Lettson /SJC7
was also confiscated and showed
that Legrand had sold to this
individual a large quantity of
mechanical pieces whose invention was the work of M. RobertHoudin.
Legrand claimed that if objects belonging to M. RobertHoudin were found in his possession, it is because they were
at his home when RobertHoudin dismissed him and that
he did not dare to give them
back. But M. Robert-Houdin refuted this argument by asserting that he had never authorized Legrand to bring to his
home objects that belonged to
him.
The defendant could not
deny that he had handed over
to M. Lettson [sic], a foreigner,
the secrets of constructing the
mechanical pieces of M. Robert
Houdin and he admitted that he
had received from M. Lettson
[sic], a sum no less than 4,000
to 5,000 francs.
III
the Institute, showed that the

pieces confiscated and claimed
by M. Robert-Houdin were, for
the most part, completely invented by him or represented
such improvements on existing
mechanisms that they should
be considered as his own private property.
In consequence, AugusteOmer Legrand is accused of:
= 1. Having in 1849 illegally
removed various mechanical
pieces from the business and
to the detriment of RobertHoudin, for whom he worked.
= 2. In 1848 and 1849 as a
factory worker informing foreigners, notably M. Lettson
[sic], of secrets of RobertHoudin's factory, where he was
employed.
EXCITEMENT EXTRAORDINARY I
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Au
<T I I I M I I E I > (mill IV
Ml like *i
t The Annlhllatioa Be Recnperation
Grimes provided for in the

articles 386 and 418 of the
penal Code.
After the brief interrogation of
the defendant, Maitre Thureaud,
for the plaintiff, asked for the
proceedings to be held in
camera because of the risk of
revealing to the public M. RobertIloudin's secrets, on which his
business is based.
This demand was opposed
by Maitre Nogent St. Laurents
and supported by prosecuting
attorney Suin, who remarked
that if M. Robert-Houdin had
taken the civil route, the Court
could have, in virtue of article
87 of the code of civil procedure, ordered the session to be
As a last resort, Legrand

alleged that the mechanical
pieces manufactured by M.
Robert-Houdin were public
property and did not have the
characteristics of an invention
Illustration 46"" - Anderson's English
nor even of an improvement.
bill.
But it so happened that an
This bill taken from Magic, April 1906. is
expertise carried out by
but a series of plagiarisms of RobertM. Armand Seguier, member of
Houdin's repertoire.
",59
^ , .
Oat
\"i
THATJOTTIE
II >f S i '
E 3TEIB (CraDfe, or Jltcsmcric SCeep,

mTmrii, sr ren
!'.,'.
itMiTM,
Tb.HUuj>Ml n inn la m C l l V a U T I U B . i ' a l i a n l
^ MechaniGdlatomatoi
(pint Rapping Bell and Table:
THE G_REAT WATCH WONDER,
Evaporation,
j^* , Magic
' SranJ J'asfjiomitifr Bai) performances

111 l i ^ ' PttBeU ai.,8ecandls>ts, li., Qanti?, d
RoBIRT-HOliDIN
THE FIRST APPEARANCE
ANDERSON
Tuesday, Thursday
Saturday Evenings,
PERFORMANCE
Wednesday
Morning-,
Illustrations 468 469 and 4^0 - Robert-Houdin's original English bill of 1849 and the plagiarisms of his advertisements and
experiments by Anderson in 1851 and by Robin in 1862. The Fantastic Portfolio. The Ladies Favorite. The Shower of Gold,
and The Inexhaustible Bottle for the first; The French Guardsman. The Instantaneous Impression, The Horn of Plenty. A Tableau
of Fantasy, Disappearance Under a Goblet, The Fabulous Rosebush or The Love Xest. and The Child Raised by a Hair for the second. (468 - Many Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas. Austin. 469 Author s collection, 470 - Magic. Decembet 190 1 )
Considering that there is between the two

charges a connection such that it is impossible to
divide the arguments;
held in camera, given the possibility of severe

disadvantages that publicity would incur.
The court rendered the following judgment on
this new request:
Orders that the debates be held in camera.

After this decree, the curious left the court and
cast disappointed glances at the many crates
placed nearby, which undoubtedly contain marvels
that the public will not have the opportunity to
enjoy.
Given article 81 of the constitution, considering that the property of Robert-Houdin that was
harmed, has for cause and principal elements secrets whose publication would cause a repeat of
the crime, which would be a true disruption of
order; and if the arguments were published, the
intervention of justice, instead of bringing a
compensation would aggravate the loss that motivates the action;
After the debates, the closing speech and the defense plea, the summary was made publicly.
The jury rendered, after a deliberation of a few
minutes, a negative verdict on the question of the
340
ACT III
MAURICE SARDINA
Les erreurs de
Harry-Houdini
A V E C
EGYPTIAN HALL
P R E F A C E
DE
MAURICE
GARCON
ae t Jtcaaemie JFranfaise
P A R I S
194
Illustration Cl - Title page of the French edition of Maurice

Sardina's work Les "erreurs" de Harry Houdini (Where
Houdini was Wrong)
sale of factory secrets to foreigners and an affirmative verdict on the question of theft of merchandise
by an employee.
It granted extenuating circumstances.
Legrand was condemned to two years of prison
and the court ordered the restitution to
M. Robert-Houdin of the pieces that were confiscated.
Legrand was ordered to reimburse all costs as
damages, [so]
vealed a large number of objects belonging to M.

Robert-Houdin, or reproduced from models invented by him: mechanical birds, two mechanical
cages, a trick cage, The Trapeze Artist, Le Petit
Savoyard, pieces for The Clock, The Prison, The
Fish trick. He had counterfeited a great number of
[mechanical] pieces of M. Houdin. The objects he
is accused of having delivered to Lettson [sic]
are: Three mechanical tables, Diavolo, a hunter, a
crystal chest...
Le Moniteur universe! of June 26, 1850 specifies a certain number of points omitted from the
account in the Gazette des tribunaux, which
give an idea of the extent of the theft of which
Robert-Houdin was victim:
In the opinion of his colleagues, RobertHoudin's effects must have had enough mysterious elements for Lettsom to feel obliged to
bribe a worker to obtain the mechanician's secrets. Lettsom and the "artists" who unfairly
benefited from Robert-Houdin's work truly
A search carried out at Legrand's home re341
ROBERI -HOUDIN
Illustrations 472. 473 and 474 Anderson, Herrmann, and Jacobs.
showed their lack of scruples in pushing a formerly honest employee into a betrayal that
would send him to rot in jail for two years and
ruin him forever. It is also instructive to note
that today, just as in the past, plagiarists use
the same arguments before the law, as shown
by the great lawyer, academician, and court
expert Maitre Maurice Garcon in the preface to
Maurice Sardina's work Les "Erreurs" de Harry
Houdini (Where Houdini was Wrong) (Paris,
1947):
called revelations in 1908.

We can also notice that the verdict of this
trial is symbolic of the mentality of the times,
which more heavily condemned domestic
theft than infringements on intellectual and
moral property. This account also shows
how Robert-Houdin's inventions arrived in
the hands of plagiarists working in England
- Anderson, Herrmann, Jacobs, and Robin,
among others. [51] We will return to the protagonists of this trial in the chapters on
Robin.
Before the courts the usual technique of counterfeiters is to deny the value of the inventions and come
up with prior examples that allow them to shamelessly appropriate these inventions for themselves.
Houdini followed this path when he published his so-
At the end of volumes I and II of Album

Souvenir des Soirees Fantastiques de RobertHoudin au Palais-Royal, the text that con342
ACT
A M D
C A B A L I S T I C
L A U N D R Y
III
MR. JACO
Soirees Fantastiques is a school which other magicians constantly attend to find successful elements for their own shows.
eludes the Programme general cles experiences inventees par Robert-Houdin (General
Catalogue of Experiments invented by RobertHoudin) shows a certain humor, or perhaps
resignation, on this subject:
During this period, around the end of the

month of May 1850, the conjurer Olivier (the son)
was authorized to run "a small curiosity show" at
16, Rue de Bievre "consisting only of Physique
amusante, mechanical exhibitions, Chinese shadows, and phantasmagoria'' (see page 113).
All these experiments were invented by RobertHoudin; the automata and mechanical pieces were
hand-made by him and earned him several awards
from the Societe d'Encouragement and the juries
of the 1839 and 1844 Expositions.
Although other artists have demonstrated a few
of these experiments, they were only more-or-less
slavishly accurate reproductions of his manner of
performing.
It is a recognized fact that the Theatre des
In Le Charivari of November 9, 1850, Louis

Huard praised Robert-Houdin's new season in
the following terms:
Robert-IIoudin, the prodigious mechanician,
the incomparable conjurer, the wizard of wizards,
343
ROBLRT-HOLDIN
Illustration -i75 - The Genie of the Roses. The final, sophisticated version of The Ladies' Favorite- (Private collection
ACT HI
has just returned to the stage in his charming little theater in Palais-National.
But a simple thought prevents me from worrying about him in advance: Once placed on the
stake, Robert-Houdin would be capable of conjuring himself away, and the entire crowd would be
taken by surprise.
This skillful artist has brought us new, even

more incomprehensible marvels beyond all that he
had performed until now.
On November 25, 1850, Robert-Houdin presented his most recent creation for the program
of Soirees Fantastiques: The Enchanted Vase or
The Genie of the Roses.
I fear that Robert-Houdin does too much, and

that we will find ourselves obliged to burn him on
the Estrapade square, a place historically reserved
for people who asked the devil for conjuring skills.
Theatre Robert-Houdin
jrt.
Repertoire du G6nie des Roses

Le Roi d'Yvetot.
Depuis longteihps,
Oadet-Roussel.
Bon Voyage.
(Test 1'Amour ! j'Amour!
infant cheri des names.
J'ai du bon tabac.
Marie trempe ton pain
En avant Fanfan la Tulipe.
A la Monaco.
Le Genie des Roses (Automate).
LE GENIE ES ROSES (automate).
Ce vase aux brillantes couieurs,

Qui, selon vos desirs, de roses se couronne,
Du chant du colibri joyeusement resonne,
Doit avoir ses admirateurs,
Et peut-etre ses d6tracteuvs:
Quelque gate qu'il soit, l'auteur connait l'envie.
On peut plus ou moins 1'applaudir;
Mais il faudra bien convenir
Qu'il eut au moins l'esprit de se faire un genie.
Robert-Hondin.
Illustration 476 - The repertoire of The Genie of the Roses.
Illustrations 477 and 4~8 - The Genie of the Roses.

345
ROBERT-HOUDIN
aParis NoelSuccfNadaud Editeur de Musi<fue et W dlnslrumenls GakiedelaBourse,/

Illustration 479 - La Fantastique polka performed at Robert-Houdin's soirees, composed by Camille-Michel in 1845.
(Georges Proust collection)
346
ACT III
Letter on Education; Shows and Children

know, my dear friend, that he performs plays there
as bad as the worst variety shows; this is everyone's
opinion. What can be worse than seeing these
dwarfs of acting telling obscene stories in the most
incredibly self-assured manner? Many women
would be embarrassed at this theater. I will let you
decide whether it is a good idea to bring children,
and I hasten to inform you I have never set foot
there; I am giving you the opinion of a few parents
whom I trust greatly...
As for the Hippodrome, I went once. If they limited themselves to racing horses, monkeys, or os-
The reader will recall the extent to which I

have emphasized the exemplary style and context that Robert-Houdin wished to convey in
his memoirs, a civic mission crucial to the author. The excerpts from the newspaper article
we will cite below confirm the strict morals of
the times and the severe manner in which
show-people were viewed, and allow a greater
appreciation of Robert-Houdin's conduct in his
writings and onstage. This text was published
in the form of a long letter [52] in the Revue
catholique de la Jeunesse (Catholic Youth
Journal), (second year, 1851) and deals with
entertainment and shows approved or prohibited for children. Although Robert-Houdin
emerges with the honors of this merciless requisitory, it is not the case for all his colleagues
cited in the article:
...What is Seraphin? A little theater with talking
puppets, puppets that are pleasant in themselves
and that could give children useful and wise advice
if the director had a sufficient dose of tact and common sense; but is this always the case? As a
Christian, I do not hesitate to answer: No! His show
can often be detrimental to the child who is just
starting to understand what he hears. Fairy tales
abound and we see some prince commit suicide because he was not lucky enough to please some
princess. A fairy filled with admiration for his great
courage resuscitates him and grants him all his
wishes: power, honor, wealth. What a lovely praise of
suicide! For a reasonable person this is simply stupid and nothing more, but it stimulates the imagination of a child, who, six months after seeing
Seraphin, will remember what he heard, will explain
to himself first what he did not understand, then will
ask embarrassing questions and make unfortunate
remarks...
RBVUE CATHOLIQUB
BE
LA JEUNESSE
PARIS. RUE DE RICHELIEU, N 60.
Illustration 48O Revue catholique de la Jeunesse, 1851.
You miss Gomte's Theater! Then vou do not

347
(Jacques Yoignier collection)
ROBKRT-HOUDIN
triches. bringing out balloons, making Middle Age

knights parade around, and even performing feats of
skill, it would be just fine. But the program promises
something else and it keeps its promise. Even when
the costume is acceptable, the position is not. These
leaps onto horses running at full speed, these poses,
looks, and floating costumes do not seem appropriate for everyone. Why make children notice things
that are inappropriate in and of themselves? Why
make them admire all these wandering entertainers
whom we disdain?
...I will not even mention the circus, which quite
resembles the Hippodrome...
Of these amusements, the only one that seems
above reproach in every respect is that of RobertHoudin; but only children old enough to distinguish
the ordinary from the extraordinary, the possible
from the impossible, can appreciate it; only they can
understand the great skill of this master conjurer,
whom his son assists so well. Younger children
would soon become tired and ask permission to go
and run around. Although nothing but that which is
appropriate occurs in this show, I believe that one
should go only rarely, because it is a show, and
shows, even when they are not bad in themselves,
can still bring negativity if they become a habit, a
need.
Warm regards from Marguerite*"
Illustrations t81 and 482 - Seraphin's Theater and The Inexhaustible Bottle by Robert-Houdin.
Engravings from Georges Filth's work. Le Pans dcs en/ants. Paris. I.. Ilachette. 1869.
ACT
Illustration 483 - The arrival of the vaccine at M. Robert-Houdin's
III
home on September 12. 1851 at Saint-Gervais near Blois.
In this portrait b\ Dantan. Robert-Houdin is shown holding a pack of cards in his hands, in the center a nursemaid is holding
the young Georges Robert-Houdin in her arms, and Dr. Baschet a friend of Dantan and Robert-Houdin. seems about to vaccinate the artists son. accompanied by the newborn he holds somewhat carelessly beneath his arm.
ROBERT-HOUDIN
For publication, E. Veuillot
Illustration 484 Roberti de Brescia around 1855.

This artist did not hesitate to copy the title of the Soirees of Robert-Houdin or to plagiarize his repertoire and the engravings
of his effects
350
ACT
III
Roberti de Brescia, De Linsky,

Deveaux, Berneuil, and the Electric Light
In 1851, two new short-lived shows followed each other in Philippe's former hall in
the Bazar Bonne-Nouvelle. The first artist
was named Roberti de Brescia, lived at 39,
Rue de la Folie-Mericourt, and had already
performed some time before in Paris in the
Salle de la Redoute at 45, Rue de GrenelleSaint-Honore. His performance consisted of
Physique amusante, sleight-of-hand, feats of
skill, and "everything of this sort," exhibitions of "melting tableaux" and experiments
in mesmerism. Concerning the latter, it is interesting to note the precise orders imposed
by the chief of police:
The mesmerism performances are only permitted under the following conditions:
1. That the operator limit himself to experiments known under the name of Double Sight;
2. That he not generalize the effects of mesmerism and perform no scientific demonstrations.
3. That he not apply mesmerism to the knowledge of hidden facts or to divination.
4. That he in no way relate the result of mesemerism to the treatment of illnesses or for medical consultations.
And 5. That, in a word, his experiments have
no unfortunate influence on the mind, and be always in harmony with morals and propriety... [53]
We know very little about Roberti de
Brescia, but the prints of his lovely lithographs, illustrating several of RobertHoudin's experiments, from whom he had
already "borrowed" the title of Soirees
and half of its patronym, prove that he
was like others already named in this
work a very fervent "admirer" of the
master!
351
"Louis de Linski, physicien prestidigitateur, "

an associate of "Simeon Alexandre Devaux,
mecanicien, " with whom he resided at 8, Rue
Neuve-Coquenard, succeeded Roberti de
Brescia in the running of Philippe's hall during the last quarter of 1851. [54] Here is the
tone of his advertisements published in the
newspapers:
The theater of Philippe at the Bazar BonneNouvelle has just reopened with more splendor
than ever. M. De Linski gives performances of
magic and prestidigitation, which attract the highest Parisian society every evening. The most difficult tricks demand nothing of his prodigious skill;
he thwarts difficulty and the impossible does not
exist for him. His show is one of the most amusing
that Paris has to offer.
The comparison of the posters of Roberti de
Brescia and Louis de Linski posters with those
of Robert-Houdin show that these two "continental" artists had no fewer scruples and no
more imagination than their English colleagues.
In September 1851, a certain Berneuil, residing at 62, Rue de Dunkerque, was authorized to
La Bouteille mepuisable,
ROBLRT-HOUDIN
Illustration 186 - De Linsky around 1855.

Like his colleague De Brescia. De Linksy slavishly copied the title of Robert-Houdin's performances and plagiarized the feats
of the artist's engravings. (Jacques Voignlercollection)
552
Aci III
open, in a garden situated at no. 60 of the same

street, a curiosity show made up of ''Physique
Amusante, Conjuring, Polyorama, Optical
Effects, and Juggling."
During the summer of 1851, RobertHoudin was finally able to enjoy a well-deserved rest at The Priory with his entire
family and his newborn, little Georges. The
"word ''rest'' is, however, quite inappropriate for a man who could not imagine
spending a single day idle! Robert-Houdin
passed his time at Saint-Gervais working
on new experiments with electric light. On
Sunday, September 14, to entertain his
friends, he performed during the course of
the evening a demonstration of the result
of his research. The account of this event
was published in Le Journal du Loir-etCher on September 16:
We owe it to the friendship of our famous
compatriot Robert-Houdin to have seen Sunday
evening in his charming retreat in Saint-Gervais,
a curious experiment in electric light.
Nothing is more simple in appearance than
the process by which one obtains this marvelous
result, but to get there, what studies were not
undertaken to penetrate the deepest secrets of
nature and understand the chemical properties
of certain substances when separate, and their
effects when combined with others.
Not to be hindered in his experiment by the
unexpected changes of the weather, M. RobertHoudin had brought, using two iron wires, the
center of his operation into the living room
[Illus. 60], where only twenty people were
gathered.
When the skillful operator created the first
sparks by bringing the two electrical wires close
together, at that instant a bright white light like
that of the sun illuminated the room and a general cry of admiration rang out. The day had returned in a certain fashion, the spectators' shadows were clearly seen on the walls, the candles
had, so to speak, disappeared under the power of
electricity, and only appeared as meager glim-
mers, barely comparable to those of yellow wax

candles placed in death chambers.
Then, concentrating his bright rays with the
help of a powerful lens, and directing them outside, M. Robert-Houdin suddenly threw into his
garden such a flash of light that one could walk
on the pathways as if in daylight, and at more
than forty paces away we were able to easily read
a letter placed before us...
...Back in his living room, M. Robert-Houdin
wanted to reveal his secret to us by explaining
the theory of the phenomenal light that he had
just obtained and that of electric telegraphy,
which only differ because of the apparent effects, one being produced by a ray of light, the
other by a movement transmitted to its furthest
point with a magnetized seesaw-like device.
These explanations - free of the technical terms
that make science so abstract, and given with
clarity by a man who is master of his subject were followed with great interest, even by the
ladies, who were the majority, [ss]
Soon, Robert-Houdin would be able to

fully devote himself to his research, but for
the time being, he had to set up a carefully
planned program that would periodically distance him from The Priory for the next two
years.
LES SOIREES FANTAST1QLES DE ROBERT HOUDIN

OiudnlU bnllint
Att. LE CAIPENTIEfl
ROBI RT-HOUDIN
S-jircw fanlasliauss do ROUEHI-IIOCDIX. stances II'IIAMII-TON. l.c Vcslm.
Illustration 488 - Hamilton in the Destiny experiment.
354
ACT
III
"Farewell, My Dear Parisians"

In order to explain to his readers the reasons for his upcoming retirement from the
stage and to justify his overwhelming desire
for freedom, Robert-Houdin wrote a beautiful
passage on the condition of the artist who
must always give his public the best of himself
during his performances in spite of fatigue,
worries, or sufferings:
A man who has made a long journey never feels
the fatigue so acutely as when he proposes to continue his journey after a few moments of rest. This
was what I experienced when, my holiday being
ended, I was obliged to leave the country to begin
again the feverish existence of a theatre. I never
felt such lassitude; never had I a greater desire to
enjoy perfect liberty, to renounce those fatigues of
an appointed hour, which may be justly called the
collar of misery.
At this word, I see many of my readers start.
"Why," they will say, "thus call a labor whose object is to astonish an audience, and the result to
gain honor and profit?"
I find myself compelled to prove the justice of
the expression.
The reader will easily understand that the fatigue, preoccupation, and responsibility attached
to a magical performance do not prevent the conjurer from being subjected to the ordinary sufferings of humanity. Now, whatever may be the nature of his sufferings or his grief, he must, at an
appointed hour each night, hide them in his
bosom, and assume the mask of happiness and
health.
This is, in itself, a painful task, but, believe

me, reader, it is not all; he must - and this is applicable to all artists in general - under penalty of
ruin, enliven, animate, and excite the public, or.
in other words, give them pleasure for their
money.
Can this always be equally easy?
In truth, the position artists hold would be intolerable, did not they find in the sympathy and
applause of the public a gentle recompense that
makes them forget the minor miseries of life.
DESTMLS
J3T
PREDICTIONS
II y a toujQurs une affluence considerable aux

soirees fantastiques de Robert Houdin, un public distingue appplaudit chaque soir les experiences vraiinent incroyables de ce celcbre prestidigitateur et
colics de M. Hamilton.
Illustration 489 - Hamilton's press conference.
Illustrations 490 to 492 - Destinees et predictions. Small souvenir

album distributed at Hamilton's performances at Palais-National.
{Archives naUonales)
355
ROBLRT-HOUDIN
I may say it with pride: to the last moment of my

artistic life I only met with sympathy and kindness;
but the more I strove to render myself ever worthy
of them, the more I felt my strength failing me, and
the more, too, increased my desire to live in retirement and freedom.
At last, in January, 1852, judging Hamilton fit
to succeed me, I decided on giving up my establishment to him, and in order that my theatre, the
fruit of my labors, might remain in the family, two
contracts were signed; and on the same dav rav
pupil became my brother-in-law and my .successor.
M
The following unpublished documents show
the precision with which Robert-Houdin always
knew how to plan his career, a rare gift that we
have already evoked, and his will to master current events and those to come. He left little to
chance and mastered his destiny, as much as is
humanly possible.
his artistic activities would be carried out in

the future were specified in advance. It also
safeguarded his children's possible aspirations in this area. The document is in every
way similar to a modern contract for brand licensing, but also includes the ''sectors of activity" in which the seller would have exclusive rights;
Between the undersigned:
M. Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, mechanician
conjurer residing in Paris, 164, Galerie de Valois at
the Palais-National
D'une part.
and M. Pierre Etienne Auguste Ghocat, known as
Hamilton, conjurer, student of M. Robert-Houdin,
residing in Paris, 9, Rue de Laval.
D'autre part.
Was carried out and agreed the following:
Here is the act by which Robert-Houdin

sold his theater and the partial use of his
name to Hamilton, an act in which the irrevocable date of the end of the conjurer's theater performances and the context in which
Sale by M. Robert-Houdin to M, Ghocat.
M. Robert-Houdin hereby sells to M. Ghocat

who accepts:
=156
ACT
-\
4***4yvts fa
Illustration 493 - First page of the sale contract of Soirees Fantastiques between Robert-Houdin and Hamilton on
January 3, 1852.
35"
III
ROBI R I - H O L D I N
PIBLK HE ROBERT MOWIS (UJOIRBHU HAMILTON).
Illustration 494 Hamilton's show by Gustave Dore.
The business, known under the name Soirees

fantastiques de Robert-Houdin, which M. RobertHoudin runs in Paris, 164, Galerie de Valois at the
Palais-National.
lishment, either to remain personally owner of

or use gratuitously, or at a price for his children,
who in this case will have the right to do with it
what they wish.
Along with all objects serving for the decoration and furnishing of the room currently destined for performances, all the mechanical
pieces, automata or other, and in general all the
various objects making up the repertoire and
the operating material of the said establishment.
An inventory of the said objects is attached

after having being accepted as accurate and truthful by the undersigned.
In addition, M. Robert Houdin sells to M.
Ghocat
The right to keep the name of his establishment, for as long as deemed appropriate, as
Soirees Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin.
And to announce and publish under the same
title all performances that he can give in France as
well as abroad with the right to take the title of M.
Robert-Houdin's student.
With the exception of the mechanical piece

called The Vase, whose ownership will remain
M. Robert-Houdin's.
And under the condition by M. RobertHoudin of conserving or having made the duplicate of all mechanical pieces, automata, and
others making up the repertoire of this estab-
But it will be M. Chocat's responsibility:

358
ACT
III
Th^tred'Hamilton.
Illustration 495 Hamilton's Theater. Engraving from L'lllustration, no. 637.
But he will not take possession of or enter

into ownership until the fifteenth January of the
present month.
To indicate in all bills and publications by

whom the performances will be executed.
And not to in any other way or manner use
Price.
The present sale is made for twenty thousand
francs, of which M. Ghocat has presently paid to
M. Robert-Houdin, who recognizes this, in bills
from the Bank of France accepted in cash, the
sum of thirteen thousand six hundred francs.
Concerning the six thousand four hundred
francs owed, M. Ghocat has engaged to pay them
to M. Robert-Houdin by next February first,
without interest until this time.
the name of M. Robert-Houdin.

M. Robert-Houdin making on this subject
no concession to M. Ghocat other than that
resulting from
the aforementioned
stipula-
tions and even conserving the right to use the

title of Soirees fantastiques
de Robert-Houdin
for all performances that he could possibly

give in virtue of the conditions
expressed
below.
Conditions.
The said sale is also carried out at M. Ghocat's
cost who is obliged to:
Honor from next January fifteenth all contracts entered into bv M. Robert-Houdin for in-
Ownership.
M. Ghocat will be the owner of the said establishment and of the objects included in the present sale from this dav on.
359
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Illustrations 496 to i99 - Bank notes of Courtois, Loramus, Voisin, and Adrien. All these bills are plagiarisms of the souvenir
bank note used by Robert-Houdm, Hamilton, and their successors during the Shower of Gold effect (Above and opposite top.)
(Georges Proust, Jacques Voignier, and the author's collections)
Jean Baptiste Bertin, owner, residing in Paris, 13,

Rue de Valois concerning the room and annexes
situated at Palais-National, in 164, Galerie de
Valois following the private agreement dating
from January 15, 1845 in Paris.
surance against fire and for the gaslights and in

general all the operating and other costs of the
said establishment.
Specific Conditions.
It is expressly agreed:
This sale is carried out at the charge of M.

Ghocat who promises to:
That M. Robert-Houdin will have the possibility for a period of two years from January
fifteenth of the present month to exercise his
profession as he sees fit, and to give any performances that he deems appropriate, either
in France (except in Paris and towns included
in a radius of 120 kilometers around this city)
or abroad wherever he wishes.
Honor from the said day of January fifteenth all

the conditions of the said lease, conditions of
which he declared the knowledge by the reading
of the lease.
Then to pay M. Bertin the said rent of the
premises from the said day of January of the present month.
But that beyond this period, M. RobertHoudin will no longer be able to give a single
performance for his profit, either in the interest
of anyone else in France or abroad.
All of this such that M. Robert is not disturbed

or sought out concerning this.
Reimbursement of rent in advance.
Letting it be agreed upon that he will always

keep the right to work and teach his art and to
entertain himself gratuitously; to create or sell
any new creation.
M. Chocat has just reimbursed M. Houdin,

who recognizes this, an amount of two thousand
four hundred francs that the latter paid to
M. Bertin for six months of rent in advance,
chargeable to the last six months of the said
lease.
Lease transfer.
By this present act.
M. Robert-Houdin transfers to M. Ghocat, who
accepts,
Agreement relative to the reestablishment of

the rented space and security deposit.
All his rights as of next January fifteenth, to

the lease expiring on April first eighteen hundred
fifty-four [57] that was concluded with M. Marie
The cession of the lease is also subject to

M. Ghocat's restoration of the premises to its
360
ACT
III
V "
Illustration 500 - Fake bank note used by Robert-Houdln and Hamilton during the Shower of Gold effect.
M. Ghoeat in the operating profits of the theater

be withheld until the amount of five thousand
francs is reached, this sum also to be allocated as
collateral in favor of M. Robert-Houdin.
original state at the expiration of the said

lease.
To this effect and to guarantee to M. RobertHoudin the execution of this engagement,
M. Ghoeat is obliged either to consecrate in the
next fifteen days until the appropriate time, and
as a deposit, the sum of approximately five thousand francs for M. Houdin, or to agree to his first
demand that two thirds of the income due to
The party who is responsible for them will

support the registration fees and other fees and
payments to which the present conventions may
give rise.
Executed in two copies in Paris, January third
361
ROBLRT-HOUDIN
eighteen hundred and fifty-two.

Approved by
Robert Houdin
Approved by
Ghocat: Hamilton
Par atte sous sîns* priv& d

frois Janvier mfJ huit dent cinquan-
We see with what care and with what economy of words Robert-Houdin wrote the agreement of this sale, down to the smallest detail,
including the future careers of his children,
and he allowed no one to choose the date of
his retirement for him, especially the public.
The financial clauses need explanation. Given
its ticket sales, the price of the theater's business - even if there were only twenty-seven
months of lease remaining - seems fairly low
if we add the value of the name Soirees
Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin and the mechanical pieces in the list to follow. This price
was justified above all by the fact that RobertHoudin wanted, as he wrote, his work to remain in the family, even if this caused him a
slight financial disadvantage. We may nonetheless wonder how Hamilton paid RobertHoudin the 22,400 francs without having a
substantial personal fortune. In this case, decisive for his future, Hamilton acted as a smart
businessman, and this must have pleased his
future brother-in-law.
GAT, till HAMILTON , yre*lkitiUilor, d<!tnuraiit a Paris, rue d Lat*J. IS,

Bt un fommanflltaire nomme et
iW'tipufi audit acif,
On I form r. entreetn unr *ociet\
dont la tlure f*t IVt6e a {tia!r* an!?*. <iui coituiMiieeraiti le|uitue
Janvier mil huH eifrt rintjuaniedeux el flntront l< quinze janvier
mil hull cent einquante-m, VJ
stipulation que iri, par iiled*i*vAnctnenft polUiqurtou autren *v'*m*HMSiii tie force majeure, m nnmi*
par iulte de maladtf, M. Chocat rt
irc^ illnlirrftm|>r .<'* sânce^, lu
nocield *ra j)rori>/w peiulant
uu
temps ^jjai ifa<lurUitasH**penitori.
Cette >*)fieie a pour objel l'e\ploitation lu cabttwt roiinu sous W
hoin te *oirV fantanUffuttsrtt*KOpur M. f)litwe
l
Kile
cat tetfl
Vahi.<, id4, c( *Me c y U ' r a sms hi

ntison HHi.ilt4lur,AT *! t>,
M. ChoCftl p|nn!' a tit noriele *
d i
l
UriuHiitur rt
Hamilton had found a silent partner named

M. Belluot, who first advanced him the sum of
10,000 francs and later added a complementary
sum of 6,000 francs. In exchange for these
16,000 francs, M. Belluot became the owner of
fifty percent of a limited partnership in which
Hamilton included his conjuring business, his
industrial equipment, his lease, etc., evaluated
at 20,000 francs. Once the costs and salaries of
Hamilton were deducted, the income from the
theater was allocated to the reimbursement of
M. Belluot's funds, and the remaining profits
were then equally distributed between the two
associates. The duration of this society was
limited to four years, beginning on January 15,
inillc fraiiri.
l.t* commanditair^ appnrte ;V'la

iAt^ (lit captUf le <ltv millt*
i H vorjse en *>p*:* a
M,
Pour **Ji*aH
j
cent {*iitjuaivt'-ttt'u\.
.
mil htttl
OHO:AT H
Illustration 501 Legal publication of the statutes of the

company created by Hamilton and his shareholder
M. Belluot. (Archives nationales)
362
ACT
Illustration 502 First page of Hamilton and Amelie Charlotte Braconnier's wedding contract. (Archives national
363
III
ROBFRT-HOUDIN
1852, date of the official ownership of the theater by Hamilton, and ending January 15, 1856.
At the end of the period, if M. Belluot had
been reimbursed, which was the case,
Hamilton would assume full ownership of
Soirees Fantastiques. Hamilton paid the remaining amount to Robert-Houdin by a document of private agreement signed when he
married Amelie Braconnier. We may remember
that for the wedding contract of Olympe
Braconnier and Robert-Houdin, he had agreed
to manage his wife's jointly held assets.
Recognizing her son-in-law's managerial abilities. Olympe's mother, and also her sister
Amelie, asked him to invest their assets.
Robert-Houdin therefore had the responsibil-
ity, at this time, of the majority of the assets of

Amelie Braconnier's dowry. With his wife's
agreement, Hamilton could in this way free
himself from his debt to Robert-Houdin without having to outlay cash at the time of the
wedding contract or during the sale of the theater. [58]
This is how Hamilton, therefore, thanks to a
generous silent partner, a happy marriage,
and the friendly complicity and wise advice of
his brother-in-law, became manager, operator,
and soon sole owner of the famous Soirees
Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin.
With the signing of the sale, a list was compiled of the mechanical elements and other
items that were to become Hamilton's property:
Illustrations 503 and 504 - Original engraved brass printing plates of the souvenir fan and bill for Soirees Fantastiques
reprinted in Le CagHostro.
ACT III
State of the objects making up the repertoire of

the establishment of M. Robert-Houdin and included in his sale of this establishment to
M. Ghocat, known as Hamilton:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
The Chinese House.

The Transparent Gashbox.
The Horn of Plenty.
Cabalistic Drying.
Instantaneous Impression.
The Crystal Balls.
The Glove Column.
The Hunter.
The Birth of Flowers.
The Punch.
Diavolo Antonio.
Suspension.
Invisibility.
The Surprising Handkerchief.
The Miraculous Fishing.
The Turtledoves.
The Clock.
The Ball of Wool.
The Portfolio.
The Inexhaustible Bottle.
The Light and Heavy Chest.
The Magnetic Ecstasy.
The Jewels.
The Complete Polyorama.
The Second Sight.
The Ethereal Suspension.
The Garland.
The Orange Tree.
Auriol.
SOIREES FANTASTIQIES
Tous les soirs ahuit hexires seance deM- HAMILTON
Illustration 505 - Advertisement for Hamilton in 1852.

(Private collection)
Rue det Gres, 10 (place <lu Vaattiecs}.
The last three pieces will be delivered in a time

limit that cannot exceed six months for the first
two and one year for the last.
Executed in two copies in Paris
Approved by
Robert Houdin
Approved by
Chocat Hamilton
, (tsneitnt,
GRANDE StANGE FANTASTIQIIE

B S ROBJESBW
PAR HAMILTON,
ttvee intci'iiiidcs de masiqae;

i<iim CEDVBE I I
In perusing this list, we realize that RobertHoudin did not sell the totality of his mechanical pieces to Hamilton. Besides The
Enchanted Vase or The Genie of the Roses, a
few other automata such as The Pastrycook
of Palais-Royal, Pierrot in the Egg, The Ladies'
365
Ge Billet esl vaUble pour u a e personne, ou deus jeuneR Eievcs on Enfiti

l.ts persoonee qui condiment lei Îfevea aont aiimusi
Illustration 506 - Performance given by Hamilton in 1853

for a charity benefit. (BfbHotbSque de r.lrseiuil)
ROBFRT-HOUDIN
arrivals and departures between France and

abroad, and depending on the programs established for his tours, Robert-Houdin borrowed
for a time some of the mechanical pieces that
were now a part of the repertoire sold to
Hamilton. The theater had become a family
business and the two men could always count
on each other.
Favorite, The Fascinating Owl, etc. are not included in the list. For his future tours, RobertHoudin made copies of all the apparatus, small
and large, as well as duplicates of stage elements: tables, side tables, consoles, and certain
automata whose working, for traveling shows,
was not based on the exact principles used at
Palais-Royal. It is likely that, upon each of his
Lanteme magique! pitce curieuse!
Illustration 50" - Portrait of Hamilton.
366
ROBERT-HOUDIN
The Final Flames

In November 1851, after an eighteen-year absence, Bosco returned to Paris, where he performed at the Casino des Arts, 12, Boulevard
Montmartre, at the end of the month. In January
1852 Le Charivari published the following account of his performance:
It is under the impression of surprise caused by
the marvelous skill of this artist that we write
these few lines. When he came to Paris for the first
time eighteen years ago, Bosco already seemed to
be the most skillful of conjurers known and his
tricks dazzled everyone. We were therefore curious to compare the Bosco of 1852 to the Bosco of
1832. Let us flatter ourselves by saying that, far
from having lost, Bosco has considerably gained
talent. The multitude of experiments carried out
during the soiree that we have just attended truly
astounded the entire audience, and to speak of
only one, which Bosco considers a prelude, we will
say that the disappearance of the invisible balls
[sic] shows something so diabolical that if we lived
in another century, we would willingly believe in
wizards. [59]
This performer, whom journalists deemed

with a certain tenderness "the veteran of conjuring," had changed neither his repertoire nor
his decor. Bosco performed before Napoleon
III and his court on March 16 before returning
to his tour. Alexandrine Bosco, his daughter,
was probably referring to this prestigious performance when she wrote the following lines
to her famous father:
Through lucky chance the Warsaw gazette fell

into my hands and I learned with great pleasure
that you have been invited by Her Majesty
Empress Eugenia. I do not doubt the success that
you had at the French court and I congratulate
you, dear father. I hope that your business is going
well and that you will soon be able to leave this
wandering life... [>]
Le Charivari informs us, in no. 18 of the

month of January, that: "The chameleon-like soirees of M. Linski and M. Deveaux continue to be
the meeting place of today's high society," which
of course we do not doubt for an instant.
In a letter by Robert-Houdin addressed to an
unknown person, dated January 4, 1852, he
concluded in the following manner: "...I will
tell you that having sold my establishment I
Illustration 508 - Bosco the conjurer.

A portrait of Bosco published in the Nice newspaper
Passepartout. December 4. 1859 and reprinted in
Auguste Driouxs Passez Muscade, March 1935
368
ACT
Illustration 509 - Robert-Houdin's profile by Dantan. (Chateau de la Vllle de Blots)
369
III
ROBFRI-HOUDI\T
GALERIE DE VALOIS. 164.

ittttnmtx
PALAIS-NATIONAL.
tmvrirtmt a 7 hrltrtt |i*jt.
RUE DE VALOIS. 13
<tva>U $****(**, l*A*y*s-'"<
i MewriMii Ok Janvier 185*2.
I'Wtrii, .1 ft". A i m
SOIREES FAKTASTIQUES
ROBERT HOUDIW
ILLUSIONS, SUBTILITES, IWAGIE
AUTOMATES.
PRESTIDIGITATION.
DIMANCHE PROCHAIN
DEUX SEANCES
In prtwim a % hearts, In trwndt a H hmre* <Ui toir.
\, ROBERT HODDIN SE CHARGE DES SOIREES PARTICDLIERES.
Illustrations 510 and 511 - Sole example of the third and final bill for Robert-Houdin at the Palais-National.
On this bill, as unique as the two preceding ones. Robert-Houdin wrote these words : 'Next to lastperformane, I departed on
January
7 5, lb'52 ' (Chateau de la Vllle de Slots)
3^0
ACT
III
am leaving for England in three weeks..."

Although Robert-Houdin confided his theater
to Hamilton after the January 15th performance,
it was not his last performance on the stage
of Soirees Fantastiques. [f>A Although he had
already stopped performing in his theater for
three weeks, Robert-Houdin, pressed by the
demand of the Parisian public, was obliged
to give a final goodbye performance on
Thursday, February 5, 1852:
Before definitively leaving his theater, which
he has sold to M. Hamilton, M. Robert-Houdin will
perform tomorrow, Thursday, a final show of his
most interesting experiments, among them the famous inexhaustible bottle trick.
Avant dc quitter definitivement son [tluVitro,

qu'i! acedia M. Hamilton, M. Robert Houdin donnera domain Jemh tine derniere representation des
experiences les plus iiiteressantes de son repertoire,
parmi Jesquelles sera le fameux true dc la lxmtei'.le
inepuisalile.
ff
Illustration 512 - Letter by Robert-Houdin.

Letter b\ the artist to an unknown correspondent, informing him of the sale of the theater and his departure for
England.
The historian Sam H. Sharpe writes in Salu-
tations to Robert-Houdin that he found no documents testifying to performances of RobertHoudin in 1852. but he does not exclude the
possibility that he performed in the English
provinces. This supposition seems to be confirmed by a short article published in June 1852
in issue no. 166 of Le Charivari:
Robert-Houdin, the famous conjurer, is currently traveling in England. The newspapers are
filled with details of the success obtained by this
artist, who, it is said, is going to retire after this trip.
Paris will never again see his marvelous performances, but will remember them for a long time.
Robert Houdin , le ceUbre prestidigiuteur,
Toj*ge en c moment en Angleterrc. Le* journtux
nt reraplu de details oblenus par cet artiste qui
doit, dit-ou, k 1* suite de ce voyage se rctirer. Paris
ne verm plus set inervcillcuscs trances, niais en
conserve lougtemps le souvenir.
4972
Setour da pbyBicien Boseo. Leôas anx amatenis.
Sites done, monsieur Boaco, votis quI^tesEt raalin ,
cst-ce qua VQBSDC pouirios pascharpr ir.onligbit COU-
Illustrations 514 and 515 - Bosco by Nadar.

Portraits by Nadar entitled Return of Bosco the Conjurer.
published in Petits Albums pour rire, no. 9.
371
ROBERT-HOUDIN
After these performances in England, we find

Robert-Houdin in Scotland, where he gave a series of performances in the Waterloo Rooms in
Edinburgh, starting on Monday, June 14, 1852.
WATERLOO ROOWS, EDIMTR.

Tor
sm
i r 3K"l.gg:ia<.;ai
UNDER THE imiTIEDIATE PATRONAGE OF
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN

H. K. H. PKIXCB ALBERT, * THE ROYAL % FAMILY,
AHtf as represented &J eoBlmanS at the PnUee of S4 James', sad
This was perhaps the beginning of a new tour

in the British Isles, where Robert-Houdin had
already performed for a few months in 1849.
In Paris on the 17th, the annual closing of
Soirees Fantastiques was announced - for renovation work - and the departure of Hamilton on
tour, "whom directors of theaters in the provinces
have already monopolized." His series of performances in the provinces lasted the entire summer
of 1852. He debuted at the Theatre de Versailles
on Thursday June 24, before performing in
Orleans, Tours, Lyon, [62] and Bordeaux.
AT A M J THE COURTS OF ECROPE.

- Aujounliuii jeiuli, 17 juiii, .Mure ilf
fanUsliqiiM de Robert lowliit, |H>nr CIUM; tloivparation. Les Uirccteurs ,|,-$ tlu'iUros uV prounte
out tlej.i acca\vn> If c.-Ubrf |.rv9>tutiiatftir JHHItUnl qu'on cmUMira sa oliannanto \H-HU- salU'. M.
Hamilton conunoncrra aujounl'liut jcutli par lc
tMAlre de Versailles, jmis Orleans Tours, Ljon,
HOUDIN!
TS1 CSLBBIUTKD
French Conjuror
Bordeaux.
Proprietor & Manigw of the Paiais-Rojal

WILL OITITheatre,
AflUUKtOF fclatoofStJinuis'"
MAGIC SOIREES
Illustration 518 - Hamilton press release.

=,
Monday, June 14, 1852.

rOH WHICH A SELECTION WILL UK GIVEN E4CII EVEHIKB
To HtlhvA of Flower*
Ttt Coarealsun of raUU-EojM
The lajlc Hopper
ThetaMUneoui ettiorpIl
ImpoMiWUiy reallied
Tke Iron CfBini
Tut airrelliu! Orse Tree
IlistelontEom
T nftM j (tcrl o si w
mtlMietUetau*
n B A O I l l l l
Th CinJtiU j g
. : I t e SporBmiB na Cnpld
- lbe (niUnUoejM lmprelila
3 * The CrnMl Halls
The Column MMUI
Dluals Inttnlo (leohule Fleet)

The Transparent CjiiUt
IntliiollUT, or DUipp taranee of the The IaeikuuUble Bottle
Thefilassor U'tue, or the Secret of
Tie Sjmpiihclle Torlle Dora
cmrnbaiullM
The IneliantHl Crsfftt. proiuelHR The atrscaini TSherj
Me eraote, UmoB, Bjld Walnut
Fulhen, e,, te
The UntlHlteil Jlulllpliultei or
The S i i a r k i f
SoTerebjin
Tie ei4 Ssm, irillisit inj metDie Eill-rtnscr (Mwtanlt Fleet)
IheHomrbiket
Toe hxltullnt t)l
The !Eepollun HurietslB
Tke a l e PotKollo
The luatl n i l Cmmn Mil
Tbc Ball of lambs' VTool
The treat beaaotagt
Aarlol (KeebMltJl Plt)
The eitaaauie UcxfUe of m Aulo- The Kmprror SleSolt)
The Two LfiMon!
The Plianli FockM HMdkerehlef
The Ariel Ctaek
The>8leTaWeu
ThcS
TfeeTonngSaTOjanlcaeehanlerieee) The aagBette Sssrt
THE! WONDROUS PUNCH BOWL,

D w <gMA <rf Ealf-fati Smtt; Performance to commence at a Qaarttr-patt Eight o'clock.
AdmissionStalls, 3s; Reserved Seats, 2a; Back Seats, %B; Gallery, 6d,
Family Tickets, admitting Four to Stalls, 10s 6rt.
Oifinreo under ten years of age, to Stigma and UA Beats, Hnir-prlce,
A GRAND MORNING PERFORMANCE

ON S A T U K B A V , J U N E 1 9 , 1802, A T T W O O'CLOCK.
Boon open at Half past One.
Jl lUKOVJOt KWtCT
Illustration 51" - Robert-Houdin at the Waterloo Rooms in

E d i n b u r g h . (Harry Ran&nn Humanities Research Center University of
Texas. Austnu
Robert-Houdin returned to Saint-Gervais to

be with his wife, who gave birth to Rosalie
Eglantine on October 5, 1852. [63] The presence at The Priory of the sculptor Jean-Pierre
Dantan, friend of Robert-Houdin, prolonged
the festivities of the happy event. The skillful
caricaturist drew a humorous portrait in which
he depicted himself in a scene with Eglantine
and Robert-Houdin, for whom he designed a
false nose, allowing him to add the following
caption to his drawing:
What a singular adventure!!! /
I am so surprised / searching your face / for what
makes you a caricature / Ah! I see! It is a nouveaune [Newborn/new nose]. [<>*}
The conjurer would not savor the calm of
The Priory for long because in February 1853,
he returned to England.
In Robert-Houdin's archives, I have found
the preparatory draft of a summary of the chapter concerning this tour, which was supposed
ACT
III
>
Illustration 519 - Dantan, Robert-Houdin, and Eglantine by Dantan.
come great success, the Queen has asked for me,

obliged to leave.
London, customs. Letter from the Queen, formalities - Preparation of the performance - 24 hours
without eating, the groping for dinner episode, the
servant's fear. The servant with epaulettes (Colonel).
Performance at St. James's, success, Linsky - His
misadventure, his bills, etc... fair, etc... the Zulu
Kafirs, the German troupe. Rachel. Goodbye to
to be part of the original structure of his memoirs. This text, without being devoid of interest,
also raises a few questions:
Travels February 1853
Abbeville testing of the setting - Two very successful performances. Amiens, Robert Orville, cold hands,
great success.
Lille, the Scrives - Playbills in carriages, small in373
ROBERT-HOUDIN
SALLE OE L'ASSOCIATION MUSICALE

HUE ESQUEBMOISE,
79.
ROBERT MOUDIN
Prestidigitateur du Palais-Royal, a Paris
LE MERVEILLEUX BOL OE PUNCH,

Experience entierement nouvelle invented par lui.
LA FAMEUSE BOUTEILLE INEPUISABLE.

M. ROBERT-HOUDIN s'engage a fairs sortir d'une bouteille vide
toutes les liqueurs possibles connue* jusqu'a ce jour etdans des quantity
illiwite'es. Cette EXPERIENCE est de son invention.
LE CARTON DIABOLIQUE.
ImpossibilitydeTenuepossible.D'un carton a desisin extrtmement mince,
aortent, en profusion : des chapeaux de dame s, des casseroles rempliea
d'eau, de feu , de haricots, des tourterelles vivantes et une e"DOrme cage
remplie d'oiseaux.
LA CORNE D'ABONDANCE,
Produisant une avalanche de bonbons, fleurs, albums, joumaux comlques,
^ventatls, destinies, surprises, etc.
LOR ANGER MYSTER1EUX,

Naissance instantane*e de fleurs odorantes et de fruits ddlicieux.
Illustration 520 - Bill for Robert-Houdin in Lille, March 1853.
374
ACT
Melchel, souvenirs.
Travels in the provinces. Herfort [sic], the three
spectators. Cambridge, my name usurped, great success.
</
all
"/
tion with my performance.

You see, dear Dantan, that I speak with you as
to a good friend, telling you details that would bore
anyone but you.
I will begin my performances at St. James's on
Easter Monday; Mitchell's French troupe will perform in Liverpool that week. Lafont is part of it.
Ravel is leaving the theater today to go to Paris. He
gave a series of very successful performances.
I hope that you will write to me in order to
amuse this poor traveler who misses his little St.
Gervais, but let us have patience, this is the last
journey; a bit of courage and we will come ashore.
Adieu, dear Dantan, I warmly shake your hand
and express my family's remembrance of friendship.
Yours,
Robert-Houdin
? "*;/
'/*****
-^,./^
*. ^'~/^<. p
, y.
... Ay
; :
III
::
The preparatory draft of the chapter summary

quoted earlier shows that the "groping for dinner''
episode and the sen-ant in epaulettes, which
Robert-Houdin situated in December 1848 on
pages 223 to 225 of the second volume of his
memoirs, actually took place in 1853- This seems
Illustration 521 Draft of a chapter heading of RobertHoudin's memoirs.

This is how we learn that the conjurer performed in Abbeville and Amiens [65] prior to
Lille, [65] where he gave two shows on Saturday
the 12th and Sunday the 13* of March in the
Salle de l'Association Musicale. On March 18,
the artist gave his fourth Royal Performance before Queen Victoria for the fifth birthday of Her
Royal Highness Princess Louise, the sovereign's
youngest daughter. [66] in a letter to his friend
Dantan, Robert-Houdin describes the performance and repeats the quatrain that he wrote
for the princess:
r:"""
' /
;:^
The month that gave you birth

Will return joyously to salute you one hundred
times
And one hundred times in gratitude
Will you welcome the most beautiful of your
months.
1 <&-
f
(V
7T
Robert-Houdin continues:
^ :
The queen enjoyed reading this quatrain to

Prince Albert and thanked me with a gracious
smile. At the end of the performance she sent her
personal secretary to me to express her satisfac-
/i
a.
Illustrations 522 and 523 - Letter from Robert-Houdin addressed to Dantan from London in 1853.
3-5
ROBIRI-HOI'DIN
DURING
THE EASTER
THE CELEBRATED
more likely, given that the trip from Lille to

London in less than three or four days, and the
preparation of the performance for the Queen
would require a twenty-four hour fast! The author
therefore probably described the Royal Performance in his memoirs based on events that took
place during two separate performances, We must
also note that, in this draft, Robert-Houdin situated
the Hereford episode and the three spectators in
1853, although in his memoirs they supposedly
took place during the 1849 season. The author
makes our mouths water with the English misadventures of De Linsky, the details of which we
would have liked to know. He wrote that his name
was usurped in Cambridge but added: "great success." This type of usurpation of names was one of
the scourges of the era, and many magicians of that
time suffered from the misadventure of being preceded in cities of the provinces by unscrupulous
"imitators" who changed names as quickly as they
abandoned the audience once the cashbox was
filled! A former clown named Henry Graham made
it his specialty to usurp the names of famous artists.
As soon as a renowned conjurer performed in
London, Graham "took" his name and sometimes
even his "accent" during his tours in England.
Thus, he passed for Anderson, Frikell, Philippe,
and apparently Robert-Houdin. [67]
WEEK,
PRESTIDIGITATEUR,
The "real" Robert-Houdin started his London

season at the Saint James's Theater at Easter. It
began on Monday March 28 and was to end on
Saturday April 2. The conjurer performed every
evening and gave a matinee show three times a
week. E.L. Blanchard, drama critic and longtime
magic enthusiast, attended one of RobertHoudin's performances on April 19- He wrote
the following sentence in his diary: "I was enchanted by him; he is, by the way, truly the best
magician that I have ever seen." M He announced his farewell to the stage, but the
English public forced the artist to prolong his
performances until Saturday April 28, when he
gave his last show on the stage of the Saint
WILL EXHIBIT HIS
EXTRAOBD1NABY
EVERY EVENING,
AND ON
WEDNESDAY
& SATURDAY
MORNINGS.
Illustrations 524. 525 and 526 - Bills for Robert-Houdin at the

Saint James's Theater, March and April 1853.
(Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas, Austin)
376
ACT
James's Theater, which he was forced to leave in

spite of public demand. The manager, John
Mitchell, had previously signed a contract with
the great actress Rachel, who was to succeed
him onstage. Keeping his friend's best interests
in mind, so that he could continue to benefit
from his successful run, John Mitchell arranged
an agreement for him at the Sadler's Wells
Theatre, where the French conjurer performed
until May 14. [69]

TERMINATION OF
HOrfSIEUR
ROBERT-HOUDIN.
THIS MARVELLOUS ENTERTAINMENT
After having apparently completed a short

farewell tour in the English provinces, RobertHoudin returned to France, where he gave,
among others, three performances in Strasbourg.
Here is one of his announcements:
Will Urmmatt i Ikt fillming mitr .
TUESDAY EVENING
- APRIL 2 6 t h ;
LAST
Day Performance^
on
WEDNESDAY MORNING, APRIL 2 7 t h ;

in A
REPRESENTATION EXTRAORDINAIRE,
On Thurtdag Evening, April 28i,
lUMa tarn i n

DURING
EASTER
BENEFIT OF MONSR HOUDIN,
WEEK
AND
ms
FABEVLL
rosrrmsLY
APPEAEAHOK AT THI8 TEEATEE.
Door* p*. EVENING
*i EIGHT ;
MORNING, ml TWO.
PREMI&RE P ARTIE.
t SOLDAT amutram.
MTtTBWBPX.
DM
BT EXPBKB8 C0MM4SB OF
LBS TQgKTBiatJ.a.
Ltt aarrm* am OMUTAJL.
L3B YASm OU LB QEHU D H XOtU.
HUE HOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY THE QUEEN,

AT B0CK1XGHAJI PALACE,
DEUXI^ME PARTIE.
U N BODLBS DS OBZ8TAL.
(1KAHDX I I R t l DB TOVSg S'AIUUWU.
LA If AltSAKOB DBS FLKOUL
LA TBAMIPOnTlOK IKSTAMTAXmm.
LA PLUIB D'OBLA OUIKLAKDB BKOHAimAl
fCKFBUBI POOR U ! DAHBS,
THOI61AHE PARTtE.
LB MEUVMtLBtTX BOWL DB
LX 0OKBAT DBS BIJUSBHTS,
LB FBTIT TOK BHSOXOBLLH.
On the occuj-iiiit of the BIBTHBAT of H.R.H. THE PBIXCWS LOUISA,
F E I D A Y , I H A S C H 18th, 1853,
WIU exhibit hia 'Wonderful IN-prcscntAtion* at the above Theatre, daring
Bt
Wk
E V E R Y
E V E N I N G ,
At hatf-jvut Li i/it u'cloek,
A DAY PERFORMANCE,
WEDNESDAY ASD SATrT!DA.Y MOBNINGS
Cominttii i'i'1 at hnJt*txnt TKU o'eloe'i
TBS OBOHE8TR.4 WILL PERFORM

"THIS KKtPBSORI POLKA," evrnpowd by THOMAS SOLT, Ihq.
THE HXW "OAITAKMT WALTZ,'' ( H I ) by BMXLT A. WALKEX
"fBl
LOUIti VOLtA,," compMoJ hr Mr.T. DROWHB.
LJUOKK
Ur. CHARLES HAIX, Of Her M.jwtj 1 . ThtK.)
STALLS, 7 s .
BOXBS, At,
PIT, g i .
OALLKXT, I t .
PRIVATE BOXS, 1 t*. / J U d i , a 3 ki.
Mr. M t T O a x L L I ItOYAL^ LIBBJUt?, 0 3 3 , OU B N < Strwi:
H..HI. KHITK * PKQWiE'Ji MUB1O W&RHUOUSE, 41, onEAPSIOK, uJ
Th* 8 U Offlct of tht Tb#a(r, which t . epsa <Uj, froc. 11 till 5 o'oluck
377
III
ROBERT-HOUDIN
ROBERT HOUDIN'S
LAST NIGHT
IN ENGLAND.
POSITIVELY xan LAM* i n NIGHTS or
ML ROBERT
mS
ttOBfcRT-IIOUDIN beg to MmauBeni hii
Farewell Seance
AT THE ABOVE THEATRE. 0"
SATURDAY EVENING.
THIS
OBOSWEra MORE atjOtafBESEWT PRICES
SERIES of MAGICAL
APRIL 28,
, mHY ft 1053. and Even Ettnisg Daring the Week.
BEI-NG MOST POSITIVELY HIS
LAST REPRESENTATION
IN THIS COUNTRY,
Oing in IK cwnmrocmem <* I'U Ei>gag<ra*ni st U.s TbMrre Si. Hubert,
flnu.llw.
Tbe Programme on this occasion will comprise, the

same Experiments as Performed before HER 1HAJE3TY.
H.K.II. PRINCE ALBERT, THE! ROYAL FAMILY, and
the COURT, at BUCKINGHAM PALACE.
i'j qwn a< ?#!< u'efock: the ErtttTtammtKl
I Malf-patl Elgkt
TbeFredaetlenef Fiewera.
The Knatantaneona Vrsupealtiam
The dolden Sheerer.
Tbe Knehafited alarland of riowerat
JTemaerftU inrDrlae In > laalee.
Vtae Intrepid Soldtr,

Vhe Animated CardM.
Vhe naxrellou* Oranc* Vre*.
Vbe"aflpUBtopbelea"Teleoop.
*he Travelling nztl Dovo*.
&e Transparent Oiyatol MeK.
*he floafcetlener.
Tbe amasnanatlbte So wl or
ECtl\D l'.4T.
EbobertnoHdln's rertroUo
Vne Crystal Balls, or ajreat Merles mstoalsblns Invisibility.
ef Slight ef Hand Vrloks.
Dress Cirtle, 3*. Boxes, - 3s.
**lt, # Is. tSallery - 6d.
f,rtnt''y.
L'B BOYAL I.IStAKT, t. OLD BO
FRIVATfl BOXES,
Illustration 527 - Bill for Robert-Houdin's last performance

at the Saint James's Theater, Saturday, April 28,
1 8 5 3 * (Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas.
l. Is. J < Hi. 6d
Illustration 528 Bill for Robert-Houdin's performances at

Sadler's Wells, May 1853. From The Unmasking of RobertHoudin by Harry Houdini.
AustinJ
Saturday, August 6, 1853:

THEATRE DE STRASBOURG
Directed by M. HALANZIER
Tomorrow Sunday, August 7, 1853, the third and absolutely last performance of:
SOIREES FANTASTIQ.UES
de
R O B E R T - H O U D I X
In this last performance, M. Robert-Houdin will perform feats never seen before, such as:
THE MARVELOUS PUNCH BOWL!
A completely new trick, shown for the first time on March 18th before Her Majesty Queen
Victoria.
And, at the request of a great number of people:
THE INEXHAUSTIBLE BOTTLE!
M. Robert-Houdin, in the presence of the public, after having emptied and rinsed a simple bottle of Bordeaux, promises to pour out, with the greatest profusion, all liquors known to this day.
The performance begins at 8 o'clock and ends at 10 o'clock. Usual rates.
ACT
Jacques Voignier, who discovered the text of

this announcement, later published in L'Escamoteur, reminded Robelly's readers that RobertHoudin evoked his passage through Alsace on
page 192 of The Secrets of Conjuring and Magic:
"I remember that on one occasion, when performing in the theater at Strasbourg, I threw one
of the little sketch-books from my Horn of Plenty
right across the chandelier to the spectators in the
upper gallery and gained tremendous applause for
the boldness of the feat."
The artist went through Belgium and Germany
and performed in Liege on September 7. and in
Baden, Wiesbaden, Hamburg, Ems, Aix-LaChapelle, and Spa in front of brilliant assemblies
honored by the presence of the reigning princes
of the German Confederation. The conjurer then
went to fill a six-week engagement in Berlin, contracted with M. Engel, the popular manager of the
Kroll Theater. These performances were so successful that they were extended for three months
and ran from November 1853 to February 1854.
Here is an example of what the German press
wrote about Robert-Houdin:
III
fttoll'ft (ftabliffetnent.
onntag ben 6. gm WnijJf.: (g>ed)flC S o l r C C
fantastique be$ #crrn SRobtxt

oubin, Prestidigitateurjjp
Palais-Royal
a l a i s y au$tt ,tn29lbt&,
ifliffe b i
g<MHr: 3um eiRen Walt: ^ ûmOtifliftfee
CulWel In 2 Sften SrttAn. Gjnauf: Sluf

gtaale be 3i bet Duet iJuCtO 01 j J a m m e t m Q ,
3Ru| t>on SXmijettl SORarfdÔtpOUttl oon SDJaffat, 3u
nfam): t . (SonCt uut. wtf. it bS Untett Sntne
in ben Sin. 10 fflt., Scan, u. nntere Sti6 15fet.,Bumnlrti
IWiSSc 15 ft.. Odew St. 20 for. Knf. b. &>' 4 Uljt,
anontofl b. 7.3m msir.: <ltbtntt
Soiree
fantastique be0 ^crrn 9i.ôuMnift

SeCtbe, aiptufteae mlt tl in 1 ft, . Sfltimann. ietauf:
3 e toiler le bcffcr! i *otpouni. a. onwbi 3u

anfana- r . OHCCtt unt. petf, ttt. b. Unterj. Dwife wie
finb SiOetJ au refer. SiWiHttn * 15 fflt. febiefe
b Wen gflberiS u.3
6 uw, bt oort. 6 | tnt.

ICtaffag bn 8. 3m
fant. bcS J^rn. 05. $oubm in

SBorterpm 1. Oak: ^ i ^ t e Ultb 2 ! a n
i aft o. 0tiur. 3u nf. fflt. OUCCtt.
Dem
(ftobliffetnent.
bd
etenn an, ta
Illustrations 530 and 531 - Advertisements for Soirees Fantastiques

de Robert-Houdin at the Theatre Kroll in Berlin.
FIG. 100.
nutip, flntanfl b a l l ) 7
etobKjfement.
S o n n t a g ben 13. 3 mJKnfflSfaal:
ftcn c6urt3fcicr^rcr SKajcjidt bet

.8tnbpaintner. liictauf:
o.gtau 8ublo. iOajn: ^
.3^. agntann,
J
unb breije^nte Soiree fantastigjtie

beS ^ r ii. K. ^ o u b i n, Prestidigi fateuroom Palais-Royal au8$PatiS
in 2 aMii. ssoriiet: ni.aft bopr: S5ct2iebe8tronf,
5Kufif sononijettl (Selcow fit. Wolben,fietjoBf.jfam

metfanger sent ftoft!)eatcr m (Soburfl. n!8 aft.) îerauf:
Ouoettiitc jutopet SBil^clm Sell. Kofdni. 3u an.

fang @f.oncett unt. pctf. clt. btj Unterj. (Stitrw ju best
Sfien 10 f., Sofltn u. uittm ISriWhte tS fgt^ nummetlrte
ISPJ! 15 \V- ObefSittiflne 20 fat, BST &if. bc8 CPIIC.
j 4 Uljt, bet Sort. 5 i Ubt.
3
ae^nteSoiree fantast
Illustration 529 - The Marvelous Punch Bowl by RobertHoudin. Engra\ ing from Later Magic by Professor
Hoffmann
3"9
ROBFRT-HOUDIN
ager Engel/angel], he is at any rate a kind spirit

and as he is particularly gallant with the ladies, he
is definitely a gallant spirit...in a word, HOUDIN is
the man who enlightens us on everything, on religion, morality, politics. Indeed, is it not absolutely
natural that the magician from Palais-Royal be associated with the man of the Tuileries, that the
sorcerer who performs with his cards incredible
tricks of passe-passe also imagined the charter
trick, that the conjurer who makes everything disappear has also conjured away democrats, and finally, is it not reasonable to think that HOUDIN,
who transforms everything he touches, has also
transformed the Republic into an Empire?
The first announcements of the arrival of the

famous conjurer HOUDIN from PARIS aroused extreme curiosity in Berlin of 1853.
The question "Who is HOUDIN?" temporarily
erased the Oriental question that had up until
then been preoccupying. The crowd headed towards KROLL [The Kroll theater] on foot, or in
long rows of carriages and coaches, and all were
afraid there would be no more tickets. N. BAHN,
describing the grand event, says that the "royal
hall" was full.
Finally, the moment arrived and the curtain rose.
The public saw a charming and elegant "Boudoir
fantastique" [70] brightly lit, which only showed
to the avid crowd three tables upon which there was
nothing to see. Then, an elegant gentleman in a
black suit appeared, addressed the tense, curious
crowd, in French, "Commenga sa seance" [70]
[Begin the performance] and the puzzle was unscrambled; M. HOUDIN revealed he is a player of
tricks, a conjurer, "Voila tout" [That is all], [71]
Who is this HOUDIN? Is he a conjurer? You

theater owners, come to Berlin and ask your colleague ENGEL and you will exclaim: "This devil,
we need him!" [72]
The author, probably very moved by the welcome he received from the German public,
wrote in his memoirs: ''...I could not have taken
a more brilliant leave of the public: for, probably, I had never seen greater crowds run to my
performances. Thus the reception I obtained
from the Berliners will ever remain one of my
pleasantest reminiscenses."'
A sad event darkened this farewell tour: the
premature death, ten days after his birth, of his
son Henri Louis, [73] born in Saint-Gervais on
November 2, whose brief godmother and godfather were Louise Martin and Hamilton.
However, when the first feat ended to a thunder

of applause, everyone realized this conjurer was
not a mountebank but an artist in the highest
sense of the word, full of elegance and a perfection
that has never been reached and who does not
take advantage of a foreign name to arouse curiosity, but who fully deserves the title of conjurer.
Trick after trick, the applause increased. All
over, people whispered, "This is not a man, this is
a magician, a spirit." We believe this, too, but as
he only consorts with angels [Pun: theatre man-
380
ACTF. Ill
Illustration 532 - Extract o f baptismal certificate o f Henri Louis Robert-Houdin. (Parish archives of the Egitse Saint RochJ
38]
NOTES TO ACT III
1.
One may note that in 1845 on
the ground floor floor of 164.
Galerie de Valois, there was a
watchmaking namesake of the
conjurer. His name was Henri
Robert - 1795-1874 - and he is
recorded as having a five-year
patent "for new watches with second hands, for practical and scientific observations, and new dials
applicable to these watches and to
clocks sold in stores." Later, his
son. also named Henri, made a
name for himself by manufacturing Mysterious Clocks whose principle was completely different
from that of Robert-Houdin. but

which closely resembled the
Aerial Clock used on the master's
stage, a feat the brilliant clockmaker had surely applauded in his
youth. 164, Galerie de Valois was
truly a fateful address!
2.
dt., p. 237.
3.
illustration 533 - Henri Robert's

Mysterious Clock.
383
The chief of the 2nd office of the

Prefecture de Police, the bureau
handling theaters, was at this time a
certain M. Simonnet. He probably
ROBERT-HOUDIN
never played the role attributed to

him by Robert-Houdin in his memoirs.
4.
Feuilleton du Cagliostro. Revue
critique, historique. chronologique.
et artistique des Prestidigitateurs.
Escamoteurs, et Continuateurs depuis lew origine jusqud nos jours.
Manuscript of Robert-Houdin. 30
pages, circa 1845-1850.
As noted by Robert-Houdin.
Comte's moral qualities did not
prevent The king's Conjurer from
competing unfairly through an intermediary, with his newly established colleague. As early as
December 18^5 M. Comte announced at the Theatre des Jeunes
Ele\ es "One hour of magic" presented by the conjurer Casimir
Belmas - Lassaigne's magic professor - who proposed a Magic
Orange Tree (!). The Aerial Flight.
The Magic Chest. The Three Fates.
Gribouille s Umbrella, and The Fish
(!). In May 1846. the King's
Conjurer engaged the Second Sight
performances of M. Alexandre. who

lasted only ten days! Finally, in
1847. Comte organized joint performances of his troupe from the
Jeunes Eleves and those of the conjurer Philippe, whose daughter
Henriette Marie Yictoire. not yet 17.
was among the intermittent boarders" at his theater. The failure of
these three attempts at "magic"
competition convinced the old director to lea\ e Soirees Fantastiques
in peace and to continue with the
type of show that had created his
success and the theater's reputation: children's theater.
5.
Marie Joseph Charles. Count de
l'Escalopier. born in Liancourt
on April. 1812. died in Liancourt
on October 11. 1861. He bequeathed his magnificent collection of books to the library of
the city of Amiens, which also
holds his family archives. His
mother was Caroline Jeanne de
Bailly. who died in Paris on
April 18. 1848.
i MU op.. *-4
l l 01. Itntviuu omnronl a hl'IIWH * f 4
iujonrd lull SliriiClli.DlTili-.-,

SPICIAl.l.l- !Ht\I.r.OI'_
HABIT
BI
IM HEURE MAGI
"W.i.epeintre jeun
f, nrraHj.ro(- pur "Wii
j
II usions, SorJili-jjc. tVcnmiancii. e l c . i-ic. |>;u M. BCLMAS. fe^
^?REllRiîM'rjocRisi
ii HOt
Itf
l l e i n a i n . ( " rep- I.*
R * C O 1 I . \ ^ Em
, pt,W'"l.KMimKi!llMIF.MIi
HUM?. (i7meili<' ci> 4 ai-lc.. n i s K de r h w l
ilnifss,aaiul, (I" re(ncscii(atiou) CHEIMIIV B E FEK D E P A R I S ''" Lime,

Pitee a grand Hpecuclg en wlw ti M lalilcim.
.ril.- i |lo.lil,,lH>iiIlUM"i rue at | ! , ( , , , Bjii, ,,ilii, " .1.
JLI LllM
' rr.,. rt r iwion ^ t*r'l I ' l i l f F
Illustration 534 - Bill for M. Comte's Theatre des Jeunes-Eleves, Wednesday, December 3,
1845. This bill advertises an hour of magic, illusions, spells, necromancy, etc. by M.
Belmas. (Archives nationalesj
384
6.
Benjamin Delessert. representath e of the French people, born in
Pans on November 15. 181 7 . died
in Passy on January 25. 1868. He
was the son of Francois Marie
Delessert. member of the Institute.
born in Lyon on April 2. 1780. died
on October 15. 1868.
7.
I knew nothing about the
pro\ enance of this book when I
made its "costly" acquisition during an auction at the Hotel
Drouot. Jacques Voignier traced its
origin and communicated his findings to me. In fact, the book was
previously part of the sale of
Benjamin Delessert's library. The
description of this work in the
catalogue specifically lists the inherent characteristics of this copy
such as the coat of arms, binding,
etc.
8.
Abraham Gabriel Marguerite
Delessert. French politician. Police
Chief. Born in Paris on March 17.
1786. died in Passy on January 29.
1858. He was the uncle, not the
brother, of Benjamin Delessert. as
Robert-Houdin wrote in his mem-
Paris, March 8. 1845

To His Excellency the Minister
of the Interior.
Your Excellency
Your Excellency honored me by
writing on March 4" to inform me
that he approved the decree that
authorizes M. Robert-IIoudin to
run a small curiosity show at the
Palais-Royal.
However, he expresses the desire that from now on I inform him
of this type of decree in advance, in
order to allow him to ratify or modify it before notification to the relevant parties.
I have the honor of informing
Your Excellency with respect that
NoresTO Ac i III
this measure would result in placing in his hands a responsibility
that, until now. has been that of
the Police Chief. In a letter of
principle dated September 28.
1837, your predecessor had in
fact decided that the authorizations for establishments called
Curiosities would continue, as in
the past, to be delivered by me.
If. on the other hand, I look over
the project of law relative to the
regulation of theaters presented
by the Government and already
adopted by the Chamber of Paris,
I note that article 12 is as follows:
The Police Chief of Paris
and in the Communes under
his jurisdiction, and the Mayor
in other communes, will provide the necessary authorizations for the opening and running of Curiosity Shows.
However, sir, this formula, positively attributed to the municipal
authorities, will become illusory if
it cannot be freely performed, except for reporting to you. as I do.
all authorizations that deserve
your attention.
There are small shows that
open every day. most of which
are unimportant and of precarious existence, to such an extent
that it is not always easy to distinguish between the Curiosity
Show and the traveling gypsy's
booth. From this point of view,
sir, it would be difficult to judge
where your intervention should
cease and I believe that, in all
cases, these establishments arc
too small to be the subject of specific attention before being given
an authorization by the higher
administration.
Given these considerations. I
think it likely that Your Excellency
will confirm the decision of his predecessor as described above, concerning the authorizations to be
delivered to managers of Curiosity
Shows.
Please accept, sir, my respectful
tribute.
Peer of France, Police Chief
G. Delessert
10.
We wrote earlier that Paul Royer.
know n as Seraphin. was used to
epistolary denunciation and he did
e\ erything in his power to obtain
the exclusivity for his Ombres
Chinoises and prevent any show
that may have been a possible competitor. One of the means he used
was to systematically bombard the
offices of the theater commission,
the prefect, or the Minister of the
Interior with letters. Here are a few
examples:
On May 14. 1852. in a letter from
Seraphin to the Minister of the
Interior, the artist denounced M.
Godillot. who supposedly slandered
him in writing and verbally and was
also said to work with four members of the Madouf family previously placed at his theater specifically to spy on him. This bad
example" had. according to him.
encouraged one Lessyen. helped b\
one Loyal, to perform with "puppets known as Guignol" on the
Champs-El) sees. Seraphin asked
the minister to revoke the privileges
of these two establishments.
In another letter to the minister,
undated. Seraphin asked that one of
his competitors be prevented from
performing at individual homes.
Finally, on January 26. I860.
Seraphin denounced M. Lamazou
who. so he said, wanted to "compete with him such that he will be
ruined." To a\oid this, he wrote: "It
will surely suffice to inform Your
Excellency of this for him to render
justice."
11.
cit.. pp. 234-236.
12.
The Secrets of Conjuring
Magic, p. 303-
and
13.
"In the year eighteen hundred
and forty-fi\e. the thirty-first of July.
385
Louise Marie, born the seventh of

July of the same year, was baptized,
daughter of Eugene Robert, mechanician, and Marguerite Francoise
Olympe. his v\ ife. Galerie de Valois,
156 Palais Royal.
"The godfather Michel Louis
Martin, the godmother Marguerite
Louise Martin who have signed..."
The parish church of Saint-Roch
in Paris. Extract from the Register of
Baptismal Acts.
14.
Paris. June 23.1845
We Peer of France. Chief of
Police. In view of the decree of the
Council of Messidor 12. year VIII
(12 January. 1824). In view of our
decree of January 11. 1845. which
authorizes M. Robert-Houdin, mechanician, to run in Paris, 164,
Galerie de Valois at Palais-Royal, a
small curiosity show made up of an
exhibition of automata and mechanical pieces and performances
of Physique amusante and phantasmagoria.
In view of the report of the theater commission who, according to
our instructions, visited this site
on June 11":
Consider that is necessary to
establish several precautions in
this room for public security.
As follows:
Article 1
M. Robert-Houdin is authorized
to immediately open to the public
the small room of 164. Galerie de
Valois at Palais-Royal.
Article 2
This authorization is subject to
the following conditions:
1. Moving the candles that are
placed at the back of the theater
more than 20 cm. away from the
canvas.
2. Placing in the room destined
for the preparations of M. RobertIloudin a reservoir of at least 250
liters of water with buckets and
sponges.
3. Covering the floors and the visible pipes near the audience by setting up acceptable ventilation tor the
evacuation of gas.
ROBFRT-HOUDIN
Article 3
A certified copy of the decree
will be established for the Police
Chief of the Palais-Royal district,
who will notify M. Robert Iloudin,
with the injunction to conform to
its stipulations and to supervise
them himself.
Paris, June 23, 1845
Peer of France, Chief of Police
Signed G. Delessert
of the conjurer Lacaze's booth,

rapidly expanded in the Theatre
des Jeunes Eleves de M. Comte.
The seven years in which
Offenbach managed the theater
were incontestably the best and
most profitable. In 1862, M. Varney
succeeded Offenbach as manager.
The room was demolished and rebuilt on the site. Until 1868 the theater was only moderately successful
and on September 30, 1869 Charles
Comte and Jules Noriac jointly managed the theater, returning it to success. Jules Noriac having retired in
1873, Charles Comte managed the
family establishment alone until his
retirement in 1879.
The Year eighteen hundred and

forty-five June twenty-eighth.
We, Alexandre Vassal, Police
Chief of the city of Paris, assigned
to the Palais-Royal district, notify
to M. Robert-Houdin, in speaking
to him directly, the aforementioned decree and order him to
respect it in all points. We also
inform him that he must submit
the bills for his show to the prefect beforehand and engage two
municipal guards to maintain
order and carry out the required
orders.
We undersigned,
Police Chief
Vassal
15.
We find a poetic evocation of
the figures of Robert-Houdin and
Comte in the work of Dr. Prosper
Viro, Charges et Busies de Dantan
Jeune, Paris, Librairie Nomelle.
1863.
16.
See Comte's biographical article
in Appendix II, in the episode entitled "'The Mystifiers Mystified,"
which depicts a scene between
Comte and Robert-Houdin.
CHARGES ET BUSTES
DANTAN JEUNE
ESQUISSE BIOGBAPHIQUE
A MliRY
LE DOCTEUR PROSPER VIRO.
17.
Comte's son Charles became administrator of the theater of the
King's Conjurer. In 1855 he made
an agreement with the brilliant
composer Offenbach and the theater was renamed Les BouffesParisiens. Charles Comte, a cle\er
businessman, anci reportedh very
handsome, became Offenbach's
son-in-law and the operetta, which
was created in Marigny on the site
PARIS,
LIBRAIRIE NOUVELLE,
Illustrations 535 and 536 - Frontispiece engraving depicting Dantan and title page of
the work of Dr. Prosper Viro, Charges et
bustes de Dantan jeune.
386
The following is a fact rare

enough to deserve attention. Since
1826, when M. Comte. the King's
Conjurer, had his theater built, it
has been handed down from generation to generation to his successive heirs, who own it to this
day. Les Bouffes-Parisiens still belongs to the Comte-Offenbach
family.
18.
Although we do not know how
much Robert-Houdin was paid for
his performances in town, we
know that M. Comte earned five
hundred francs for his shows
billed as Seance Extraordinaire de
M. Comte, which were performed
at the homes of wealthy individuals. We can reasonably imagine
that Robert-Houdin's prices were
not less than those of Comte and
therefore equivalent to the minimum income of a performance of
Soirees Fantastiques.
19.
Weak, unstable, or superstitious
minds could not help but see a
real sorcerer in Robert-Houdin! In
the second volume of his memoirs,
from pages 15 to 21. the author
tells an anecdote in which a female visitor threatened him with a
NOTES TO ACT III
dagger to force him to cast a spell

on the lover who had left her!
During Robert-Houdin's retreat at
The Priory, men and women, desperate about turns of fate and hoping that the artist's "powers" could
provide a remedy, often came for a
"consultation" with the conjurer.
Although he had to refuse to receive them, his wife Olympe. who
was very pious, always listened to
them and commiserated with their
sufferings and never let them leave
without a reassuring word and
moral, spiritual, and often financial
help. Those who could not come
to Saint-Gervais wrote to RobertHoudin for consultations by correspondence, which he obviously
did not answer. In his Tablettes
journalieres.
the author makes
note of these surprising letters;
here is an example from the year
1861:
Juno 11 I received a letter from
a crazy person, Morin
from Cherbourg, asking
me for a consultation
and sending me one
hundred francs.
June 12 I am going to Blois to
take M. Morin's letter
to the imperial prosecutor, who will take
care of the rendering of
the one hundred francs
to their rightful owner.
Around 1920, Eglantine RobertHoudin, the master's daughter,
gave a lecture about her illustrious
father in Blois before an exclusi\ ely male public made up of officers from the American military
base in Blois. Eglantine was then
married to Henri Lemaitre. tax collector in Blois. This lecture, whose
text has been presen ed in the
family archives, is full of unknown
anecdotes about Robert-Houdin's
life, told by a privileged witness.
Here is what Eglantine Lemaitre
Robert-Houdin said:
went from his house and landed

on various parts of the village or
fields.
- Moreover, mine workers had
twice tried to blow up the mine to
dig a path in the rocky part of the
property, and the next day, upon
their arrival, Robert-IIoudin blew
up the rock at a distance, on command, when they had not managed to do so the day before in
spite of all their efforts. The use of
electricity was totally unknown to
the rural people and they did not
know the role of the electric spark
that had blown up the mine,
which had been carefully and secretly reloaded with explosives in
their absence.
Illustration 53"" - Eglantine Robert-Houdin.
Stories and legends

Sirs, please excuse this dry and
scientific enumeration, which
shows you a Robert-IIoudin very
different from the one imagined
by a great number of his fellow
citizens. For most of the farmers
from the region where he lived, he
was purely and simply a sorcerer.
Therefore, many excessively naive
legends, to say the least, circulated the countryside. They irritated my father when he heard
them, first because they were
hardly truthful, secondly because
he knew from experience that all
denial would have been useless.
We must, however, grant the
farmers extenuating circumstances because their imagination
was sorely tried when RobertIIoudin moved to Saint-Gervais.
Preceded by his reputation of
being a sorcerer, what they witnessed was unlikely to change this
view. At the baptism of his son
[Paul] in 1851, he threw a large
party and lit up the house and
grounds with a brilliant light, the
likes of which had never been
seen before. Rays of light even
38-
The reputation of being a sorcerer had its disadvantages. - As

soon as my father arrived in
Saint-Gervais in 1849, the cholera
epidemic threatened the population. - Later, there were no more
events like this, but those who
came from near or far to have a
spell lifted were many. My father
never received them, but these
poor people seemed so lost that
my mother felt sorry for them. A
very good Christian, she thought
it was her duty not to send them
away without hope, and she
never let them leave without patiently listening to the story of
their troubles, which was always
very long, and giving them some
advice and, if possible, consolation. These unfortunate people
only wanted some hope, and
they always left uplifted and
more courageous. - Several
times she had unexpected success. Men and women, whom she
did not even remember, came to
thank her years later. Their unsuccessful plans were working
well now following their visit to
her, and they professed their
gratitude with fanatical gestures
of adoration. - There was a negative side to this success. She became well known due to the individuals who thought she had
lifted a spell, and therefore was
ROBFRl-HOUDIN
sought after by members of their

circle. In 1870 the number of
these persons had quite increased
and The Priory was at risk of becoming a place of pilgrimage for
all those whom destiny had disappointed.
20.
The Tyrolean Hunter, having
later changed its costume in order
to become more modern, was renamed The French Guardsman. We
have reason to believe that this

same automaton, or its duplicate,
which was part of the Charliat collection partially dispersed on
December 19. 1966 at the Hotel
Drouot. was sold to an unidentified
person. This lovely piece was accompanied by other creations of
Robert-Houdin.
See
Jacques
Voignier and Robert Albo's Magic of
France on page 16 of the French
text.
21.
A Drouot, te so/r;
US AUTOMATES
ei a en cSaims myiMrteux M dtfacunt 6ei
Tom HgtuU 9Q'll v ' e TMHI* tux enehere*, tout an lot a*
eeux-el, e Mir <a pjwtlr ft* 11 heiites) k lixtttl Drouot, L TuU,
rtiit, poor l* piupart, d tuteaitti daunt a littl" dernier L tra
(oehleotit 1 omvr* dti maltie de la naflc et da myittre,
l enn De
BBSB t n
pBdal myrtirietua donnas*
HoSsit HouOin
lei henrei it rotont/-.
Panat let autree I un * automate fumeur : una pendule
turroontee d un perso-mage ai
Hi qui a cheque heure, se met
divurer un plat de pornme*
d ten* qu'll tlent aur M*
Kenoux; uu chataeur > qui
*jmiile ion fusil et lire au
tommande-.un (voir photo) ;
Una illation d'ou >rt touJoun au com ma a dement
un
A rfpoque ot Sobert Uoutliu
pattuier purteur de bonbone
rcpafAlt bon iiornbra tl 3Mto
ou de tntcrerlet. qua vou* lul
matas du liecie precedent Pt
avex demand** d'sutrea en
an fabiiqualt egeiement heau
man. Tout tint non aeulemant
coup on lui dolt ] invention
trea musanto, mala pleini d una
de I automate qul fume ~~
cert sine forme de ittva.
!a XIX* *lec)K v t lea automatei
Lent* prfx, m a dlt le
quitter le domsfne dee coDeceonuniaealn-priMur. Paul Paatlona particullferee et dei
ehetesu. devralent oicluei as
champ* tic foire pour entrer.
t o n da lf!( it IJSH r pltee I
dnm lea vitrines dee boutiqtiea
Mult pevt-on Mvvlr avee dei
et dei mageilm Ce sont beaucoup d* eeux-'A que Ion vend
ca aolr A Drouot,
icaitt tsut d'ailleuo dea p!id'sllleun. on
Dernier refuge
its sertitn
... 'wane'de bafa'ver^He*
Jacques Dam ot lantiqatre

.jnnu du Tout FsrlK poneda
une dea plus betlei collection.
Ivies deutomatei II e a
ithetii. pour lee re-
Mate, expllque t II Jf sun

ttaqae fols pri* i mon proprp
en dei que Jen athete DM
Jan, Je l'ftppwtc che mot
et 11 y test* u m jamals prendre le chemln de uu bontlqne
Lfi automate! ancleni. re sont
' " "--iniate whifM do wr
Illustration 538 - Press article describing

the Charliat sale at the Hotel Drouot.
(Jacques Yoignier collectionJ
In the second edition of his

memoirs. Robert-Houdin described
the effects of some of his experiments. The Sympathetic Turtledoves:
Two of these charming little animals were placed on each side of
the stage: one was wrapped into a
sheet of paper until it vanished
completely, the other disappeared
before the audiences eyes, and
then both were found together in a
box that had been seen empty a
few instants before.
" The Contraband Secret or The
Journey of a Glass of Wine' is a
trick in which a glass of wine invisibly passes from one side of the
stage to the other."
The Safety Casket or The Light
and Hea\ > Chest was a little box
that a child could easily pick up.
but at the conjurer's command the
strongest man in the audience could
not lift it. The Ladies' Looking-Glass
was a trick that M. Comte. the
King s Conjurer, had named, and
whose effect Robert-Houdin described and explained in The Secrets
of Conjuring and Magic. The
Vanishing of a Child under a Cup
(or The Disappearance of RobertHoudin's son) was the vanish of
Robert-Houdin's son on a table
(through a procedure quite similar
to that of the sofa used a few
decades later by Sen ais Le Roy for
Asrah) followed by his reappearance in the theater. The Ball of
Wool was the disappearance of a
388
borrowed and marked coin that T\ as

found in the middle of a ball of
wool isolated in a glass jar held by
a member of the audience.
22.
Echo de Bruxelles, no. 146.
Tuesday, May 26. 1846. page 2:
Theatre Royal. We will very
soon have M. Robert-Houdin's performances. He is a skillful conjurer
who has no equal. M. RobertHoudin is a true enchanter, who
performs miracles that are visible
to the naked eye. The execution of
his main tricks is entrusted to automata, as if he disdained work he
considered too easy. On his command, little men, birds, etc. perform feats that no living and thinking being can do.
M. Houdin is far ahead of Bosco.
Comte, and Philippe; it is the finest
combination of mechanism and
conjuring together. When we think
of the enthusiasm produced by
Philippe in Brussels, we cannot
even imagine what will happen
when M. Robert-IIoudin performs.
Echo de Bruxelles. no. 154.
Wednesday, June 3. 1846, page 3.
Xouielles des arts, des sciences, et
de la Htterature column:
On Monday the first fantastic
performance of M. Robert-Houdin
took place at the Theatre du Pare.
The skillful conjurer obtained a
complete, well-deserved success.
Page 4. Theatre du Pare.
Wednesday June 3, Robert-Houdin's
third soiree fantastique.
Thursday June 4. 1846. page 2:
Theatre du Pare. M. RobertHoudin's Soirees Fantastiques (entire review of. page 4.) Page 4.
Thursday the 41':
Fourth soiree fantastique of
Robert-Houdin. Sleight-of-hand
tricks and conjuring previously
unseen: interlude of second-sight
by M. Robert-Houdin and his son:
chromatropic polyorama. comicorama.
NOTES 10 Aci III

Friday. June 5. 1846. page 4:
Theatre du Pare. Friday. June
5lh 1846. fifth soiree fantastique of
Robert-IIoudin. Tricks and conjuring previously unseen: interlude of
second sight by M. Robert-Houdin
and his son; chromatropic polyorama, comicorama.
M. Robert-Houdin's performances
are good fortune for the Theatre du
Pare; we could not find a more brilliant way to remedy the season's
misfortune.
Saturday. June 6. 1846, page 4:
Theatre du Pare. Saturday June
6, 1846. 6"' Soiree Fantastique of
M. Robert-Houdin. Sleight-of-hand
tricks, supernatural conjuring; second sight interlude by M. RobertHoudin and his son, entirely new
phantasmagoria.
Sunday. June 7. 1846. page 4:
Theatre du Pare. Sunday June
7, 1846. seventh Soiree fantastique of M. Robert-Houdin. Tricks;
supernatural conjuring: secondsight interlude by M. RobertHoudin and his son; entirely new
phantasmagoria.
Monday, June 8. 1846. page 4:
Theatre du Pare. Monday June
8, 1846. eighth Soiree fantastique
of M. Robert-Houdin. Tricks, supernatural conjuring; second-sight
interlude by M. Robert-Houdin and
his son: entirely new phantasmagoria.
After having seen M. RobertIIoudin several times, we recognize the impossibility of adequately
praising his skill, dexterity, and
the working of his admirable automata. We can only repeat ourselves: go and see it. but the
rush of the public to see the
show renders this invitation superfluous.

Tuesday. June 9. I846. page 4:
Theatre du Pare. Tuesday June
9. 1846. Ninth Soiree fantastique of
M. Robert-Houdin. Sleight-of-hand
tricks, supernatural conjuring; second-sight interlude by M. RobertHoudin and his son; entirely new
phantasmagoria.
Wednesday. June 10. 1846. page 4:
Theatre du Pare. Wednesday
June 10. 1846. Tenth Soiree fantastique of M. Robert-IIoudin.
Tricks, supernatural conjuring,
second-sight interlude by M.
Robert-Houdin and his son; entirely new phantasmagoria.
Thursday. June 11. 1846. page 4:
Soiree fantastique of M. RobertHoudin
Everyone does not appreciate
the beauties of a tragedy, everyone
is not sensitive to the charms of
music; but everyone understands
perfectly realized sleight-of-hand
tricks and everyone has fun. Both
young and old children eagerly follow the magic operations of a skillful conjurer. As for dexterity,
M. Houdin surpasses all past and
present conjurers. Incredulous
spectators who have no faith in
magic, pay close attention to try to
understand the experimenter's secrets there is no hope. Look
closely and you will only see what
he wants you to see. The secondsight experiment with M. RobertHoudin's son is the subject of vain
curiosity. Some people believe in
second sight, others pretend that
no matter what he says, M. RobertIIoudin is resorting to mesmerism
and could not possibly succeed
without this mysterious help.
Some believe in a sort of telegraphy by way of wires they cannot
see.
M. Robert-Houdin's ingenious
mechanisms perfectly complete
the Soirees fantastiques, which is
overflowing with crowds that continue to attend despite the heat.
389
One of these days we will return to

crown Auriol and Debureau.
Page 4 :
Theatre du Pare, Thursday June
11, 1846: - Closing of Soirees
Fantastiques de M. Robert-Houdin.
Tricks, supernatural conjuring,
by
second-sight
interlude
M. Robert-Houdin and his son: entirely new phantasmagoria.
The announcement of the closing of M. Robert-Houdin's performances, though causing great sorrow for admirers of this genre, will
nonetheless be sure to have a positive influence on the show's ticket
sales. The perfect and entirely deserved reputation of M. RobertHoudin is an irresistible incentive
for all those who have not yet applauded the conjurer.
Friday. June 12. 1846. page 4:
Theatre du Pare. Friday. June
12, 1846. Soiree Fantastique of
M. Robert-Houdin.
Saturday. June 13. 1846, page 4:
Theatre du Pare. Saturday June
13, 1846. Soiree Fantastique of
M. Robert-Houdin. Giving in to
numerous demands, the administration has just asked M. RobertHoudin for additional performances.
Sunday. June 14. 1846: no. 166.
Monday. June 15: no. 167. Tuesday,
June 16. the same announcement.
Page 4:
Theatre du Pare.
Soiree Fantastique of M. RobertHoudin. Giving in to numerous demands, the administration has just
asked M. Robert-Houdin for additional performances.
Thursday. June 18. 1846. page 4:
Theatre du Pare. Thursday June
18, 1846, definitive closing, with
no possible exceptions, of Soirees
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Fantastiques de M. Robert-Houdin.
Sleight-of-hand tricks; supernatural conjuring, interlude of second
sight with M. Robert-Houdin and
his son, entirely new phantasmagoria.
23.
See Memoirs of Robert-Houdin,
chapter XV.
24.
Magic, Sleight-of-Hand, Tricks,

Complex Conjuring, Second Sight
by Messrs. HOUDIN father and son.
USUAL PRICES.
La Tribune de Liege, no. 164,
Monday July 13, 1846, page 3:
THEATRE DU GYMNASE.
M. Robert-Houdin's first soiree
fantastique. Experiments in White
Magic, Sleight-of-Hand, Tricks,
by Messrs. IIOUDIN father and son.
USUAL PRICES.
Le Liberal liegeois. no. 164.

Saturday and Sunday, July 11 and
12, 1846;
Theatre du Gymnase The first
Tuesday
July 14, 1846, bottom
Soiree Fantastique of M. Robertof
page
3:
Houdin. Experiments in White Magic,
THEATRE DU GYMNASE.
Sleight-of-hand, Tricks, Complex
Thursday, July 16, 1846, first
Conjuring, SECOND SIGHT by father
performance by M. Robert-Houdin.
and son.
Experiments in White Magic,
USUAL PRICES.
Sleight-of-IIand, Tricks, Complex
Conjuring, Second Sight by Messrs.
Le Liberal liegeois, no. 166,
HOUDIN father and son. USUAL
Monday, July 14, 1846. page 3:
PRICES.
Theatre du Gymnase
Thursday, July 16, 1846, first perLa Tribune de Liege, no. 166,
formance of M. Robert-Houdin.
Wednesday, July 15, 1846, page 3:
THEATRE DU GYMNASE.
Sleight-of-hand, Tricks, Complex
Thursday, July 16, 1846, first
Conjuring, Second Sight by father
performance by M. Robert-Houdin.
and son. 8 o'clock sharp. USUAL
PRICES.
Sleight-of-Hand, Tricks, Complex
Le Liberal liegeois, no. 168,
HOUDIN father and son' USUAL
Thursday. July 16. 1846:
PRICES.
Theatre du Gymnase Sunday
and Monday 191" and 20"' July
Thursday. July 16, 1846:
1846, second and third SOIREE
FANTASTIQUE of M. Robert
THEATRE DU GYMNASE.
HOUDIN. Experiments in White
Thursday July 16, 1846, first
Magic, Sleight-of-hand, Tricks,
performance by M. Robert-IIoudin.
by father and son. 8 o'clock sharp.
Sleight-of-IIand, Tricks, Complex
USUAL PRICES.
HOUDIN father and son. The perThe ticket office at the Grand
formance will begin at 8 o'clock.
Theatre will be open on Sunday
USUAL PRICES.
from 9 o'clock to 1 o'clock in the
afternoon and from 3 to 6 o'clock
in the evening.
Friday, July 17, 1846. bottom of page
La Tribune de Liege, no. 163.
3:
Saturday and Sunday II'1' and 12*
THEATRE DU GYMNASE.
July. 1846, page 2:
THEATRE DU GYMNASE
and Monday the 19'" and 20"' of
M. Robert-Houdin's first soiree
July 1846, M. Robert-Houdin's second and third soiree fantastique.
fantastique. Experiments in White
390

HOUDIN father and son.
The performance will begin at
8 o'clock. Usual prices.
The ticket window at the grand
theater will be open on Sunday
in the evening.
La Tribune de Liege, no. 169.
Saturday and Sunday 18"' and 19"'
July, page 3:
and Monday the 19"1 and 20th of
July 1846, M. Robert-IIoudin's second and third soiree fantastique.
IIOUDIN father and son.
in the evening.
Monday, July 20, page 3:
Theatre du Gymnase - Today,
Monday, July 20, 1846, M. RobertHoudin's third soiree fantastique.
New experiments in White Magic,
Slcight-of-Hand, Tricks, Complex
IIOUDIN, father and son.
in the evening.
Tuesday, July 21. page 3:
Theatre du Gymnase-Thursday
July 23, 1846, M. Robert-Houdin's
fourth soiree fantastique. New experiments in White Magic, Sleightof-Hand, Tricks, Complex Conjuring, Second Sight by Messrs.
HOUDIN father and son.
NOTES TO ACT III

in the evening.
Thursday. July 23, page 3:
Theatre du Gymnase - Thursday,
July 23, 1846, M. Robert-Houdin's
fourth soiree fantascique. New experiments in White Magic, Sleight-ofHand, Tricks, Complex Conjuring,
Second Sight by Messrs. HOUDIN father and son. USUAL PRICES.
The performance will begin at 8
o'clock. Usual prices.
in the evening.
mand of the public for the definitive closing with no possible exceptions of his Soirees Fantastiques,
M. Robert Houdin will perform his
most extraordinary experiments.
The performance will begin at 8
o'clock sharp. Usual prices.
MfiMOIRES
MAGNETISEUR
25.
Louis Courtois, Belgian conjurer
known as Courtois or Papa
Courtois. born in Wacomunster on
October 28, 1785. died in Paris in
1866.
CH. LfiFONTSINE
da MM de Ha&Utiitr, du Kclairciisimentt mr le tf
des Cures magndllqati A Geneve,
Uirecltur et r&Ueleur do Journal It Xngndttieur.
DE L'EXMEii PllliffiOLOCIQO BE L'AfflR
26.
This letter was reproduced in

the work by Michel Seldow, op. cit.
This form of advertising, consisting
of exhibiting in the windows of
fashionable shops small plaster
statues depicting artists, was relaLa Tribune de Liege, no. 175, tively inexpensive and widely used
Ih
Saturday and Sunday. July 25 and
in the nineteenth century. Only a
26th, page 3:
few of these small statues of variTheatre du Gymnase - Sunday
ous artists, composers, actors, and
and Monday 27"' and 28th July,
singers have survived.
1846, for the closing of M. RobertIloudin's soirees fantastiques. New
27.
experiments in White Magic,
More information on the Didier
brothers can be found in Henri
Conjuring, Second Sight by Messrs,
Delage's work Le Sommeil MagneHOUDIN father and son.
tique explique par le Somnambule
Alexis en etat de lucidite. Paris,
E. Dentu. 1856, and in that of
Ch. Lafontaine. Memoires d'un Matheater will be open on Sunday
from 9 o'clock to 1 o'clock in the gnetiseur. two volumes, Paris,
Germer-Baillere. 1866.
in the evening.
28.
M. Andre Keime Robert-Houdin

confided to me that as a young man
he met a certain M. Marcillet who
was from the same generation as his
father. General Keime. He asked
him if he was a relative of the mesmerist. The answer was yes he
was his grandfather or great-grandfather - and in response to his question about the true powers of his ancestor he answered that he had
never had any sort of powers as a
La Tribune de Liege, no. 179, mesmerist - which is hardly surprisThursday, July 30, 1846. page 3:
ing - and that he only succeeded
thanks to his "skill"...which was
Theatre du Gymnase
never doubted by Robert-Houdin!
Thursday, July 30, 1846, at the deLa Tribune de Liege, no. 178,
Wednesday, July 29. 1846, page 3:
Theatre du Gymnase - Thursday
31" [Error in the date] at the demand of the public for the definitive closing with no possible exceptions of his Soirees Fantastiques,
M. Robert Houdin will perform his
most extraordinary experiments.
8 o'clock sharp. Usual prices.
391
PARIS
QEBMER-IJAJLLI^RE, I.IBUAIRK-1&DITSUR
17. RttS DC r/EMLE-PE-HlfUECr.Se
GENEVE
CHKZ 1,'AUTRUH, RUB DU HONT-nf-ANU. 0
1866
MtiMOIRES
MAGNETISEUR
CH. LflFONTAINE
Alwr delMrt de HagMtiier, dss Kclairciasemtnfs sur le Xagn/ttit
des Cunt magntltqttei A Geneve,
direcleur et rfcheteor du jcariul le SCignilUtvr,
DE VtUMH PIIIIESOLOGIOCB IIE L'AlfflillH

r-.ii' Ic Doclenr c.*fci,f.-
PARIS
EE,
JJIBUAIRK-&I>ITEUR
GENtVE
CHBZ 1,'AUTKUH, HUB DU HONT-BI.ANC. 0
1866
Illustrations 539 and 540 - Title pages of

Volumes I and II of Memoires d'un
magnetiseur by Charles Lafontaine.
ROBFR r-HOUDIN
The chapter of this work consecrated to Andre Voism confirms

that, as a wise historian, Jean
Chavigny was right to urge his
friend Robelly to be cautious because the ambiguity of the articles he published caused some
compilers looking for sensation
to fall into this trap and to assert,
as a fait accompli, without the
slightest proof, what the director
of L'Escamoteur had only "inferred."
The dates of the opening of
Andre Voisins store and the erroneous assumptions as to his socalled business relationship with
Robert-Houdin, published in Magic
of France, op. cit. by Jacques
Yoignier and Robert Albo and in
Hjalmar's article on page 29 of no.
105 of the magazine Magicus. are
completely false.
29.
The reader will better understand the reaction, or more precisely, the absence of reaction of
Robert-Houdin with respect to
these publications once he comprehends that M. de Mirville was one
of the conjurer's long-standing acquaintances. The conjurer's daily journals confirm their ties because
Robert-Houdin sent him each of his
books and invited him se\ eral
times to The Prior) in SaintGervais. Here are two quotes as examples:
September 8, 1860 At 2 o'clock,
visit of M. de Mirville and the
Buisseray family.
January 18, 1861 I wrote to De
Mirville and sent him the 2"'1 edition of my work.
30.
See Robert-Houdin's Tablettes
journalieres of June 28. 1868.
Illustration 541 - Alfred de Caston.
31.
Theodore Francois Sainti, born
in Paris on February 25. 1799, died
in Paris on March 31. I860.
32.
Alfred de Caston, who tells of
the existence of this circle in his work
Les Yendeurs de bonne aventure,
also discusses the Philomagique
show that v\e refer to here, but
clearly implies that it never
opened. Alfred de Caston narrates
an anecdote that, according to
him, is supposedly the source of
Robert-Houdin's Second Sight. An
eminent member of the Cercle
Philomagique allegedly attended
an experiment in "telepathy" in a
barber shop in Tolede. The barber's spouse was on the second
floor, which was completely isolated from the ground floor of the
shop and her husband, thanks to
an agreed-upon verbal code, communicated information on the
clients and admirers who came to
watch this surprising feat. The
conjuring enthusiast, after se\ eral
visits to the barber, finally under-
stood the modus operandi used

by the couple. Alfred de Caston
concludes:
But upon his return to Paris,
our traveler hurried to relate
what he had seen to his friends
of the Philomagique society and
this is how, two months later [!],
M. Robert-Houdin announced to
Parisians his first performance
of his anti-mesmeric second
sight.
33.
In a letter dated December 2,
1968. addressed to Robelly by
Jean Chavigny, Robert-Houdin's
biographer from Blois, he amiably reproached his friend for
having doubts concerning the illustrious artist's relationship with
Andre Voisin, and he concluded
the paragraph in these terms: "For
Andre Voisin, do you not think
that one should be cautious? Did
he not manufacture pieces based
on those of Robert-Houdin and
not for Robert-Houdin?"
392
On Andre Voisin, see also Act

IV, chapters "Robert-Houdin and
Magic Amateurs'' and ''1863-1864:
C\e\ erman."
Much of the new information in
the chapter on Andre Voisin of this
biography has just been mistakenly published in Robert Albo's
work History and Mystery of Magic
with credit to Jacques Voignier. It
seems that a "computer error" deprived me - temporarily - of the
credit for discoveries on which I
spent months of painstaking research in order to finally extinguish legends and falsehoods that
have lasted for more than a century.
34.
Le Charivari, no. 77, March 17,
1848.
35.
Le Charivari, no. 82, March 22,
1848.
36.
Charles Dominique Devillers
ne\ er saw Robert-Houdin again.
He died in Paris on June 12. 1849.
NOTES TO ACT III
ROBERT HOXJDIN.ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.This celebrated pro-
fessor of blanc magic, whose extraordinary and marvellous represents.

Irons have, for the last four years attracted all Paris to the Galerie des
Valois in the Palais Royal, is annouaced to appear at the St. James's
Theatre, on Tuesday evening next. The great success and renown
which this gentleman's performances have attained to, have given riBeto
hort-s of imitators, who base their pretensions to success on being a .
to copy more or less closely the inventions of his genius. Mr. Houdin.
is as eminent as a mechanician as he is adroit and skilful as an
mateur. We predict for him a great success.
/*#
Illustration 5*i2 {Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center. University of Texas. Austin)
37.
The first London address of
Robert-Houdin in 1848 was 30,
Blury Street, Saint-James. His second address in 1849 after his return from his tour of the English
provinces was at no. 35 on the
same street.
38.
I have reprinted here all the
English reviews (that I have found)
of Robert-Houdin's first performances at the Saint James"s Theater.
Between Harry Houdini - who had
them in his archives, but who deliberately obscured them in his writings - and magic literature in which
they have strangely remained unpublished, the reader wishing to understand Robert-Houdin's true impact on his contemporaries v\ ould
otherwise have difficulty developing
an opinion consistent with the historical, professional, and artistic reality of the time. I hope the following accounts will make this possible:
The reign of Philippe among
French magicians has ceased almost
simultaneously with that of Louis
Philippe among French politicians and what Lamartinc is to political
France, Robert-IIoudin is to magical
France. He is the very chief of sorcerers, in comparison with whom
Dobler is a bungler, and even Philippe
must hide his diminished head. He
commenced a short series of Soirees
Fantastiques at this theatre last
evening, and for upwards of three
hours kept a delighted and astonished audience on the qui vive. The
entertainment consists of three parts
- the first part being tricks of sleightof-hand, the second part mechanical
tricks, and the third part exhibiting
the marvels of second sight and of
aerial suspension. The eldest son of
Robert-Houdin exhibits the wonders
of second sight. He is placed by his father in a state of mesmeric trance,
and then by second sight describes
the various objects, which different
persons put into a closely locked box.
The ethereal suspension is still more
wonderful. The younger son of
Robert-Houdin is the exhibitor of this
wonderful phenomenon. The child is
supported in a resting position, his
head resting on his hand, and his
elbow supported on the end of a prop
somewhat resembling a walking stick
and placed upright on the ground.
The father causes the child to inhale
a few sniffs of ether; the child becomes apparently insensible; all supports are removed from his legs and
body, and the child remains resting
only by his elbows on a walking stick,
suspended in mid-air in a reclining
position, literally lying on nothing,
and remains thus until the curtain
falls. This is certainly the most extraordinary illusion - if it be an illusion;
if not an illusion, then it is the most
extraordinary tour deforce ever performed. Verily, Robert-Houdin is the
chief of all the magicians. The house
was well attended, and the applause
was enthusiastic.
the walls of the St. James's Theatre.

Robert-IIoudin has long been an object of awe and wonder even to the
sceptical gamins of Paris, for his
proficiency in prestidigitation,
transmutation, escamotage, second
sight, mesmerism, and every other
species of diablerie in and out of the
black art, and now promises fair to
transport us sober Londoners back
to the Middle Ages, when a firm belief in the connection between
magic and the arts and practices of

KING STREET. ST JAMDSS
The surprising nd Interesting Performances ot
ROBERT-HOUDIN
Continuing to excite the most enthtis.utie Admiration and Astonlihinent.
HIS EXTRAORDINARY
SOIHEES
FANTASTIQUES,
AUTOMATES, PRESIIDIGITA.TION. MAGIE,
AS VBM BT. JMIES'B THMTBB,
T U E S D A Y , " T I I U B S I D AY
SATURDAY EVENINGS,
r i>
111u_ i Ktltput Eigbi odoci.
I N V E N T E D BY M R O B E R T - H O U D I N ,
And exhibited by tiini in Para with the roo unpiecedentcd Suwcs
DliTACHEi) SCNS
SECONDE VUE;
ESCAMOTAGE EXTRAORDINAIRE,
DE ROBtRT HOUDIN F.li
Sun, May 3.
Robert-Houdin, the famed magician of the Palais-Royal, has for a
while moved the sphere of necromantic influences from the banks of
the Seine to the shores of the
Thames, and last night drew his
magic circle for the first time within
393
YtSVAtS BOXES, ^ f f i E f f f t i ^ f S . i N D T1C1 ' eW

XtB MJrCEXCIB KOVA1, ZIBXAal, 93, DID BOUD OTSJ7T ^
*
"
' . : ; ' . '
' . " . . ' , ' . ' . ; . ; .
Illustration 543 - Bill for Robert-Houdin at

the Saint James's Theater. From Magic.
Ma\ 1901.
ROBERT -HOLTHN
FRENCH P14YS,
LAST NIGHT BUT ONE
THE ATTRACTIVE ENTERTAINMENTS
ST. JAMES'S THEATRE. KING STREET.

FOSrTIVELY
THE LAST WEEK

OF THE SEASON.
AND LAST AIM'EARA.SCES OF
Moms' LEVASSOR,
M. A L C I D E TOTJSEZ,
M, LtTGWET,
M. TiHKRmER,
Wad>i SCRIV4KE0K,
Mad"' DDRAND, & Mad LEMENII..
ON MOHDAV EVBNINO, J u 81ST, 1848,
Henxiette et Chariot
h, ( " <n*
MOKS* AfeoiDB TOWSBH
FINAL ARRANGEMENTS
OF THE SEASON.
KONS*
Ktgt*tevr du ThtatT
HIS BENEFIT
Oil UEDjrESDAY
NEXT. AUGUST 2BI7,
ROBERT-HOUDIN.
THE EXTRAORDINARY
SEANCES FANTASTIQUES
M0NSB HOUDIN
XCSI ^KAVOIDiBLY TSltl.tATB AT THE EHI> OP HKXT W Q ]
TWO ENTIRELY NEW PIECES

KB ROMAN DE LA PENSION,
THCttSDAT EVZNXNO,
EVENINO,
,,
3,
6,
WKDJOC8DAY MOUWINO,
3,
LB UON ET I.E BAT,

MOKS AI.O1DE 90VBXZ
n t , , ^ fofl "re ftsr r/yp rsi! eiiso.v.
i s THE FAVOBTTE VAL'BELLE 0 ?
VES|IS1
BR
LA SOEBR DE JOCRISSE;
M. VIVIEB
l* D d. ow". oeuwi wifHUlm
WOKS" 1UOO7BT
aomta o
TOES DAY,
THURSDAY,
8AT1THSAY
UVEMIWOB,
Auautti* 7, 8, i o , * z a ,
* *( b FAVOBrrE 90LO3 lit nMb * i i * b i kmSJ BUOJ^C

NEW FFFLCTS OP HABMO>fV.
M0N8" LEVASSOIl
SIX REPRESENTATIONS,
MONDAY,
TWO KEOSNINO
WITH OTHER ENT EfiT A! N M E N T S .
WEDKEHDAV
POSITIVELY
miDAY
I'JCIU'ORHANOKS,
UORSIHO,
MOEMINQ,
A U O U B T O,
AXJIT(iT
2 2,
THE LAST NIGHT
BY A ORAN0
OF THE SEASON,
Farewell Horning Performance,
HtlDAV JfBXT, AUGUST i.
On Monday, August
I4tk.
IW. ALCIDE TOUSBZ

THE CONCLUDING STANCES
LE LAIT D'ANESSE
THE tAST NIQHT OF THE SEASON,
FRIDAY
Smmtoll
NEXT, AUGUST 4,
* 0 * TBM UkfX TTWa,
THBSB
jJj.pW.lio.
ADMISSION BY THR NK.HT

C *. ABt;M&Mt i or CtaOur *>. ** MB*
si I A . t Vi. ma lit f r f n c * B<#**tS'
FOFULAfi
CIIARACTE11S
ALL TUB MOST SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS,

THE SAFETY CASKET,
THE CABALISTIC CLOCK,
THE INEXHAUSTIBLE DOTTLE,
SECONDE VUE, ** " INVtStSILET^"
ESOAMOTAGE EXTflAORDINAIBE,
tUTi<WAl. ANTHE
O flV TUB ESTIBE OOHTAXY.
Aid UtinBtt O&s er
ii i j o UJj f m
DBS.
IUVATB O S , t T A U * * T 1 0 M , r b . i*fJ >l

MITCHELL'S B0VA1. LIBftARY. f plJ> BO.ND 8TBEBt
Illustrations 544 and 5 i5 - Bills for Robert-Houdin at the Saint James's Theater, August 1848. {Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center Cniuersity
of Texas, Austin)
the people "down below" was considered an indispensable article of

an Englishman's creed. His first feat
was extremely neat, drawing from a
hat casually handed to him some
dozen of elegant fans, which he gallantly distributed among the ladies
around him, and immediately after
converting it into an arsenal, by
rolling out of it as many good-sized
cannon balls as would do good suit
and service to the Danes against
their invaders. From a flattened and
seemingly empty portfolio. M.
Houdin next presented an elegant
bonnet of the most fashionable cut,
a perfect garden of bouquets, a
dovecote of eooing turtles, which he

passed from one place to another
with as much ease as if they had
been passed through the electric
telegraph. The self-motive powers of
two very cleverly constructed automats excited general wonder; although scarce six inches in length
they performed feats which we
should almost have thought would
have required a ton weight of machinery such as dancing, smoking, whistling, and breaking out of
prison. The wonderful orange-tree,
which blossoms and bears fruit in
about half a minute, is also an extraordinary object. The feats of
394
causing rings, watches, poultry, and

cards to fly to all parts of the house,
without any apparent mortal agency
are, however, the least wonderful
parts of M. Houdin's performances,
for after the company were treated
to seance de clairvoyance, the magician causing his son to read and
declare objects at any distance,
with his eyes securely blindfolded,
finished by clapping him into a large
box, placed on a table, and "passing" him to the other side of the
stage. The performance concluded
with the display of what may be
termed a suspension of the laws of
gravitation, by the aid, according to
NOTES TO ACT III
FINAL ARRANGEMENTS
THE ATTRACTIVE ENTERTAINMENTS
<heen Kith ir.:h unprectdcnted Swans
ROBERT-HOUDIX.
Mr. BOTOKILL iwititfuny uueaoo** Uul, gn(ar (a PioriBMaJ
THE EXTRAORDINARY
SEANCES FANTASTIQUES
MONSH HOUDIN
MUST CfJATOfDABLY TEBHItfATE AT THE END OF SEST WEES
IK ram wtxownta omiurai

TUKSDAT EVENING, AVOWS? 1,
THUHSDAY EfVENTNCr, ,,
3,
SATmtDAY EVENING
S,
WXDKXfiDAY MORNING,
3,
)urtng the ensuing Week I
SIX REPRESENTATIONS,
MONDAY,
IUIBOAT,
THDR8DAY,
SATURDAY E V E N I N Q S ,
AUOT7BT 7, 8, 1O, * 12 j
TWO MOKNINOt PEBFORHANOES,
WEDNESDAY B O K H I K O , AT7OSST 0,
FRIDAY mORNINO, AUOtfRT
II,
BY A GRAND
Farewell Morning Performance,

On Monday, August 141*.
THE C0KCLUD1NQ STANCES
4LI. T i l l MOST SUCCESSFUL EXFEIUMENTS.
THE SAFETY CASKET,
E CABALISTIC CLOCK,
THE INEXHAUSTIBLE BOTTLE,
SECONDS VUE, " IMVISIBILETE,"
ESCAMOTAQE EXTRAORDINAIRE.
6 . aOBEBTHOODIN, P n *
The celebrated Robert-IIoudin

(of the Palais-Royal) commenced
his extraordinary illustrations on
Tuesday, the 2"'1 instant, and the
whole of his performance were
completely successful. As may be
imagined, the theatre was densely
crowded on this occasion a tribute well earned by the proprietor's
anterior popularity. The miraculous
production of pigeons and gold fish,
tricks by sleight-of-hand, and intricate pieces of machinery, form the
substance of exhibition. The inexhaustible bottle, which contained
anything and everything in the way
of spirits and liqueurs, which was
handed in glasses to the spectators,
and the gifts presented from an
empty hat and flat portfolio, had
the effect of exciting intense surprise. The feats of "second sight'
were astonishing; but the greatest
novelties were those of suspending
his child in the air, poised on an upright stick; and placing a large hollow cylinder over his son (a youth)
and making him appear instantly
on the opposite side of the stage.
This was the crowning endeavour of
this true magician, whose easiness
of address, ready manner of speaking, and absence of all apparent effort, are not among the least admirable of his gifts.
PRIVATE KOXES, ORCHESTRA STALLS, AH TICKETS,
Lady's Newspaper.
M. Houdin's explanation, of the administration of ether to his

youngest son. the speeific gravity of
the latter is rendered so nearly
equal to that of air that he floats
suspended without any terrestrial
support save that of a thin staff, on
which, however, he merely rests his
elbow. M. Houdin performs all his
tricks with wonderful dexterity and
precision, and. if we may judge from
his first performance, well deserves
the renown he possesses. He was
warmly applauded throughout, and
at the fall of the curtain was compelled to re-appear by a crowded
house.
Morning Adviser, May 3.
1848.
X T OIBItTa FAREWELL.This Day.St.

T L James's Theatre ROBERT HOtjnIN wUl giro life L18T
SBiNOH PANTASTIQUi, THIS S10RNJNG (Monday) Augu'tM.
commondne (it lialf ]xwt 2, beln^ positively his last appeitanoo In
London. Tne programme will Include several noveltl&s in addition t>
Rselection from Robert XJoudin'a mot poiHilar experiments. Toxes
and stalls for this attractive entertainment mzy be secured at Mitchells
JUtyal library. 33. 011 Bond-street: and at the box office.
/&&>
Illustration 546 - (Harry Ransom Humanities

Research Center. University of Texas. Austin)
Mr. Robert-Houdin, the celebrated "prestidigitateur," has been

engaged. To this gentleman most of
the professors of legerdemain are
indebted for the several seeming
wonders they exhibit. lie is the recognized inventor of some of the
most inexplicable tricks ever yet attempted. The fish trick, the inexhaustible bottle, the multiplication
of flowers, toys, etc. are amongst
the results of his ingenuity. His
style of manipulations is peculiarly
neat and finished, and his mode of
cheating the senses are especially
felicitous. The marvels of the "second sight" are also gone through by
his son. whose "guesses" would astound the veriest Yankee, and the
suspension in the air is also admirably effected. The most surprising tour of the performance is the
placing of an extinguisher over his
son's head, and commanding him to
appear at different parts of the
stage. This was perfectly astounding, and very naturally set all the
brains in the theatre industriously

Robert-Houdin.
rTIHE'extraordinary SOIREES FANTASTIQUES Riven by ROBERT HOUDIN,
I
continuing to be witnessed with Increased astonishment and gratification;
they wiU be REPEATED every TUESDAY, THURSDAY, and SATURDAY
EVENING.
Doors open at Eight o'clock.In consequence of the demand for
places, a DA.Y PERFORMANCE will be given on WEDNESDAY MORNING
NEXT, July 5. Doors Open at Two o'clock.
Boxes, 4.; Pit, 2sA few reserved Stalls and Pri<rate Boxes may be secured at
Mitchell's Royal Library, 33, Old Bond-street; and at the box-office.
/ / /ty o
6>./S*% Last Week but One of Robert-Houdin.
IE remaining SEANCES FANTASTIUUES, on MONDAY, TUESDAY,
THURSDAY, and SATURDAY EVENINGS, commencing at half-past
eht o'Clock. And a DAY PERFORMANCB on WEDNESDAY and FRIDAY
MORNING NEXT, August 9th ard 11th, commencing at half-past Two o'clock.
The Programme will include THE SAFETY C.\SKBT, LA BOUTKILLE INBPtTtSABLE; or, THE INEXHAUSTIBLE BOTTLE, and SUSPENSIONETHEREENE,
presented before the Queen and Royal Family.
Private Boxes, Stalls, and tickets, may be secured at Mitchell's Royal Library, 33,
Old Bond-street; and at the box-office.
Illustrations 5^t" and 548 (Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center. University of Texas, Austin)
395
ROBERT-HODDIN
to work to discover the means by

which it is managed. RobertHoudin succeeds perfectly in making the eyes the fools of the other
senses..
Morning Post, May 4, 1848.
T> OBERIÎOUPIN.ST. JAMES'S
Robert-Houdin. the celebrated

professor of the magic art. commenced here his series of Soirees
Fantastiques on Tuesday, and from
the success which attended his
first night, we should say he is
likely to continue his entertainment every Tuesday. Thursday,
and Saturday for many weeks to
come. Although Herr Dobler and
M. Philippe have gone before
Robert-Houdin, still this takes
nothing from the merit of RobertHoudin. as he. nearly in every exploit, goes beyond them. He claims
applause, too. from being the inventor of all his experiments, all of
which are performed with an ease
and audacity which are truly surprising. Perhaps his most marvellous essays are the Portfolio, from
w hich he produces everything from
a lady's bonnet to a cage of canaries; and the act of placing his
son on an uncovered table, there
extinguishing him, and the next
moment causing him to appear at a
side door. This last feat does away
altogether with the old-fashioned
notion of seeing is believing. The
Cabalistic Clock, which strikes
any given hour, and the Little
Automaton who plays the flageolet,
smokes his pipe, opens his prison
door, suffers decapitation, and then
regains his head, are the most perfect pieces of mechanism we ever
witnessed. The evening concludes
with the suspension of RobertHoudin's son on a single stick,
through the action of concentrated
ether.
Satirist. May 6, 1848.
Robert-Houdin is, beyond all
doubt, the very prince of necromancers. It is fortunate for him
that he did not live a century or two
ago. He would assuredly have been
put to death, had he failed upon
*N EASTKU MONDAY, at the

T U M r O M t . U i . Mr MIOM\s* MILIEU, Author, will .IPtlw U t i a l of u S t r k w i f M \ I t-.UTUCKami i lilÊii td PIIO
i S of f M ! iPU i >* I K. fro >. HH- w r J M period to UM torn
v) lit of (he I rise t v lu v (! I itct of i t * >irit lêtwra
Illustration 549 - (Harry Ransom Humanities

those times. He gave the first or his

Soirees Fantastiques at the St.
James's Theatre on Tuesday
evening, and it was the very perfection of illusion. His programme
comprised a great number of experiments, from which he selected
some ten or a dozen, he exhibited a
scientific skill, a grace, and an easy
charm far transcending even that
which we had previously regarded
as perfection in Dobler. It is impossible to give an idea of the extraordinary complications of his performances, which, to be beyond those
afforded by Herr Dobler, is the ''escamotage" of his son, who exhibits
a proficiency in second sight which
will certainly bring a large assemblage of Highlander to his Clairvoyance Society. There is, besides,
what is called a "suspension
e'there'ene'' - young Robert-Houdin
suspended in equilibrium, by. as
the bill tells us. "'atmospheric air.
ether." We know not how this may
be, but the exhibition is a most remarkable one. You see the boy absolutely lying on thin air, supported
by nothing but a walking stick, on
which his right arm rests. Amongst
the most striking and puzzling
things of the evening's performances were the ''wonderful orange-tree," "the cabalistic clock,"
''Robert-IIoudin's portfolio.'1 ''the
fans and cannon-balls" produced
from a hat, and the "inexhaustible
396
bottle" from which, after having

emptied it. M. Houdin produced
every description of liqueur asked
for by a large number of the company present. Altogether the performance may be pronounced to be
perfect. The theatre was well filled
by a fashionable audience, and we
cannot doubt that Robert-Houdin's
Soirees Fantastiques will be extremely popular.
Court Journal.
The most wonderful of all the
conjurors now occupies the offnights of the French Plays. M.
Robert-Houdin is the great original,
whereof, for the most part, we have
hitherto seen but feeble copies; and
his sleight-of-hand, his vivacity of
address, and his untiring accompaniments of easy talk pleasantly occupying the attention of the audience
while he fools them most egregiously. are marvellous indeed. We
have seen no "prestidigitation" to
compare with this. There is a careless elegance about it which completes its charm. M. Houdin has also
two sons whom he has, no doubt by
the same supernatural compact in
which he is himself bound, enslaved
to the art diabolic.
Examiner. May 7 . 1848.
M. Robert-Houdin is now the attraction here. It would be a poor
compliment to call so clever a
Frenchman a king of conjurors sure we are that many a king, our
own James the Peaceful among the
number, would have burnt him for a
inBntuUM
Arbuii, Ctoffl,
WitUoct'ittoiii,
Crwaiur, fa
Godfrey. n..ri,Ji.
Prlacb. Humon J . m , Yin lkdln^tiam.
Trim, liftug. iiciiim>r.lt, Healey. wt*on, An!
Jiiil In, M,.iii|>!,rl.ii. I'ctura. lUrm, ltcretl.
Hooiar. Uuinfen, Mllkr, Wlik.lt, Comellk
....,
,
Mliiuskl; Mr Godfrey, Bum! nnitor of tlu Cold.treonl (JtutnU.
ond tlui wholu of the Uanil Hr CiiUint, Btutd-nuutar of 111* Koyei
Artillery, uLd the whole of the Uand._H JABBBTT, PeereuiT, SOL
Hogeul-alrwt
ROBERT-IIOUDIN.ST. JAltKS'S
X l < THSATliE -MONDAY NEXT, - nd iluiim, l l i X u s ' l E K

W*.EK, tliu colebrMod rreelidldWteur, ItOBERTllOllDieW K.traordluiiry SEANLES PANTA.V1 itjUKS. Every Evening, at HfOf.rat.it
Eight. u.l . DAY 1 Mtrim>IA\CE on Wndiieadiy inil SatuiUy
Honiiiigft, Half past Two. Iituwe may be eecund fit UITCIIBLL 8
Ubtui; UJ Uoud-itneti aud atths lloi-offlM
Illustration 550 - (Hairy Ransom Humanities

Research Center. L'niuersity of Texas. AustinJ
NOTES TO ACT III
wizard - but he certainly is unsurpassed. He will fold you a turtledove

in paper, crush the creature in the
palms of his hand to the dimension
of a wren to nothing and, lo! It
re-appears in a box previously
empty! M. Houdin's son is extinguished in a huge cylinder, as he
stands on a four-legged table, with
no perceptible outlet; the necromancer knocks the extinguisher off
the table, and the boy quietly walks
in at an opposite door. The same
youth, blindfolded, and, if required,
with his back to the pit, tells any letter pointed to in any bill, or indicates any hour by any watch which
he could not perceive from the distance, if not blindfolded, or tells
what coin may be exposed, and even
those in the immediate vicinity cannot possibly distinguish a franc from
a shilling! Another son. a boy of
eight or ten, sleeps from the application of ether, or seems to sleep, leaning, in recumbent posture, a single
elbow on a single pole, his body
being two or three feet from the
ground. M. Houdin. during all his
performances, keeps up an amusing
and often witty commentary. The
conjurer of conjurors.
Douglas Jerrod, Weekly Newspaper.
Mr. Mitchell has engaged M.
Robert-Houdin. whose illusions
gain an additional charm from the
knowledge of the fact that he is the
real inventor of the marvels he exhibits. His manner is very agreeable; and he has a certain ease
about him, which distinguishes
him from his imitators in magical
science.
Spectator.
Conjurors delight so much in abstruse and far-fetched names, in describing themselves and their manifold deception, that we are almost
afraid they will in time be quite lost
amidst a chaos of confused sounds,
and M. Robert-IIoudin. who appeared here for the first time on
Tuesday evening, is not unlike his
brethren of the craft in this respect.
A most skillful professor of the black
AFIW. 2,1353.]
AMUSEMENTS, e*
M K.
PORTFOLIO for
JOHN
S rOETbOLIO
JOHNaf I'MOU
-U A t-S 'if J \ , i ^ r r y
li e >
LIM1 H V \
....... . . .
- . . . _ .
-IKIHAIXM
v u
' i r i l l '
l l L l f
.1 / . i i n
I'n
lit
'I
I, 4iU
ST.
JAMKS'S
THE.YTftE. Diuing
KAS'lfcK Wl-IKK. UW &-l-l r .i|ol Vrr.ili<iit!'t--<CI1'\
tlie
KOBFlT-
I an' ,1 i l. U r i..x. ,> * Bwll-v 7s

Itov.
1* iiw H . I . \ U t f l A \ S w l l be renur.i
April i _ i vH(,.. l. ; x,.^ n i-.l StHiU mfty be s
a, H'jyal Uljrary, i l . Old lk.r.d-street, and
T>OYAt. PRINCESS' THEATRE.Monftay,

Cu|>M; or. lk- hj * Putt nc Thurt-Uf, Th CornlMiIl Brother*, u4
11M now drama of M*n SîJ* orary vFDlnf.
"JTt It MGH
IT. JAMES'S THEATREKOB1UIT

)\()lvlt4 f W l l l i A L M\Oi( un ier tM ttilo .
\PA-.riQL:.'*. *t thi :.U.*O ThtMr*, TMW KVKXINU- B
ry in *,t*y rt Tl, n-!uj HI Hair p u t klgl-t laOc!t. A 1>AV
' Tiutlc.
T HE NATIONAL INSTIT0XION o
A l t l y . r O U i l . V M ) O.M i-Kliy, 316. Rp.gtnt-Mi-.et. <*m

iti a Kxl. Litioii of Mo<Uf..
t t e T Bl 1 lyl'el o ( t. I-'1
tur.n is now ul'LN 1 \ I I V fro
I. .10 till Dusk
Admlsiiu
UKM. SMITH. Sccrrta
<:-tlotp.o. M .
VIAYS.-ST. JAMES'S
yn-nrii Ittiy* w>!! ' - r ^ u m & l on MONDAY KKXT, AVHH< W I , >y

t l w ^ . W ^ n - n U f^f Mltl- 1 - A ^ . nf thn TWAro ites Y M K M , JtirU,
x n d M JuiUii rf t l u r rflimiu ViuJeviHi), A nd Mate Lobr>-<* KM
llrwt H|ttM<.irliJn*tti Iinwlon), ' '
Mr Miwlw I
0,d
w is i.
Uix J uwiSt II* t MuciikLI i UUMU-T, iwd at UM
SICAL
A
UNION.
N -TCKSDAY.
L
k
AP-Ut,
Ut
r i 1HE EOYAL POLYTECHNIC INSTITUX

T l O S , 3 n n w CIOSE1) un 1 EASTFU MONDAY, far the purpose of Kn^fiw N. w Uiiana for a Photox-rBiil.io School. &c Moot!i
of Mnct nury WO'ka of Art. &c , lire received for Elhibiticn ttm of
expense to llie Dty;sitora.
Illustration 551 - (Many Ransom Humanities

art, however, he certainly is; as there

is a neatness and dexterity about his
tricks that have never been surpassed; and he has, at the same time,
the reputation of being the inventor
and manufacturer of all the ingenious mechanical tricks that are
used by the previous conjurors who
have appeared: so that, in that respect, we come to the fountain-head
of legerdemain. M, Houdin is easy
and fluent in his address, and there
is a finish about his performances
that reminds us much of Dobler; and
we have in his performances all the
mechanical feats of pigeons, gold and
silver fish produced from seemingly
impossible places, a flat portfolio
that produces all sorts of extraordinary and bulky articles, together
with the feat of second-sight, and
suspending his son in the air on a
stick, and causing him to disappear
through a hollow tube and a variety
of other marvels too numerous to
mention. The audience were throughout most lavish in their applause,
and M. Houdin will be fully as popular as any that have yet appeared at
this theatre.
News of the World, May 7. 1848.
Robert-Houdin, the mighty
necromancer of the Palais-Royal,
whose proficiency in every species
39"
Illustration 552 fHany Ransom Humanities

Research Center. Vniversity of Texas Austin)
of diableries has long made him an

object of awe and wonder to the
Parisians, and in whose presence
Dobler, Philippe. Anderson, and the
rest of the wizards, are mere infants, gave his first Soiree on
Tuesday evening to a crowded audience. We are inclined to think this
mysterious gentleman has entered
into a compact with "somebody
downstairs", for the feats he performs are too extraordinary for belief in the ordinary way, and we are
now satisfied of the existence of the
"black art," and that M. Houdin
practices it. All the most difficult
tricks to which we have been accustomed are treated as mere child's
play, and performed with a dexterity and finish truly astonishing.
Hats are made to contain the most
impossible collection of monstrosities - a thin and empty portfolio becomes in turn a miller's, florist's,
and bird-fancier's shop, for bonnets,
bouquets, and birds are brought
from it in reckless profusions whilst watches, rings, cards, etc. are
made to fly in all directions without
any apparent agency beyond the
will of the professor. There are two
little figures, about six inches high,
which do the most extraordinary
things. M. Houdin calls them automatons; zee believe thev are two
ROBERT-HOUDIN
of t h e small people whom h e h a s

caught, and holds in d u r a n c e by his
spells. He h a s a n orange tree that
would b e a fortune to any horticulturist, for it blossoms a n d bears
fruit in half a m i n u t e . But t h e
Wizard m u s t b e seen to b e appreciated, for we c a n n o t a t t e m p t to describe half of what h e accomplishes.
He h a s a son (a little devil, we suppose), who possesses t h e faculty of
clairvoyance to perfection, w h o ,
after t h e exhibition of it, is placed in
a box on a table, and is t h e n passed
from o n e side of t h e stage to t h e
other as easily as a n ordinary conj u r o r passes small articles from
h a n d to h a n d . T h e p e r f o r m a n c e
concluded w ith a display of ethereal
suspension that sets the law of gravitation a t defiance. M. Houdin was
loudly applauded, a n d called before
t h e curtain on t h e termination of
the performance.
Era. May 7. 1848.
Robert-IIoudin's
Soirees
Fantastiques commenced
with
eclat at the St. James's Theatre on
Tuesday, and won great applause
throughout from a well-filled
house. It is not easy to make our
readers understand what, even
when witnessed, seems to be impossible; and the more so from the
ease and neatness with which the
delusion of the senses are executed. Of the performances we
were most astonished and entertained by tricks from a flat portfolio, producing a dozen of cumbrous
articles; the marvellous fishing:
the inexhaustible bottle, the vanishing of a big lad from under an
extinguisher; second sight of a
marvellous kind; and the balance
of a boy in air, with only one outstretched arm resting on a stick.
These things must be seen to be
believed.
Literary Gazette.
Should any of our readers be
still unacquainted with the "conjurations" and "the mighty magic"
of Robert-Houdin - "membre de
plusieurs Societes savantes" we
would advise them at once to
amend the omission. Certainly,

his tricks and transformations are
wonderful; and, at the same time,
appeal to something higher than
the mere sentiment of wonder. To
be chief in any department of
human effort is a point of ambition - and amongst conjurers
Robert-Houdin
unquestionably
bears away the palm. As a professor of the dark art - or the light
one. according to the humour of
the perplexed spectator - we have
seen no one to rival him. He beats
the mesmerists, clairvoyants, aerialists. and all other scientific innovators hollow, and in his particular art, after him, anything may
be believed - or doubted. He defies the gravity of the earth
equally with the gravity of his audience. To us, many of his performances are far more mysterious
than anything that we have seen
at scientific soirees. How that
wonderful bottle, out of which
flow as many kinds of wines and
liqueurs as the fertility of the audience can suggest, should continue to pour out dozens upon
dozens of glass-fulls, each individual's tastes being instantly gratified out of the self-same flask, science must fail to explain. It is
clear that M. Iloudin can "call
spirits from a vast deep" within
the apparently narrow limits of
this narrow bottle. The drinkers

begin to grow unsteady, under the
conviction that ''there's magic in
it." George Gruikshank had better
look to it - his "Bottle" has found
a rival. V\'hat is the secret of that
clock and pendulum worn upon
the sleeve! We have seen most of
the mechanical wonders of the
day machines which could make
machines, for example; but we
never before saw instruments endowed with so much of seeming
volition, intelligence, and obedience as M. Iloudin's appear to be.
His powers would have made him
a mighty priest in Egypt, a god in
Greece, a wizard in the Middle
Ages. Alas, if the age of chivalry be
gone - so is the age of easy faith.
Men seek the subterfuge now
where our fathers would have seen
truth. The mind now resists where
the sense is certain - and is amused
rather than awed at results to
which it cannot take the process.
Athenaeum. May 13, 1848.
The celebrated Robert-Houdin.
whose fame as a magician preceded his arrival in this country,
made his first appearance before
an English audience at the St.
James's Theatre last night. From
the high praises which his admirers had lavished upon him. we
were prepared to expect some-
APRIL 16, 1853.]
AMUSEMENTS, &c.
USICAL
UNION.H.
'
K. H. PRINCE
ALBEUT. Ptron. TUE8A, APRIL 19th. WILLIS'S

HOOHB (juarlett D fl*t. So 3. Moiart Trio. C minor. Pianoforte,
QIGNOU and MADAME FERRARI beg

O
10 nuouLica that their ANINLAL CONCEKT will Uke plftca at
o:HANO\FK 3QUAKK ROOMS o i TUK9UAY EVKV1NG 6IAV
t. to conmKBoi ot Klgl.t oClocK
VocalUtt I H I M Bwuno,
l u lUihlrsn KlUwlllam. md Madame Furrari; HeMd. Beaon W. lUntArd. nnd Signor Ferrari.
InflmmetUallsta | PUno.
Ir W. SUrndato Hannoit Mr W. Dorrell I t l u Ootti, MKI H.ir
atter; Cuntertlns Slgimr Giuilo IKgondi; Violin. Mr. Watson: Via.
onetl o .Sjiiior litiili
ConduUurs Metir Frank Mori and VT
orrdL-Tkket* 7t etch W ) hud at U prtudptf U f e t f e
tcu-rxvi fr-Bin IDt tid . lobe hail only mSlsi.orFmuiA
9, Upper Nortot -itrast, IVtlaml pitux
MR
hih
I)IS'OT'S II.iSKNTATION
M ALKXANDKR THOMAS,
will t<i!iO| iiv
i MOM \ t
JI \ \ Slid
CONCERT
IA&3. To cofliuteuce
WILLIS'S
TJ
.
HC'SSS. VI [ \ X t n S - M AlexanderTl.nmHwill hHvs
t l iMMjur of B .tiit> ' it'll I U M I l ! i - M i k f l 8 L l t L m 3 T C j n t R D K
At il- -U.ru U.H.U.1 i,i it u fiilloW.ig ohlor. a t Three
ii:.\hty.
p ' t l o t k j . n c i * e . j t - . i i . r * l ( i y , Aj.-l .'li; I-i-itUy Aj n l V.I; TIHMU)'.
WHJ 1 7 : 1-rl'uy Vi' i H I*- |-ilo:.nii tii Hurh*. Two Culnmu.
'J'hhrt*. iiroci'-rtt-iM m i l full ]<ni u1uri> nutj \*t hud of Mr. J t f k ,
Jonifc-i. l a i k M i i r lu I I . Kojol I nniil>. I j , llurl mtuti Arcada
M l?. ALBKRT
S m T H ' S MONT
BLANC
m f Bvenlan ot Eight o clock (exospt Salurdav). aulU. 31.,

wlnt.hc.iii UoifCum! KtltwBdx-omeesvpryiUy from Etvrea to rur.
Axaa. 3e.i Gulluy. i*. AM-rDli.u i'lrformauoo every
entbHlnj. HI II iwoclwk ~tgji.il

i liII. Hdilly.
>Olil.KT HOI'DIN.ST. JAMES'S

f RO1IBUT
ALBERT SMITH'S MQNT BLANC
rery Evening mt E(slit o'clock (except Sttardajr). 81till, 3i.,

can be KOircf at tha Box-ofHfo every day from file Ten to
p O B E U T H O U D I N . - S T . JAMES'S
G
1l
of GKHMAN PAINTINGS.
NM .l.i'.Mliltl'lUA. it
lM
XI;
TIIEATUE -THIS f \ . M \ G
SAT UK DAY, APRIL Ifitl,
Tuesday Evening. Itltl
\VH- t.j Mxmlng, SOtti; 'Lhurt&mj Evan
Ing, Vlit: Saturdny Won ii j - (rd
Ihior* openMorning t Two
Even! t at Bight Stall*. ?a ; HOK s 4*.; Pit Ks Gallery, lr
NEW SOCIETV of PAINTERS
in
Illustration ~>53 - (Harry Ransom Humanities

Research Center. I niversity of Texas, Austin)
398
Illustration 55^ (Harry Ransom Humanities

Research Center. University of Texas. Austinj
NOTES TO ACT III
thing wonderful, but the performances of last night surpassed

all that we anticipated or could
have conceived. The whole race
of English, Scotch, Irish, and
American wizards sink into utter
insignificance when compared
with Houdin - their tricks are
clumsy, gross, and palpable when
compared with the neatness, rapidity, and invisibility with which
the French artist performs his
truly magical feats. With him
there is no cloaking, screening, or
dodging: all is open and aboveboard: he challenges the closest
inspection; he invites the minutest scrutiny; and yet, when the
spectator has made up his mind
that if the feat is performed he
must detect the means by which it
is accomplished, or that its performance is a physical impossibility,
all his calculation and conceptions
are overturned. The orange tree
blossoms and yields its fruit in the
twinkling of an eye, the empty hat
manufactures and drops cannon
balls, the empty bottle is made to
yield wine, rum. gin. whisky, and
brandy and then air is mysteriously converted into winged fowls
and swimming fishes; and inanimate matter obeys the potent magician's spell and moves at his
command. But his most astonishing feat was that of suspending his
son in air without any visible support except a slight cane, on
which he rested his elbow. To another of his sons he gives the
seer's faculty of foreseeing and
foretelling the future. Upon the
whole, the performances were surpassingly wonderful, and the audience, a highly respectable and numerous one, gave frequent tokens
of their wonder and delight at the
surprising feats of Robert-Houdin.
who will, we have no doubt whatever, be as successful here as he
has been in his own country.
ing the present century, exercised

his birch to some purpose. Comparatively, a very short period has
elapsed when such a man as
M. Houdin would have been consigned to the faggots and the
flames, and offered up as a peace
offering to the powers of darkness.
At an early period of the world's
history he would have been either a
high priest of the Eleusinian mysteries, or a prophet. For, compared
with the doings of this gentleman,
which painfully puzzle all inquiry
into the relation of cause to effect,
those of the Delphinian Pythoness,
or the wonders achieved by the celebrated Mademoiselle Julie, sink
FRENCH
CONTINUATION OF
IKONS" LArONT'S
MAD
PAGE'S
Tilt
ENGAGEMENTS OF
M A D U E PAGE,
MONSIEUR LAFONT,
AD l
BESTIN,
{<% ,U TWtn
Frtfn,}
MONSIEUR JtJWAK
MONSIEUR. ROI.AND
MADEMOISELLE
LOBBY,
KNO AOBMKNTK.
Wednesday Evenings
April SOth,
mmvx* ffozaox r
LA PBZHSA DONNA,
THE EXTRA NJQHT ON SATURDAY EVENINGS

M i 1^ ntmttnve! .Ut"H3 -Ke prtinit Mtr*ll*n, tke Fn'St'x num'i
P>W (Ah rk ittrrU=)
La ...;iv'. 4a B. U T
f-'rUlatf nr-tt, April

(Owing: to tbe great Success which attended its production
oa Friday lost'
1 H K
C E L E B K A T r .
22.
n
( I T
JUDAS!*: ANCRLOTS I W t - I .
MARGUERITE,
UN B10BIT OH FAHU,I.E,
BS TROIS A 01F
DISTRIBUTION!
MB COMETB ALBSB.T DM ST. MEY M JftTIJAK
UOHMARD (*,.C-rt
- K aOLMTO
JUfcBB XHB 8 * A U B * J O t m
X BOH.
TOHHTMH ( ^ 4 w W > )
X J-AKtCBVAL
UK DOKBBTZQUB
.
K . JFAOTfSB
Marguerite de Senaeville - ro&dile PAOS.

LA DBiioixiigi on ST aamx KASUH BKKTIS
J l M H i U i BXAUVAL
CHEVALIER DE ST. GEORGES

MONS" LAFONT
MAD" 1
PAGE,
EXNO THK LAST
THE AMUSING
NIGHT BUT
CoM tDIB
A N D It K
K 4 D ' ICAHIJIDXT
UNE FEMME QUI SE JETTE

PAR LA FENETRE,
D*trt will t, ef-*f ai S~m i-iUt 1< f n / n w a n w w ii h ^ w i n .
BOXES, 8 *
ptim af atHHBian i
PIT, fl* AMPHITHEATRE
Globe.
But MM* wt tM t W l N ,
It is well for some persons that

the march of intellect has been
made with seven-leagued boots,
and that the schoolmaster has, dur-
PLAYS,
.ST. JAMES'S THSAT&U, KING STHEKT. ST. JAMGifS-
into insignificance. So long as

mankind are not all philosophers,
the art of working wonders will continue to astonish and delight. The
feats done by Monsieur Houdin
eclipse a thousand-fold those related by Dion Gassius. The neverdrained bottle, the inexhaustible
orange-tree, the first trick, the
etherised self-supported child, the
cylinder-covered boy. and the second sight, though they have been
imitated by others, lost a moiety of
their charm from the manner in
which they were effected. With M.
Houdin, everything is done with the
hand of a true professor of his art.
Grace and aplomb, and witty con-
.AST MORNING ENTKK1AIN MENT,

wmwswn BOESVa, amtt svth
Illustration 555 - Bill for Robert-Houdin at the Saint James's Theater, 1853-
399
ROBKRr-HOUDIN
verse, are handmaids of his operations. He is no common conjuror,

but the poet of prestidigitation, the
monarch of mystery, the Genghis
Khan of jugglery, the lawgiver of
legerdemain. A very erudite authority. Eusebe Salvate [sic: Salverte],
in his amusing book on the philosophy of Magic, observes "...that man
is credulous from the cradle to the
grave, that speech is more frequently deceptive than gesticulation, that everything is a prodigy in
the eyes of an ignorant man, and
that the philosopher behold no
prodigies." This may be all very
true, but we doubt whether the wisest man would not fail to discover
the "why and wherefore" of half of
the miracles produced by M.
Houdin; he literally realizes the
Shakespearian line "The eyes are
made the fools of the other senses"
Sunday Times.
Robert-Houdin, who is astonishing the lieges just now at
Mr. Mitchell's theatre on Tuesday,
Thursday and Saturday evening,
is certainly a very wonderful man.
A century or two ago he would
most assuredly have been burnt
in Smithfield as a wizard. Those
who have seen Herr Dobler he
out-Doblers quite, and puts the
sprightly M. Philippe altogether in
the shade. Such good citizens as
have seen none of these mighty
magicians should take an early
opportunity of paying a visit to
Mr. Houdin. We do not hesitate to
assure them that they will be
highly amused, perplexed, and
amazed. Like the witch in
Macbeth, Robert-Houdin "does
and he does, and he does." He
does a number of the most extraordinary tricks in the most extraordinary manner; and certainly
completely does his audience too.
And he is such a quiet, good-humoured, unassuming little person
that he manages to ingratiate
himself in your favour all the
while he is cheating you. His feats
of legerdemain defy detection.
You may wateh him with the
acutest attention, observe him
with the most searching gaze - all

to no purpose. He deceives you so
completely, as absolutely to make
you doubt the evidence of your
sense. The ease with which he
makes cannon balls and ladies'
fans, bonbons, and flowers come
out of empty hats is quite surprising. As for handkerchiefs, they
appear to contain anything and
everything he leases; how the
things get into the handkerchiefs
is quite impossible to perceive,
but there they are, sure enough,
whenever he wishes them to be
there. His "cabalistic clock" which,
''in mid-air suspended," strikes
any hours anybody pleases, and
goes fast or slow, just as it is desired, is not the least astonishing
of his ''original experiments." as
the playbills designate his performance. How ladies' trinkets,
snugly placed in a little box. find
their way thence into the middle
of oranges, lemons, eggs, and so
forth, it is rather difficult to conceive, but a wave of RobertHoudin's wand is potent, and the
trinkets go just where he pleases,
at his bidding. If any sane person
were asked if he deemed it possible that from out of a flat portfolio, a number of French prints, a
lady's bonnet of the most fashionable make, a large-sized basket of
oranges, four turtle doves, and a
bulky cage full of canaries could
be produced, he would most assuredly answer in the negative.
Robert-Houdin, however, finds no
difficulty whatever in effecting
the apparent impossibility. In the
course of the evening, M. Iloudin
entertains his audience with one
of the most ingenious pieces
of mechanism we have ever
seen. Supported on a chair by a
most grave-looking automaton,
whom M. Houdin has christened
"Debureau," a sprightly little figure called "Auriol,' dressed in
similar attire to that worn by his
amusing namesake at Drury-lane,
performs all sorts of vagaries,
much to the astonishment and delight of the audience. Amongst
other things, he keeps time with
the band upon the flageolet, prac-
400
tices a number of gymnastic feats.

and finally sets himself down to
smoke a cigar, with all the gust of
a South American gaucho or a
Spanish matador. We have not
space to enumerate one-tenth
part of M. Houdin's surprising
tricks. We cannot, however, pass
by the ''Inexhaustible Bottle"
without saying a few words about
it. An ordinary-sized claret bottle
is washed inside and outside, and
it is held with the mouth downwards, to all intents and purposes,
one would say, empty; yet out
of this apparently empty bottle.
M. Houdin serves out innumerable
glasses of every known liquor.
ST.
JAMES'S THJEATBE,
KIKG STREET. ST. JAMES S,
__
ROBERT-HOUDIN
MORNING PERFORMANCE
BY PARTICULAR DESIRE,
MONDAY NEXT,
MORNING
JUNE 19, /&JtS_

RBaTf-pasl
E P Tim
R Eo'C.odt
S Eprerficfj,
NTATION
WEDNESDAY, J I N E 21.
EVENING
PERFORMANCES,
TUESDAY,* THURSDAY,
SATURDAY EVENINGS,
THE PROGRAMME
INVENTED BY M. ROBERT-HOUDiN.
Lea Toarfureliei SympatMquej
The Sympathl.log Tnrlledoves.

The Wond'.rfu* Orange-Tree.
IiG Ooffro de Surete
The Saftety Casket.
La Fec&e H a g i q a e
&c.
&c. &<s.
Vatt X.Z
Ui Poniard nn* Drageca
. . . - - The SI
Le CUltoa de Robert Houdia
Robert-Honain'H Portfolio,
La Bouteille Xnepuisable -. The isezhaustible Bottle |

JTjIqaariste Impromptu,
Iiiquormonger Extempore
__J<^_&c:_&*-
BBOOWDE
VXJK,
.fmc^fcttio Jit, (iioogh tin MUBH
Illustration 556 - Bill for Robert-Houdin at

the Saint James's Theater, June 1848.
(Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center.
University of Texas. Austin)
NOTFS TO ACT III
Dantzic water, maraschino, Curacao,

whiskey, gin. nova, et it genus
omne, is most generously handed
round to the audience. We suppose we must ascribe to our national taste the circumstance that
petits verres of gin were in great
demand in the pit.
The "Soiree Fantastique" of
Saturday concluded with the suspension of Robert-Houdin's son "in
equilibrium by atmospheric air.
ether," to adopt the phraseology of
the bills. And a most astounding/inale most decidedly it was. Not at
all astonishing, under the circumstances, was the exclamation of a
R O B E R T HOtXDIN,
ROBERT-HOUDIN,
FRENCH CONJURER,
K X P EHIMBKTS
NATURAL MAGIC,
Ok>. Ki.S, P M * u^Jtr DM B
"SSANCES FANTASTIQUIS,"
AT THt: ABOVf: TWATR*:.
TUESDAY AND THURSDAY EVENIN6,
DAY PERFORMANCE
WEDNESDAY & SATURDAY MORNINGS
ntOOBAKK
[ 4
! It . M I F R I
I.OBJLNC1EQ WSTHXOX.
D It OX I KM L
LBS
tiOULUB O *
OIUKDt
Si;ilIB
PA R T I I
CrftttYAL
D*
TCIVJUB
lady sitting immediately behind us.

who, as the curtain fell, remarked
with emphasis, "Well, I never!" We
shall certainly advise all our
friends to pay Moris. Houdin a visit.
Telegraph, May 15, 1848.
Yesterday, M. Robert-Houdin
gave his first Matinee Fantastique
to a numerous audience. M. Houdin
is certainly the prince of conjurers,
and well deserves the success he
has met with. His tricks are performed with a quietness and ease
that are really astonishing, while
the good humour and intelligence,
which he manifests during the performance, tend to keep up the spirits of his audience, and to render
the entertainment one of the most
agreeable we have witnessed. One
chief characteristic of M. Houdin is
want of that display which is the
general prelude to a trick in other
performers. With him all is done as
if it were a matter of course, and in
consequence the deception is the
more complete. We have already
noticed several of the tricks of
M. Houdin. whom as the inventor
of most of those which have so
often been exhibited, has all the
merit of originality, besides his superior dexterity. Yesterday, his audience testified their delight by repeated plaudits, the real children
vying with those of ''a larger
growth' in manifesting their joy.
The success which attended the
performance yesterday will, no
doubt, call for a repetition of this
Matinee Fantastique.
Morning Post, May 25. 1848
DADBXUS
T B O I h l t ME
PART r
L* PVTIT TOM IKIOaOIUii
Illustration 5 y - Bill for Robert-Houdin at

the Saint James's Theater, June 1853.
We at evening paid a visit to

M. Robert-IIoudin. the new miracle
worker at the St. James's Theatre.
We have seen many conjurors in
our time, but we certainly never
saw one who can hold up to this
one. One of his most remarkable
scenes was called ''Le carton de
Robert-Houdin" - a plain, flat portfolio, out of which he brought four
doves, a lady's bonnet, and several
other things, ending with a goodsized bird-cage containing canaries. Another, which afforded the
401
most complete delight to the audience, particularly those in the pit,

was the "Bottle inepuisable," a
common green bottle from which he
poured out for the company endless glasses of any liquor they like
to call for. Cognac, Maraschino,
Curacao, Kirsch-water. eau de vie
vanilla,
gin, and innumerable
other liquors were called for by the
audience supplied as quick as the
light, and evidently relished by the
recipients.
But the most surprising parts of
the performance were the feats of
second sight of M. Houdin's son.
With his eyes bandaged, seated on
the stage, he described, without an
instant's hesitation, any article
which was put into his father's
hand by anyone in the body of the
house. However this may have
been managed, the rapidity and
neatness with which it was accomplished were such as deservedly to
elicit the applause of the audience.
The concluding ''effect" was the
suspension in the air, on the end of
a stick, of the younger son of
M. Houdin.
The house was fully attended,
and the audience appeared delighted not least with the tricks
themselves, than the agreeable
manner of Mr. Houdin during the
performance.
Chronicle. June 2, 1848.
Robert-Houdin, who. we are
told not unwarrantably, advertises
himself as membre de plusieurs
socie'tes savantcs, and is. we believe, the discoverer of some of the
illusions which Herr Dobler and
others have exhibited, gave the
first of his soirees at the St. James's
Theatre last evening. He developed
these and many new deceptions
with a scientific skill, a grace, and
easy charm far transcending even
that which we had previously regarded as perfection in Herr
Dobler. It is impossible to detail on
paper complications which, to be
appreciated, we will not say understood, must be seen. A feature in
the performance beyond those afforded by Herr Dobler, is the es-
ROBERT-HOUDIN
camotage
of Robert-Houdin's son.
who exhibits a proficiency in sec-
ond sight, which will certainly

bring a very large assemblage of
Highlanders to all future representations, and affords an infinity of
new papers for the Clairvoyance
Society. There is. besides, what is
called a suspension cthereenne:
young Robert-Houdin suspended in
equilibrium by. as the bill tells us.
"atmospheric air, through the action of concentrated ether." We do
not know how this may be, but the
fact before us is a most remarkable
one. You see the boy absolutely
lying on thin air. supported by
nothing whatever but a walking
stick, on which his right arm rests.
There was a full house, and we venture to predict a still fuller on each
of the twelve representations announced.
Daily Neiz-s and Bell's Life.
We do not know what Mr.
George Gruikshank would be likely
to say to \1. Houdin's "Bottle." The
former inculcates temperance in a
pictorial poem that is the best sermon we ever read: the latter makes
drinking so pleasant that we wonder no tee-totaller has yet risen
and protested against the danger of
putting such a "Bottle" into the
hands of the Public. Why, it is inexhaustible! The more liquids he
pours from it. the more there are
concealed at the bottom. It is a bottled ocean of champagne, port,
brandy, and Curacao. It is the
whole London Docks, apparently,
corked down into a quart bottle nay. more than that; for we really
believe if Horace happened to drop
in at the St. James's and called for
a poculum of his old Falernian.
that M. Iloudin would pour it out
for him. and then ask him if he
would have a little magnum of
Cyprus!
There are many good things in
Mr. Cruikshank's "Bottle." but we
doubt if its greatest admirer could
squeeze a bumper of Burgundy, or
the smallest glass of Maraschino
out of it. In fact, our moral Callot
would not be very well pleased if
anyone could, considering he
wishes to expose the horrors of

drinking, and not to prove the
pleasures of it; and that his
"Bottle" was drawn, not to go to
men's lips, but to their hearts. We
implore Monsieur Houdin. however, to be careful, or else some
night, if he does not put a timely
"'stopper" on his liberality, his audience may be carried off to the
station-house and locked up on
the dreadful charge of inebriety.
The scenes, too. that might occur
at this theatre would be rather unpleasant for the liberal conjuror, if
he had a number of young men
rushing up to him for "just one
glass more." We advise him to
limit every lady to two glasses,
and every gentleman to four, unless they have been dining, when
the best thing to give them - we
mean the gentlemen - will be a
bottle of soda-water. The drink
should be varied, also, in this
warm weather, and be made to
consist of some of Soyer's
"Nectar, or Sainsbury's summer
beverages.
Punch, July 13. 1848.
39Memoirs of Robert-Houdin. op.

cit.. pp. 34-1-345.
40.
ROBERT-HOUDIN'S PERFORMANCE BEFORE THE QUEEN.
At the occasion of the party for
the Prince of Wales. RobertHoudin. the famous conjurer, performed one of his fantastic shows
in Buckingham Palace before H.M.
the Queen. II.R.II. Prince Albert,
their royal family and all of the
court. A charming theater had
been built for him in the grand
portrait gallery. The gathering
was noble and large. For two
hours the august spectators were
amazed. The queen was extremely
pleased by these experiments but
those that seemed to impress her
the most were The Aerial Clock,
The Safety Casket. The Portfolio,
and mainly The Queen's Surprise,
a well-planned trick that reunited
what is most gracious and appropriate. You can judge by the fol402
lowing narrative: the Queen

having lent her glove to RobertHoudin. he immediately made a
bouquet of flowers come out of it,
which soon became too large to be
held in two hands: finally, this
bouquet, placed in a vase and watered with magic water, changed
into a garland whose flowers
formed the name of VICTORIA.
But what even more impressed
Her Majesty was the marvelous lucidity of the son of Robert-Houdin
in the experiment of Second
Sight. The most complicated objects had been prepared in advance, in order to embarrass the
father and the son and lead their
sagacity into error. However, both
came out victorious from this intellectual combat and thwarted all
of the plots.
After many objects, named immediately as soon as they were
presented, a ring on which a small
medallion the size of a lentil was
given to Robert-IIoudin: his son
immediately identified it. But
what was the audience's surprise
when continuing the designation,
he said: "On the medal is the
portrait of H.M. the Queen,
around which are engraved two
Latin words: VICTORIA REGINA!"
(This engraving was so microscopic that a good magnifying
glass would have been needed to
decipher it.) Medallions of Trajan,
of Septimus Severius. of George II
were identified with extraordinary precision. Finally, the
Duchess of Kent, wanting to convince herself of this marvelous
power of description of the
Second Sight addressed RobertHoudin and said to him: "Your
son. could he also name this object, and describe it, if I interrogated him myself?" - Certainly,
said the conjurer immediately.
"The object that you are hiding in
your hands is a gold watch with
blue enamel with the portrait of
George IV, surrounded by 96 diamonds." This time, and against
etiquette, applause, to which Her
Majesty participated, rang out
from all over, and did not stop
NOTES TO ACT III
until the curtain had completely

dropped.
After the performance, the
queen sent her compliments to
Robert-Houdin. and had him sent a
souvenir of her royal munificence.
The Court Journal.
41.
At the beginning of 1859, Olympe
Robert-Houdin went to London to return Henriette Knight to her family.
42.
Independance beige, no. 126.
Sunday. May 6. 1849 (bottom of
page 2):
Theatre Royal Saint Hubert.
Sunday 6"', Soiree fantastique of
M. Robert-IIoudin.
Tuesday, May 8. 1849. page 3:
Theatre Royal Saint Hubert (S
o'clock) Tuesday 8, Soiree fantastique of M. Robert-Houdin.
Part 1 - The Aerial Clock - The
Mysterious Orange Tree - The
Sympathetic Turtledoves - The Ink
Vase or Instant Clarification Impossible Equilibrium - The
Traveling Bird - The Hunter (mechanical piece) The Trapeze.
Part 2 - The Crystal Balls - The
Fans - The Cannonballs - The
Flower Basket - The Traveling
Jewelry - Robert-IIoudin's Portfolio
- The Inexhaustible Bottle - The
Second Sight Experiment by
M. Robert-Houdin and his son
Invisibility - Disappearance of
M. Robert-IIoudin's son.
Wednesday. May 9. 1849. page 3:
Theatre Royal Saint Hubert (8
o'clock). Wednesday May 9.
Soiree fantastique of M. RobertHoudin.
Part 1 -The Aerial Clock - The
Vase or Instant Clarification Impossible Equilibrium - The
Traveling Bird The Hunter (mechanical piece) - The Trapeze.
Fans - The Cannonballs The
Flower Basket The Traveling

M. Robert-Houdin and his son Invisibility - Disappearance of
M. Robert-IIoudin's son.
Thursday. May 10. 1849. page 4:
Theatre Royal Saint Hubert (8
o'clock). Thursday May 10. last
Soiree fantastique of M. RobertHoudin.
Part 1 - The Aerial Clock - The
Vase or Instant Clarification
Impossible Equilibrium - The
Traveling Bird - The Hunter (mechanical piece) The Trapeze.
Fans - The Cannonballs - The
Flower Basket - The Traveling
M. Robert-Houdin and his son
Invisibility - Disappearance of
M. Robert-Houdin's son.
number of experiments and the

choice of people arc sufficient guarantees as to this effect. M. Gandon
is to give a few performances next
week.
Alexandre Francois Antoine
Gandon was born in Paris (12'
arrondissement) on July 26. 1812,
where he died on November 11.
1864. In his Souvenirs dun Montreur de Marion nettes, (Paris.
Maurice Blanche. Publisher. 1911)
Lemercier de Neuville dedicates a
long portrait (pages 125 to 131)
to his friend Antoine Gandon,
\\ hose activities were apparently
more linked to journalism and literature in general rather than the
43.
F.A. Gandon notably performed
in Second Sight experiments in
Februan 1848 at the Theatre de
Lille and during the month of May
at the Theatre Royal of Brussels. He
was apparently helped by his
nephew. the young Goumenaud (or
Gondenaut depending on the ad\ ertisement). Here is the account of
his performances published in
I'Abeille lilloise
This week we had two performances of M. Gandon's second
sight, which are far better than
other previous, similar performances. Despite all our efforts, we
could not manage to understand
how. placed thirty steps away and
blindfolded, this young Gondenaut
guesses the age, first name, and
profession of those who honor him
with their trust. Readers, do not
believe that confederates are involved, as used before by M. Laurent
and his famous Prudence. The
403
ANTOINE GANDON
Illustration 558 - Portrait of Antoine

Gandon by Leinercier de Neuville.
ROBERT-HOUDIN
S01RE I S PAHTAS
ES
HOKMT-HOLDn
flOtr,
stage. The famous puppeteer concludes Gandon's biography with

this anecdote tinged with black
humor:
Gandon died in 1864. Did he
foresee his death? Was it real double sight? I do not know, but one
day he said to Dinochau,
''Send me your bill. I want all
my business to be taken care of before November 10"."
And on November 10, Gandon
died of sudden brain paralysis.
44.
71-*-
. 4 cyOefZ
.^J&CJTZ?
>
Illustrations 559. 560. and 561 - Letter from

Robert-Houdin to Aristide Le Carpentier.
While continuing his work.

Robert-Houdin also had to defend
his position as theater manager. In
fact. Robert-Houdin defended his
position in the capital in every
sense, as shown by this letter
dated January 19. 1850, addressed
to a M, Mantoux, who was influential in the tax administration of the
time:
Sir:
You have recently taxed me at
11%. I would certainly not go
against this decision if business
was good, but this huge tax comes
at a moment when theater income is so poor that all in this domain, except for me. are taxed at
6o. I thought that I deserved the
same consideration as all others,
given my work and my constant
efforts for the prosperity of my
theater.
You arc aware, sir, that when
income decreases, costs increase, because advertisement
then becomes necessary and this
type of expenditure is also very
costly. This year I spent four
times more than all other years
put together, through my bills,
extras, and advertisements, and
in addition, the theater commission, whose decision I respect,
forced me to spend 500 francs for
my theater and pay the daily
wages of a city sergeant obviously useless to my theater.
The rigors of the law do not affect a theater businessman; they
affect an artist whose life has been
40 1
used, and I might say used up. to

create a modest situation that too
much tax or too many costs could
easily make him lose.
I hope I can count on you, sir,
to render justice to my claim, and
please believe that I am your humble and obedient servant.
Robert-Houdin
That this letter softened the
heart of the honorable civil servant, we do not doubt; however.
the correspondence of RobertHoudin at this time is often lighter,
as show n by the letter written on
the stationary of Soirees Fantastiques and addressed to Aristide
Le Carpentier:
Paris. April 27. 1850
My dear sir,
I laughed a lot and am still
laughing about the great argument engaged between your
nephew and yourself about our
unfortunate third verse destined,
if may say so, to be a stillbirth,
though meant to be the hope of
his family.
I admit candidly that even
though the four verses already performed are fine in themselves,
they are not entirely appropriate
for my public. Your nephew's couplet seems to lean towards politics
"and when I see that one unleashes disharmony in my country" that can only pass for the pretension "Democ Soc "; perhaps
we could merge all these nuances
of opinion and style (because it is
now or never) and therefore create
a perfect verse.
I have just placed myself in the
saddle. I do not need to preface
with a profession of faith - I only
have one thing to say, that is that
the end of the couplet be the one I
wished. Poetry is not my strong
point and this idea could be turned
in another way. Look and judge, I
leave it to you!!!
45.
cit.. pp. 366-367.
NOTES TO ACT III
46.
Georges Emile Robert-Houdin,
born at Saint-Gervais on May 29.
1851, died at Saint-Gervais-la-Foret
on October 31. 1925.
47.
Auguste Lassaigne. born in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) on November
30, 1819. died in Montpellier (Herault)
on November 4, 1885.
48.
This letter includes little notes,
wishes, and advice written by Emile
and Eugene to their stepmother as
well as by her sister Amelie.
49.
Henri Joseph Donckele. known
as Robin, born in Hazebrouck
(Nord) on July 12. 1811. died in
Paris on February 24, 1874.
the same De Linski who accidentally killed his wife in Arnstadt in

November 1820 during "The Bullet
Catch" feat. We also know of another magician with the same
name: Chretien Jean-Baptiste de
Linski. born in Muller, USA in 1827.
died in Charenton, Seine. February
16. 1882. If it is the same artist, we
briefly find him on the stage of
Robert-Houdin's theater in the
1880s.
55.
Jean Chavigny. op. cit . pp. 9193 Based on the excerpt from
Eglantine Lemaitre Robert-Houdin's
lecture, which we have reprinted
in note 19. the conjurer had already carried out a similar experiment several months earlier for his
son George's baptism.
50.
56.
Gazette des Tribunaux, June 26.

1850.
cit.. pp. 367-368.
51.
57.
See also Robert-Houdin's footnote at the end of the appendix of

the second volume of his memoirs
regarding the Legrand trial.
Cha\ igny mentions an erroneous date for the end of the lease
and does not give the name Bertin
but the family Rohan-Chabot as
the seller. This attribution is inaccurate and the result of a confusion between the Palais-Royal
lease and that of Georges Melies at
the Boulevard des Italiens. whose
building belonged at this time to
the Rohan-Chabot family and was
passed between the parties thirtyfour years later. I also perpetuated
these same mistakes in a footnote
for the reprint with Stock of
Robert-Houdin's Memoirs in 1994,
mistakes that others recopied. as
well as other incorrect deductions
I had made.
52.
Jacques Voignier kindly gave me
this newspaper article, unknown to
Robert-Houdin's biographers.
53.
Police department decree of March
1, 1851.
54.
The name Louis, the name De
Linski, without the y. like that of
Devaux without the e, are spelled
this way in the decree of the police
department granting the authorization. For Devaux, we believe that
his name was really spelled
"Deveaux" because this is how he
signed the mechanical pieces from
his workshop. Concerning De
Linski, we cannot confirm that it is
58.
The wedding contract between
Hamilton and Amelie Braconnier.
widow of Devillers, was signed on
January 13, 1852.
405
59.
Le Charivari, no. 24. January 1852.
60.
This letter by Alexandrine Bosco
is taken from Francois Voignier's
lecture before the Club des Magiciens Collectionneurs on January
29. 1996. Commentaire. analyse, et
datation de quelques documents
raves ou inconnus (Commentary,
Analysis and Dating of a Few rare
or Unknown Documents).
61.
In a letter sent to an unknown
addressee and dated January 13,
1852, Robert-Houdin announced to
his correspondent the date of his
departure from Soirees Fantastiques:
"...tomorrow Wednesday, this will
be my last performance; it will be
over forever; farewell, my dear
Parisians..." On a poster dated
Wednesday. January 14. 1852, the
conjurer noted: "Next to last performance; I am leaving on January 15.
1852."
62.
On the subject of Hamilton's
passage through Lyon in August
1852. see the list of press releases
heralding his performances and
commented upon by Hjalmar in
issue 156 of Le Magicien.
63.
Rosalie Eglantine Robert-Houdin,
born in Saint-Gervais on October 5.
1852. Died in Blois on December
26. 1926. See genealogical chart.
64.
Dantan drew two nearly identical watercolors on this occasion.
He gave the first one to RobertHoudin and kept the second for
himself. One of the drawings is
found today at the Chateau de
Blois, the second in Dantan's Le
Litre d Or. which I acquired at a
public sale, and which contained in
addition to the drawing of other
humorous portraits of RobertHoudin. autographed rhymed pas-
ROBERT-HOUDIN
sages that the master wrote, and

the caricatures of his son Emile in
the Second Sight routine.
65.
Here are the texts of a few announcements and accounts published in the newspapers of the
Nord-Somme region during RobertHoudin's travels to Abbeville, Amiens
and Lille in 1853:
L'Ami
de
I'ordre,
no.
1527,
new spaper of the Somme region,

published in Amiens, Wednesday,
February 23, 1853:
Somme column:
Abbeville. Les Soirees fantastiques de M. Robert-Houdin will
begin next Friday the 25th of this
month.
L'Ami
de I'ordre,
no.
1528,
Thursday, February 24, 1853:

The "Pilote de la Somme" of
Abbeville will publish this morning
a detailed account of M. RobertIloudin's Soirees Fantastiques of
Sunday and Monday for the inhabitants of this town. [Sunday 20th,
Monday 21SI \
Our colleague, who is still marveling over the feats he witnessed,
warmly praised the skillful conjurer, whose talent created amazement and astonishment and whom
we foresee will be just as successful among yourselves.
M. Robert-Houdin will perform
twice in Amiens on Friday and
Saturday because he has performances scheduled in Lille, Calais,
and England.
L'Ami de I'ordre, no.
Friday, February 25, 1853:
1130,
Theatre d'AMIENS
Today Friday the 25th and tomorrow Saturday the 26th of
February 1853
Soirees Fantastiques de
Robert-Houdin
M. Robert-Houdin will perform
the most interesting experiments
in his repertoire such as the inexhaustible bottle, the portfolio, the
marvelous orange tree, the Hunter,

the crystal chest, the invisible
hand, the unexpected metamorphosis, the philosophical stone, the
two contrasts [?], the crystal ball,
cabalistic drying, the mysterious
clock, Auriol (mechanical piece),
the enchanted mirror, here and
there, great subtlety, the sympathetic turtle doves, the birth of
flowers, the horn of plenty, the
cannon ball, the infernal punch,
the flower garland, infinite multiplication, the genie of roses, the
ball of wool, the plumes, fishing, diabolical conjuring, the mysterious
dahlia, wishes granted.
THE PRICE OF TICKETS REMAINS THE SAME
First stalls 2.5 francs, second
and pit with seats 1.5 francs, pit
1 franc, third level, 75 centimes.
Ticket windows will open at
7:30 and the show will begin at 8
o'clock.
M. Robert-Houdin will give only
two performances because he is expected in England.
L'Ami de I'ordre, no. 1331.
Sundav. Februarv 27. 1853:
M. Robert-Houdin's performance last night attracted a large
and brilliant audience. The skillful
conjurer amply justified this enthusiasm through the prodigious
skill with which he performed a
great number of truly marvelous
tricks and which the astonished
and charmed audience heartily applauded.
What gives particular merit to
M. Robert-Houdin's tricks is first
and foremost their superiority to
the likes of anything of this kind
seen before, and then the rapidity
and grace of their execution.
Very well placed with respect
to high society, M. Robert-Houdin
knows how to please them, not
only with his dexterity but also by
the distinction and courtesy of his
speech and manners. We will
not try to analyze the tricks
that charmed us last night and
that M. Robert-Houdin performs
much better than we can relate.
The tricks must be seen to be ap406
SxS:,
"OLTICE DU TBAP E Z t
Illustrations 562, 563. and 564-Advertisements

for Robett-Houdin in L'Abeille UUoise.
NOTES TO ACT III
preciated and known, but one

must give up all possibility of
comprehending them. So, we tell
our readers to go and see M.
Robert-Houdin. Take advantage of
this last soiree that this enchanter dedicates to us, and
under whose fingers fans, oranges, bouquets for the ladies,
and punch for the gentlemen materialize. Cakes, candy, and toys
for children. These are charms
which M. Robert-Houdin does not
need to conjure up because they
are due to his generosity and talent.
E.Y. [Eugene Yvert]
LL'Abeille lilloise, no. 20 Thursday,
March 10. 1853:
ROBERT HOUDIN AGAIN
In our last issue we published
an extract from M. Robert-IIoudin's
biography; we will therefore add
nothing to this realistic portrait in
which M. Hatin depicts the skill.
wit, and vivacity and immense genius of the skillful mechanician
and surprising conjurer who has
possessed our town for a few days.
But we must not keep silent about

our pleasure in attending his
soirees.
Robert-Houdin is not an ordinary conjurer; he is witty, gay,
lively, and especially sophisticated.
We would enjoy listening to him
even if he was not performing. His
glance expresses gentleness and
liveliness; his voice is pleasant, he
jokes only in perfect taste. His stage
is not cluttered with magic horns,
trapdoor tables, strangely shaped
vases, and all the paraphernalia of
ordinary magicians. This is another
sign of his good taste.
lie does not need to dazzle with
a display of his tools; he does not
need to wear a magician's cape to
do magic of the most incredible
kind! He knows that if the devil
himself came to earth, he would
wear the black cape and round hat.
But let us speak no more of the
devil, as it has not been proven
that he had nothing to do with the
education of the prince of magic,
M. Robert-Houdin. If the latter's
science does not come from Satan,
then Satan must be jealous; but the
prince of darkness will not come

complaining to Robert-Houdin
about stepping on his toes, because
he usually does not like to deal
with those of equal strength.
Moreover, he could end up being
conjured away...and all humanity
would laugh!
What can we say about the surprises he reserves for the audience? Nothing!.. .because we would
have to describe the skill of each of
his tricks, the marvel of each mechanical piece, and this would take
us far from the limits of our article.
Suffice it to say to our readers: go
see Robert-Houdin and you will
proclaim him to be the prince of
magic, as we do, and especially
when right before one's eyes he
pulls out of a three- or four-centimeter-thick portfolio, two new,
perfectly shaped women's hats, two
copper pots - one full of water, the
other full of fire - a fifty-centimeter
cage, four turtledoves, several objects, and...but let us stop here; we
promised to remain silent, and we
are about to break our promise.
F. BRACKE
L'Abeille
lilloise.
no.
Sunday, March 13, 1853:
21
of
Musical association hall.

Rue Esqucrmoise 79
Theatre dc Robert-Houdin
Conjurer at Palais-Royal in Paris
Program
THE
MARVELOUS
PUNCH
BOWL
An entirely new experiment invented by him.
THE FAMOUS INEXHAUSTIBLE
BOTTLE
M. Robert-Houdin promises to
make all possible liquors known
today come out of any empty bottle
in unlimited quantities. This experiment is of his own invention.
THE DIABOLICAL PORTFOLIO
The impossible becomes possible.
From a thin portfolio the following come out in profusion: ladies'
hats, pots filled with water and
fire, beans, living turtledoves, and
407
ROBESO -HOUDIN
very strange album. We will say a

few words about it, reader, in our
next issue. In the meantime we
advise you to go see, at the
Association Musicale, this modern wizard who proves through his
surprising experiments that all impossibility can become reality.
F. BRACKE
a huge cage filled with birds.

THE HORN OF PLENTY
Producing an avalanche of candy,
flowers, albums, comical newspapers, fans, horoscopes, surprises,
etc.
THE MYSTERIOUS ORANGE TREE
Instantaneous blossoming of fragrant flowers and delicious fruits.
66.
Sam H. Sharpe, Salutations to
Robert-Houdin. Micky Hades, 1983.
p. 30.
One of the reprinted posters has

engravings at the top and bottom;
in the other the bottom engraving
is replaced by this text:
67.
Sidney W. Clarke. The Annals of
Conjuring, chapter "The Wizard of
the North and The Mechanical
Conjurers," fop cit).
All of Robert-Houdin's performed experiments were invented

by him. Although a few have been
performed by other artists, they
are nothing more than an imperfect imitation of his way of presenting them.
68.
Sidney W. Clarke (op. cit).
69.
Concluding an article reprinting

extracts from Robert-Houdin's biography by Eugene Hatin, one can read
the following lines by F. Bracke:
Robert-Houdin has yet another
talent that is less generally known,
and which I must tell you about in
order to complete the portrait of
this artist.
In leaving these soirees fantastiques, one wonders how a man
can resist such repeated fatigue
day after day, non-stop. Well, do
you know how Robert-Houdin
rests? Working in his home, he alternatively picks up the file and
pen, preparing new inventions or
rhyming the description of old
ones. The little books that he produces among other objects from
his horn of plenty, and which he
so generously distributes to his
audience, can give an idea of the
manner in which he writes.
But he excels in sharpening a
point, creating a pun, placing the
most bizarre names in a few verses.
His relatives, friends, and acquaintances, the furniture of his home,
the paths of his garden, all that he
touches or approaches with his epigram, his quatrain.
In this way he has made up a
SALUTATIONS
TO
ROBERT-HOUDIN
by
Sam H. Sharpe
His life magic and automata.
Illustrated with sketches, photographs,
and collected artworks from the
author's collection and the collections
of other famous historians.
19 8 3
MICKY HADES INTERNATIONAL
Ricky Jay kindly sent me copies

of the English bills of RobertHoudin that are today kept at the
Harry Ransom Humanities Research
Center at the University of Texas,
Austin. These bills have allowed
me to determine the specific dates
of the beginning and end of RobertHoudin's engagement at the SaintJames's Theater in 1853.
All these posters were part of
the collection of Harry Houdini,
who did not reveal their existence
to his readers, to whom he asserted, on the contrary, in The
Unmasking of Robert-Houdin. that
in that particular year, RobertHoudin had been "'squeezed out"
of the Saint James's Theater by the
magician Anderson and that consequently, the French conjurer had
no other choice than to perform in
a second-rate hall!
70.
In French in the text.
71.
Illustrations 565, 566 and 56 - Portrait and
signature of Sam H. Sharpe framing

the title page of his remarkable study
of Robert-Houdin.
408
In French in the text.
72.
Translation of Escamoteurs etPhy-
NOTES TO ACT III
siciens (Conjurers and professors),

1853-1855, Robert-Houdin, 1853.
73.
Name already given to one of
his sons, who also died at a very
young age, from his first marriage
to Cecile Eglantine Houdin.
74.
The descriptions of RobertHoudin's feats which follow are
taken from the appendix of the
first Blois and Paris editions of
Confidences d'un prestidigitateur:
THE INEXHAUSTIBLE BOTTLE
[or The Impromptu Liquor Merchant]
This trick is one of the most

brilliant that I have ever performed. It is always very warmly
applauded.
I enter the stage with a little
bottle filled with bordeaux wine.
I empty it completely by pouring
its content into glasses and I
then rinse it with a bit of water,
taking care to drain it.
This preamble finished, I advance amongst the audience
and, still holding the bottle upside down, I propose to make
any liquor they wish come out.
My proposition is generally
greeted with great interest.
Demands ring out from all sides
by people wanting to make sure
of the reality of the trick and the
quality of the liquors.
These liquors are supplied immediately upon demand. There is
not one, spirit or aromatic, and
from any country whatsoever,
that is not poured out with the
greatest generosity.
The distribution ends only
when the audience decides to stop
ordering, in the fear that they
could not drink everything that
comes out of the bottle, and, finding that it will not do to prolong
the experiment, lest their reason
fail them, decide to cease making
requests.
To end this trick in a dazzling

fashion, and to prove the inexhaustible liberality of my bottle,
I take a large drinking glass that
can hold at least half of the bottle, and I fill it to the brim with
any liquor asked for by a member of the audience.
The Inexhaustible Bottle was
performed for the first time in
my theater on December 1, 1847.
THE FANTASTIC ORANGE TREE
[or The Marvelous Orange Tree]

This mechanical piece was preceded by several conjuring tricks
which motivated its introduction
onto the stage.
I borrowed a lady's handkerchief; I rolled it into a ball and
placed it next to an egg, a lemon,
and an orange placed on my table.
I then magically placed these
objects inside each other and
when they were all finally in the
orange, I used this fruit to make
a fantastic liquor.
To do so, I squeezed the orange and reduced its size, showing it in different shapes from
time to time, and I ended up
making a powder that I put into
a bottle with essence of wine in
it.
I was then brought an orange
tree with no fruit or flowers. I
poured the bit of liquor that I had
just prepared into a vase; I set it
on fire; I placed it above the tree,
and no sooner had the vapor
reached the foliage, than it was
seen to be covered with flowers.
With a wave of the magic
wand, these flowers were transformed into oranges, which I
gave out to the audience.
One single orange remained
on the tree; I commanded it to
open into four sections, and one
could see the borrowed handkerchief inside. Two butterflies
flapping their wings picked it
up by the corners and unfolded
it while flying in the air.
409
THE MIRACULOUS FISHING
One will recall the Chinese

trick called The Basin of
Neptune by Philippe. I have
mentioned that the conjurer of
the Bazar Bonne-Nouvelle, following the example of inhabitants of the Celestial Empire,
had worn a robe necessary for
the performance of the trick. I
have also stated my repulsion for
any clothing not normally worn.
It should then have seemed impossible for me to have performed this marvelous experiment. One day, however, my bills
announced a trick entitled The
Miraculous Fishing. It was none
other than the Chinese trick that
I planned to perform, but in
much more difficult conditions.
I arrived on stage with a
pointed table leg in my hand. I
set it in front of me, near the
audience.
"Gentlemen," I said, "if you
please, I am going to give you a
lesson in fishing with a net.
Since the real principles have
not been given in various treatises on fishing, I wish to correct
this omission."
I took a shawl, which I spread
out and shook forcefully to prove
that there was nothing inside.
"First, here is how one must
take and cast one's net." I gathered up the shawl and threw it
over my shoulder. "Now, gentlemen, imagine that the point of
this table leg is a pond; I know
that one must stretch one's
imagination for that, but let us
admit that it is so for a moment.
In this case, one approaches the
pond silently, one casts his net
like this over the spot where the
fish are thought to be, one picks
it up and obtains, as I have just
done, a great catch."
At this moment, a much bigger bowl than Philippe's, containing huge goldfish, appeared
balanced on the point of the
table leg and it was impossible to
ROBERI HOUDIN
remove it without spilling water

everywhere
attached the bell to it and it

struck upon his command
THE AERIAL CLOCK

[or The Cabalistic Clock]
SECOND SIGHT
or the Mysterious Hand Bell
Among the experiments that I

presented to the public in 1847,
my clock was one of those which
produced the greatest effect, and
even now, when one correctly or
incorrectly assumes that electricity played a part, one cannot help
admiring the trick
There are some spectators who
go to conjuring performances less
to enjoy the illusions than to show
that they have great perspicacity,
which is often not the case For
those, The Aerial Clock experiment is quickly explained it is
electricity
That is a bit too brief
But for the conscientious observer, for the savant, for the
connoisseur, it is very difficult
to decide, because they know
that for an electromagnetic effect to take place, electricity is
not enough, large apparatus is
also needed Therefore, in even
the most simple telegraph, there
are also grooved wheels, magnets, a pallet, levers, supports,
etc
In my Aerial Clock, nothing
of the sort could be seen, there
was only a transparent crystal
dial, with a hand in the middle
This dial was suspended from
thin cords and completely isolated, with the hand still free to
turn right and left, and stop or
start again according to the requests of the audience
A crystal bell suspended underneath also chimed the hour
on the clock, or even any hour
one wished These two objects,
before and after the experiment,
were presented to the public for
examination
In conclusion, I gave a member of the audience a cord to
which was fastened a hook, he
The experiment performed in

the engraving opposite is an improvement to Second Sight, which
I described at the beginning of this
volume The results are exactly
the same, only the principle has
changed
Instead of asking my son the
question "Tell me what I am holding in my hand?" concerning
every object I was given, I rang a
little bell and in spite of this uniform signal, my son described the
object as if he were looking right
at it
But what intrigued the intrepid
investigators of my secrets even
more is that a few moments later,
I put the bell aside, and although I
remained completely silent, the
child identified every single object
I also imitated certain phenomena produced by mesmerized subjects I covered his eyes
with a thick blindfold and, without saying a word, I gave him a
glass full of water, the taste of
the liquid became that of any liquid thought of by a member of
the audience, no matter how
strange
Still without speaking, I had
him carry a bouquet to a lady that
a member of the audience had secretly designated, or he carried
out an order that had been whispered to me, such as this Go remove a snuffbox from someone's
pocket, open it, take out a pinch
of snuff, and put it in someone
else's wallet
THE SURPRISING SILK

HANDKERCHIEF
A fundamental principle of
conjuring is producing great effects with small things, put other-
410
wise, one produces large objects

out of small ones
Indeed, what is surprising
about making objects that can fit
into a double-bottomed box come
out of one? The difficulty lies only
in the ingenuity of the apparatus,
and all the credit goes to the cabinet-maker or tinsmith who made
the box
But
the
Surprising
Silk
Handkerchief is an effect that
seems innocent of mechanical
trickery, because the apparatus
which yields such large objects
has been reduced to such small
proportions
This handkerchief was given to
me by a member of the audience
As soon as it was in my hands, I
squeezed it, stretched it, and
turned it over to prove that it held
nothing, then, holding it by the
center, I shook it and made a
plume emerge from it I turned it
over and produced a second,
third, and fourth plume and even
a drum major's plume Finally, a
veritable avalanche of plumes covered the stage
These subtleties were the preamble to a much more surprising
trick, one could call it the bouquet
of the experiment in more than
one respect
I approached the audience and
after having shaken and turned
over the scarf one last time, I produced a huge basket of flowers,
which I distributed to the ladies
This trick was among the experiments advertised on my first
bill
THE ETHEREAL SUSPENSION

We recall that in 1847 ether
and its marvelous applications
were the talk of the day I then
had the idea of turning the public's enthusiasm to my advantage
to create a topical trick, which
was hugely successful
"Gentlemen," I said, with the seriousness of a professor at La
Sorbonne, "I have just discovered
NOIES 10 Aci III
ether in a new, truly marvelous

form
"If one makes a living being
breathe this substance when it is at
maximum concentration, the body
of the person becomes as light as a
balloon in a few moments "
This explanation finished, I
proceeded to carry out the experiment I put three stools on a
wooden bench My son stood on
the one in the middle, I had him
hold out his arms, which I supported in the air with two canes,
each placed on a stool
I then carefully opened an
empty bottle and placed it under
the child's nose, while backstage
the assistant poured ether onto a
hot iron shovel so that the steam
spread throughout the theater My
son immediately fell asleep and
his feet, having become light,
began to rise from the stool
Then, judging the experiment to
be a success, I took away the stool
in such a manner that the child
was supported only by the two
canes This strange equilibrium already created great surprise among
the audience They became even
more astonished when I took away
one of the two canes and the stool
it was resting upon, and finally
they were utterly amazed when,
after having raised my son to a horizontal position with my little finger, I left him asleep in space and,
in order to defy the laws of gravity,
took away the feet from the bench
which was under this impossible
edifice, as illustrated in the engraving opposite
The first performance took
place on October 10, 1847
land of flowers was brought out

and hung by ribbons in the middle
of the stage
I announced that these flowers would serve as a target and
when fired in this direction, the
watches, the handkerchiefs, and
the cards would gather together
around them
So when the shot rang out the
cards appeared on the garland, the
watches below, and the handkerchiefs hung off at the side
(There is a mistake on the
drawing opposite, the engraver
forgot to add the handkerchiefs )
At the beginning of the trick,
although I needed only two handkerchiefs, I borrowed three because I kept one to perform another effect as an interlude in
order to prolong this little scene,
which would have otherwise been
too short
I poured essence of wine onto
this handkerchief, lit it, and
showed the ravages of the fire by
passing my arm through a huge
hole Then, using the principle of
homeopathy similia similibus
curantur I poured even more
essence of wine on the burnt
cloth, lit it again, and merely by
crushing the burning handkerchief in my hand, I restored it to
its original form
The garland trick was performed for the first time on
January 18, 1850
[or The Magic Portfolio]
THE INSTANTANEOUS
IMPRESSION
or The Communication
of Colors by will
THE GARLAND OF FLOWERS

[or The Garland of Roses]
The most simple of nature's

laws states that the container must
be larger than the contents, here it
is the opposite One can therefore
call this trick an impossibility becoming possible
I brought out a flat portfolio no
more than one centimeter thick
and set it on light trestles placed in
complete isolation in the middle of
the stage, I then took out the following, in succession
I showed the audience several bottles filled with various

colors and I announced that,
through a new procedure, I
could make colored liquids
travel through a simple silk ribbon of any length
I then placed a little desk
amongst the spectators on which I
spread out a cloth
"Gentlemen," I said, "here is a
stamp that is linked to this bottle
This trick was very complicated and its denouement formed

a very pleasant tableau
I borrowed two handkerchiefs
and three watches, I made them
into a bundle that I put into a sort
of blunderbuss, and I added three
cards chosen from a pack by the
audience During this time, a gar-
ROBERT-HOUDIN'S
411
PORTFOLIO
1 A collection of engravings,
2 Two charming ladies' hats
garnished with flowers and ribbons, as new as if they had just
come out of my dressmaker's boutique,
3 Three live turtledoves,
4 Three huge brass pots filled
respectively with beans, fire, and
boiling water
5 A large cage filled with birds
hopping from perch to perch (1)
6 Finally, after the portfolio
was closed one last time, my
youngest son, the hero of the
Ethereal Suspension, raised the
cover, showed his smiling head to
the audience, and emerged from
his narrow prison
(1) One of my good friends,

M Bouly, of Gambrai, a distinguished lawyer, author of several
renowned archeological works,
impassioned art amateur, and especially interested in conjuring, is
the creator of this ingenious trick
He invented the cage which came
out of the portfolio The other
tricks that I added to this experiment take nothing away from the
merit of the original idea
ROBERI HOLJDIN
full of red liquor by way of a thin

cord, please try to make an impression by pressing on the
cloth " One of the spectators
tried, but in vain, the cloth remained white
"In order to make the liquid
travel to the stamp," I added with
great seriousness, "there is something else to do, I must give the
order I am doing it now Please
try again "
Indeed, the name engraved on
the stamp printed itself in nice
red letters, but as soon as I gave
an order to the contrary, no matter how hard one applied the
stamp, nothing happened
I then took another bottle with
blue in it, I tied the ribbon to one
end, and in order to show that
there was absolutely no preparation in the stamp, I asked a spectator to tie a key to the end of the
ribbon These conditions fulfilled
and the command given, one
could write on the cloth with the
key as easily as with a paintbrush
I ended this trick by making a
bouquet of white roses suddenly
change into very bright red
ones
Performed in September 1850
THE TRANSPARENT CASHBOX

or The Traveling Coins
This trick was meant to show
how easily I could make coins
travel invisibly from one place to
another
I borrowed eight five-franc
coins, which I asked the audience
to carefully mark, then I put
them into a crystal vase I was
holding
I placed another vase on a
table at the end of the stage and
announced that, in tapping the
one with the coins in it with my
wand, one of them would go into
the empty vase with each tap
With each strike of the wand
on the crystal, a coin traveled
into the other vase, and one

could hear the silvery sound
Instead of making the eighth
pass like the others, I took it out
of the vase and gave it to a lady,
asking her to hold it tightly in
order to prevent it from escaping
But as soon as I struck the
vase, I said, "Go1" The imprisoned coin left the hand and
joined its companions
In order to conclusively end
the experiment, I hung a transparent crystal cashbox from the
ceiling by thin silk cords I made
it sway to and fro and when it
was at its furthest point from the
stage, I threw the coins, which
were clearly seen to arrive inside
During each of these effects,
the identity of the coins was
confirmed
Performed for the first time on
September 4, 1849
now in shooting these objects at

the target " I showed him a crystal column on another table
The automaton aimed, with
his finger on the trigger, and, at
my signal, fired The objects contained in the rifle were projected
onto the column, and the glove,
blown up as if it were worn by an
invisible hand, appeared on top of
the crystal, wearing on each finger the rings that had been given
to me
Sometimes I varied the experiment I put into the rifle a ring
and two cards chosen secretly by
members of the audience The automaton pointed his weapon toward a vase of flowers that I indicated and when he fired, a cherub
came out of the middle of the
roses flapping its wings and carrying a lit torch from which the
ring hung As for the two cards,
they had gone astray and attached themselves to my chest
THE FRENCH-GUARDSMAN
or The Glove Column
[or The Tyrolean Hunter]
THE PASTRYCOOK OF
PALAIS-ROYAL
[or The Inexhaustible Pastrycook]

A little automaton clothed in
the French Guard's costume was
set on a table, he had a musket
and was ready to receive an
order
As a well-trained automaton,
he started by respectfully saluting the assembly and, after having set down his weapon, he
blew a few kisses to the children
in the room with his right hand,
then he let his arm fall, keeping
his little finger on the trigger,
and remained straight and still
awaiting new orders
I borrowed several rings and a
white glove irom ladies in the audience, I made a package of them
and placed it in the little rifle
that I had previously loaded
"Here," I said to my French
Guardsman, "I am returning your
weapon to you with one glove and
four rings, please show your skill
412
See this charming little automaton, at its master's call it

comes to the doorstep, and, as
polite as it is skilled, it greets
the audience and waits for orders Hot buns from the oven, all
sorts of cookies, syrups, liquors,
ice cream, etc are immediately
brought out as soon as they are
ordered, and when he has fulfilled all requests, he helps his
master with his conjuring tricks
A lady, for example, secretly
places a ring in a little locked
box held in her hand, at that very
instant the pastrycook brings out
a brioche in which he finds the
ring that has just disappeared
from the box
Here is more proof of his intelligence
A gold coin is given to him in a
little basket by a member of the
Noits TO ACT III
audience, who tells him that he

must make change in francs and
centimes He goes into his shop,
and no matter how complicated
the calculation, brings back the
sum in change
Finally a comical lottery is
drawn, and the pastrycook distributes the prizes
This piece was the best-loved
of my experiments because it was
as interesting as it was delightful,
and always brilliantly ended my
performances
The Pastrycook of Palais-Royal
was performed for the first time at
the opening of my theater
DIAVOLO ANTONIO
THE TRAPEZE ACROBAT
[Trapeze Acrobatics]
I had named this automaton
Diavolo Antonio after the famous
acrobat whose dangerous exercises I tried to reproduce
However, the original was a man,
and the copy was the size of and
had the features of a child
I carried on my young wooden
artist, as if he were a living being,
I set him on the trapeze and I
asked him a few questions to
which he responded in nodding
"Are you afraid of falling9"
No
"Are you willing to do your exercises 9 "
Yes
Thus, as soon as the music
began, he graciously bowed to the
audience on all sides, then, hanging by one arm and following the
rhythm of the music, he swung
energetically
He then rested for a moment,
during which he smoked his pipe,
then performed tricks on the
trapeze such as raising himself
with his arms and doing headstands, while his legs moved in all
directions
In order to prove that his mechanical life was self-contained,
my little Diavolo let go of the rope
with his hands, hung by his feet

and soon completely left the
trapeze
This automaton appeared for
the first time in my theater on
October 1, 1849
kiosk in which an Indian did acrobatic dances on a tightrope

with exceptional perfection
This piece was performed for
the first time in my theater on
November 25, 1850
THE ENCHANTED VASE

[or The Genie of the Roses, sophisticated version of The Ladies'
Favorite]
THE HORN OF PLENTY
At the beginning of this little

fairyhke scene, there was, on a
table in the middle of the stage,
an Etruscan vase decorated with
precious stones, of exquisite and
tasteful workmanship It was
topped with branches and rose
leaves
I asked a lady to choose a card
from a pack and to lock it into a
box I gave her Immediately, the
card emerged from the box, returned to my hands, and was replaced by a charming canary
I locked the little bird into a
cage
"Ladies," I then said, "this
bird is so obedient that when I
give the order, he will come out
through the bars of his cage to sit
on the bouquet on top of the
vase In order to make it more attractive, I am going to make the
flowers on its foliage blossom "
I then waved my magic wand
over the leaves and one could see
little buds appear that grew in
full view, blossomed, and became
magnificent roses
As soon as this trick was accomplished, the bird disappeared
from its cage and reappeared on
top of the roses singing as loud as
it could
Following the audience's wishes,
it sung any tune asked When
everyone had heard the tune they
wished, the musician flew away
and, like an actor who has finished
performing, went backstage
To end this charming scene,
the vase opened up into several
sections and formed an elegant
413
Among the changes that I had

brought to my predecessors' conjuring performances, as I have
mentioned during the course of
this book, were the type of gifts I
offered to the audience as souvenirs of my performances
Comte and his followers distributed toys and candy, which always came out of hats I thought
it unseemly to offer fans, flowers,
and candy by producing them
from a place that was not always
clean, and in order to overcome
this difficulty, I invented the Horn
of Plenty
I presented a sort of large cone
that opened into two parts to
allow one to better see inside,
then, as soon as it was closed, I
took out candy and flowers
I also made comic newspapers,
albums, and illustrated quadrilles come out of this cone
I had practiced throwing these
objects on target so they reached
people quite far away from the
stage every time
This distribution, as well as
that of the Inexhaustible Bottle,
created a most pleasant atmosphere in the theater Everyone
wanted a gift and I was telegraphically solicited from all sides, and
made it my duty to comply
I regret that I cannot continue
to give details of my other experiments, I do not have enough
space, I am therefore forced to
give just the titles, and to include the details and engravings
in an upcoming work
I also hope to compensate for
not mentioning several renowned
conjurers for this same reason
ROBtRl HOLDIN
The Birth of Flowers

The Ladies' Favorite
The Infernal Punch
The Bell-ringer
Vanishing my Son
The Instantaneous Impression
The Crystal Balls
A Contraband Secret
The Magnetized Cards
The Safety Casket
Drying
The Queen's Bouquet
A Remarkable Equilibrium
Caghostro's Chest
The Fascinating Owl
The Ball of Destiny
The Jail
The Shower of Gold
The Little Savoyard
A Prodigy of Magic
Auriol and Debureau
Wishes Granted
The Sympathetic Turtledoves
Steam Photography
Under t h e title Suite des experiences que j at imaginees pendant le cours de mes representations
(Continuation
of the
experiments I created during my
performances),
Robert-Houdm
described the effects of a few
other tricks at the end of the appendix to the second Parisian edition of his memoirs
The Birth of Flowers Seeds,
placed in a crystal vase, which was
entirely closed, produced a rose,
then this rose transformed itself
into a magnificent bouquet
The Punch Bowl [Inexhaustible]
(See volume II, page 264 for the
changes to this)
Vanishing my Son [Vanishing a

child under a giant cup] (See volume II, page 61)
The Crystal Balls After showing
my hands completely empty, a crystal ball suddenly appeared Splitting
it in two with one hand, I produced
a second one of the same size, then
I produced a little ball from one of
them, only to make it pass into the
other, finally, I ended by coloring
the balls by making them pass
through a bottle filled with wine
The Magnetized Cards A little
card-box kiosk decorated with 12
columns was set on a table In the
middle was a deck of cards One of
the four jacks chosen by the spectators came out of the pack straight
up, then came off the card, jumped
onto a rope and swung there in
rhythm while the twelve other figures stood up on each column
The Cabalistic Drying A handkerchief borrowed from a lady,
after having been soaked in wine
and stuffed into a pistol, was sent
into several bound and sealed
boxes, and was discovered clean,
ironed, and scented with a perfume
chosen by the audience
The Fascinating Owl This bird,
perched on a bush, directed the
cards to be at a certain height, the
cards flew into the air and in its
beak caught the one chosen by the
audience
Auriol and Debureau Mechanical
piece
The Sympathetic Turtledoves.
Two of these charming little animals were placed on each side of
the stage one was squeezed into a
414
sheet of paper until it disappeared

completely, the other also disappeared under the eyes of the spectators and both of them were found
reunited in a box seen empty a few
moments earlier
The Jail was a mechanical piece
that followed Auriol This clown,
after having been locked up, put
his head through the prison bars,
he was decapitated and the head
placed on a tray on a side table,
which did not stop him from reappearing a moment later on top of
the house, completely restored
A Contraband Secret [or the
Journey of a Glass of Wine] is a
trick in which a glass of wine invisibly moves from one end of the
stage to the other
The Queen's Bouquet (see volume II, page 181)
Cagliostro's Chest (see volume
II, page 78)
Invulnerability (see volume II,
pp 221 and 253)
The Ball of Destiny is a perfectly isolated ball in the middle of
a room, from which answers to
questions asked by the audience
emerge in rhymed verses
The Shower of Gold This is an
infinite production of gold coins
and bank notes in such profusion
that they must be raked up
INDPX
INDEX
A
ABRANTES Duchess d' p 113

ACROYD Peter (see DICKENS)
p 61
ADAM RUELLE Charles Jules
Auguste [notary] p 183, 185
ADAM Victor [engraver] p 26,
62, 71
ADENIS Jules p 176
ADRIEN Victor [conjurer]
p 90, 92, 281, 283, 360
AFFRE Msgr [archbishop]
p 156, 209
ALBERT Prince p 319, 375, 402
ALBO Robert [historian, collector] p 197, 388, 392
ALEXANDRE [mesmerist]
p 384
ALEXANDRE [ventriloquist]
p 198
ALEXIS (see Didier Alexis)
ALLONCLE Silvme [RobertHoudm's aunt] p 17, 60
ALMERAS Henri d' [historian]
p 113
AMELIE Princess p 316
ANDERSON John Henry
[conjurer] p 75, 312, 334, 336,
339, 340, 341, 342, 376, 397,
408
ANGOULEME Duke d' p 98,
202
ANGOULEME Duchess d' p 98
ANNE Princess p 316
ANTONIO [Tornni's brotherin-law] p 41, 42, 43, 45
ARCOSSE d' [counselor to the
Court of Appeals in Pans]
p 324
ARNOULD Dr [Robert
Houdm 's doctor] p 208
ARTOIS Count d' p 98
AUBERT [trick manufacturer]
p 88, 298, 301
AUCLERC [shadow artist]
p 160
AUGIER Victor p 103
AUGUSTE p 177
AUMONT Duke of p 98
AUPRE (see OPRE)
AUSTRIA Emperor of p 100
AUSTRIA Mane Therese of
p 213
AVARAY Duke d' p 28, 65
BAHN N p 380
BAILLY Caroline Jeanne de
[mother of M de VEscalopier]
p 384
BAILLY Elisabeth Aimee
[Robert Houdm's godmother]
p 61
BALDWIN David M [collector
of magic art] p 10, 145, VIII,
IX
BALLU [entrepreneur of Theatre
des "Soirees Fantastiques de
Robert-Houdin 1
BALSAMO (see Cagliostro)
BAMBERG David (Fu-Manchu)
[conjurer] p 69
BAMBERG Eliaser [conjurer]
BERNARD Rene [commander]

p 20, 39
BERNEUIL [conjurer] p 351
BERQUIN [playwright] p 94,
202
BERRI Duke de p 98
BERRY Duchess de p 106, 202
BERT Guy [trick manufacturer]
p 88
BERTHOUD [watchmaker]
p 30, 31, 61
BERTIN Mane Jean Baptiste
[owner of the space of "Soirees
Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin']
p 219, 226, 227, 360, 405
BIENVENU [conjurer] p 97,
199, 200, 201
BILLING baroness of [client of
M Comte] p 247
BILLON Mane Francoise
[Robert-Houdin's relative] p 17,
60
BILLON Nicolas Laurent
[Robert-Houdin's relative] p 17
BIROT [Robert-Houdin's Latin
professor] p 21
BLANCHARD E L [drama critic]
p 376
BLAU [watchmaker from Blois,
Robert-Houdin's employer] p 52,
71
BLIND Adolphe "Le professeur
Magicus" [inventor, conjurer
and magic art collector from
Geneva] p 47, 212
BLISMON [author of works on
the magic art] p 38
BLITZ Antonio [conjurer]
p 75, 304
BLONDEAU Jeanne Adelaide
[wife offacques Frangois
Houdm] p 71, 138
BONIN Tama p 10
BORDEAUX Duke de p 106
BOREL [ventriloquist] p 97,
198, 199
BOSCH Hieronymus [painter]
p 62, 63
BOSCO Bartolomeo [conjurer]
p 49, 75, 93, 96, 111, 128,
129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134,
135, 163, 187, 204, 205, 207,
235, 249, 261, 273, 291, 368,
371, 388
BOSCO Alexandrine [daughter
of Bartolomeo Bosco] p 368, 405
p 69
BAMBERG Tobias (Papa
Bamberg) [conjurer] p 69
BANCHE Maurice [publisher]
p 403
BARBOU [president of the
Seme Court] p 337
BARIC [draftsman] p 155
BARNUM Phmeas Taylor
[showman] p 179, 186, 187,
192, 193, 215
BASCHET [doctor] p 349
BASCHET [vicar] p 6l
BASTARD [tightrope walker,
juggler] p 160
BASTOR [watchmakerfrom
Blois] p 71
BAULLIER [watchmaker and
first Parisian employer of
Robert-Houdin] p 77, 79, 120,
144
BEARD Frank [illustrator of
one of the American editions of
Robert-Houdin's memoirs] p 56
BEAUHARNAIS Eugene de
p 213, 214
BEAUMARCHAIS Pierre Auguste
Caron de p 134, 263
BEBE the Sisters [phenomena]
p 106
BEBE Mrs [phenomenon]
p 100
BELLACHINI [conjurer] p 75
BELLUOT [Hamilton's shareholder] p 362, 364
BELMAS Casimir [conjurer]
p 384
417
BOTTE [puppeteer] p 160

BOUGEARD GERMONIERE
[Mayor of Blois] p 60
BOUGEAT Emile [tightrope
walker] p 160
BOULY [lawyer, inventor and
friend of Robert-Houdin] p 411
BOURDILLIAT Achille [RobertHoudin's publisher] p 6l
BOURGEAT Raymond p 10
BRACKE F [journalist] p 407,
408
BRACONNIER Amelie Charlotte
[Robert-Houdin's sister-in-law
and Hamilton's wife] p 183,
185, 308, 331, 363, 364, 405
BRACONNIER Charles Albert
Samuel [Robert-Houdin's fatherin-law] p 183, 185, 215
BRACONNIER Charles Michel
[general, Robert-Houdin's brother-in-law] p 183, 185, 215
BRACONNIER Marguerite
Francoise Olympe [RobertHoudin 's second wife] p 182,
183, 184, 207, 215, 319, 331,
364, 385, 386, 387, 403, 405
BRANGER [court officer] p 138
BRASI (see BRASY)
BRASY [conjurer] p 49, 89, 90
BRAUNJohn p 11
BREGUET [watchmaker] p 55,
61
BRESCIA Roberti de [conjurer]
p 350, 351, 352
BREWSTER [author of scientific
and magic works] p 173
BROSSARD [publisher] p 47
BRUNETEAU [cafe owner]
p 197
BRUNNET Pierre Edouard
[conjurer] p 330, 331
BUCK J M [conjurer] p 336
BUISSERAY [family] p 392
BURLINGAMEHJ [author of
works on the magic art] p 321
BUSONI Philippe [journalist]
p 207, 249
c
CAGLIOSTRO Count de
p 264, 265, 291
CAL2OLARI [tenor] p 323
CAMBRIDGE Duke and
Duchess de p 316
ROBhRf-HOUDIN
CAMILLE-MICHEL [composer]
p 346
CAMORS Claudme p 10
CARJAT Etienne [draftsman,
caricaturist] p 289
CARLO SB ACH doctor [conjurer] p 23, 24, 6l, 64
CARLYLE (see DICKENS)
CAROLY Jean [conjurer, trick
manufacturer, publisher of
L Illusionniste] p 11, 88
CARRANDI Mario [antique
dealer and collector] p 10
CASTELLI [charlatan] p 45,
47, 69
CASTELLI Guieseppe [conjurer] p 70, 71
CASTELLI d ORINO [exhibitor
ofMunito the dog] p 69
CASTON Alfred of [conjurer]
p 289, 392
CAVILLIER [Robert-Houdm s
relative] p 183
CAZENEUVE Commander
Manus [conjurer] p 96, 204
CHAIONS DE MASSEY
[conjurer] p 49, 90
CHAM [caricaturist] p 268
CHAMPOLLET L de p 100
CHAPUIS Alfred [historian]
p 171, 211, 212, 213
CHARLES X p 13, 119
CHARLIAT [automaton collector] p 388
CHARTIER Albert [wax sculptor] p 71
CHAVIGNY Jean [historian,
biographer of Robert-Houdin]
p 11, 12, 13, 48, 55, 61, 65,
68, 71, 205, 392, 405
CHAVIGNY Richard p 10
CHESNEAU abbe 1 [biographer ofRobert-Houdin] p 11
CHEVALLIER [mechanician
and trick manufacturer] p 88,
303, 304
CHOCAT (see HAMILTON)
CLAIRVILLE [playwright] p 193
CLARKE Sidney W [historian]
p 66, 408
CLEVERMAN [conjurer] p 91,
392
COMTE Louis Apollmaire
[Kings Conjurer] p 13, 36, 49,
66, 61, 75, 87, 93, 94, 95, 96,
97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103,
104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109,
111, 127, 129, 160, 163, 197,
198, 199, 202, 203, 221, 235,
245, 247, 249, 251, 261, 266,
DELAGRAVE [publisher] p 324

DELARUE [author booksellerpublisher] p 38
DELESSERT Benjamin [banker
and friend of Robert-Houdin]
p 220, 223, 251, 384
DELESSERT Francois Mane
p 384
DELESSERT Gabriel [police
chief of Pans, friend and protector of Robert-Houdin]
p 223, 225, 226, 228, 229, 230,
251, 384, 385, 386
DELION [trick manufacturer]
p 47, 88, 268, 278, 293, 301,
302
DENTU J G [publisher] p 97,
198, 391
DEMANCE [artisan from Blois]
p 78
DEMMENY p 112
DENIERE [judge commissioner]
p 138
DESAGULIER [man of science]
p 151
DESAUGIERS [song writer]
p 113, 203
DESCHAMPS Julien [publisher]
p 198
DESCHESNES maitre [notary]
p 117, 203
DESFONTAINES abbe p 169
DESFRAY Dr [doctor from
Blois] p 117, 195
DESFRAY Elisabeth Josephine
p 117
DESLOGES [publisher] p 198
DESMADRIL Mrs [relative of
Robert-Houdin] p 183
DESRONDINGH p 117
DESTOUCHE [watchmaker,
mechanician] p 139
DEVALETTE [diverse curiosities]
p 160
DEVAUX Alexandre [mechanician, trick manufacture}]
p 212, 301, 351, 368, 404
DEVAUX Pierre [historian]
p 171, 211
DEVEAUX (see DEVAUX)
DEVEILLE E p 60
DE VERE Charles [conjurer
and trick manufacturer] p 88,
212
DE VERLI [conjurer] p 212
DEVILLERS Charles Dominique
[first husband of Amelie
Braconnier, Robert-Houdin s
sister-in-law] p 308, 392
DEVILLERS Paul Michel Louis
273, 281, 347, 384, 386, 388,

413
COMTE Charles [son of Louis
Comte, director of the theater
Les Bouffes Pansiens and
Offenbach's son-in-law] p 101,
386
COMTE-OFFENBACH Gerard
p 10, 386
COMUS [conjurer] p 37, 45,
49, 69
CONSTANTIN Grand Duke de
p 100
CONUS [conjurer] p 90
CORBIERE Count de p 202
COUDRAY Julien [watchmaker
from Blois] p 60
COURTOIS Louis [conjurer]
p 49, 271, 275, 277, 278, 281,
360, 391
COUTHIER [tinsmith, trick
manufacturer] p 301
CROISIC [theater inspector and
playwright] p 105
CRONIER Alexandre [mechanician, trick manufacturer]
p 175, 176, 214
CRUIKSHANK Georges p 398,
402
D
DAGUERRE Jacques [inventor
ofphotography] p 273
DALEMBERTp 151
DALLET Charles Claude p 117
DANNAUX Marguerite
Francoise [wife of Alexandre
Roujol] p 91
DANTAN Jean-Pierre [sculptor]
p 94, 95, 98, 183, 218, 219,
258, 283, 284, 285, 313, 315,
316, 325, 349, 369, 372, 373,
375, 386, 405
DAVENPORT Brothers [me
diums] p 289
DAVID de Bordeaux [magic
enthusiast, collector and
friend of Robert-Houdin] p 34,
35, 36, 37, 39, 48, 66, 67, 68,
69, 96, 181, 199, 205
DAVY [watchmaker from Blois]
P 71
DECREMPS [author of works
on the magic art] p 31, 39, 67,
68, 93, 151, 205
DEHARGUE [baker, RobertHoudin s sponsor] p 60, 6l
DELAGE Henri [author] p 287,
391
DELAGRANGE p 6\
418
[son of Amelie Braconnier and

of Charles Dominique Devillers]
p 308
DHOTEL Doctor Jules [president of A FA P] p 18
DICKENS Charles [writer]
p 22, 61, 321
DICKMANN [trick manufacturer] p 88
DIDIER Adolphe [medium]
p 287, 391
DIDIER Alexis [medium]
p 261, 287, 288, 289, 391
DIETTENNBERGER Armand
[trick manufacturer] p 301
DIETZ Georges p 211
DIF Max [historian] p 11, 66,
98, 174
DINOCHAU p 403
DISDERI [photographer]
p 289, 326
DOBLER Ludwig [conjurer]
p 75, 153, 227, 311, 393, 396,
397, 400, 401
DOBLER Professor p 211
DONCKELE (see Robin)
DORE Gustave [painter and
engraver] p 222, 267, 358
DOYON Andre [historian]
p 212
DRIOT citoyen [conjurer] p 66
DRIOUX Auguste [publisher of
Passez Muscade] p 368
DROUAS Jacques de p 10
DROZ Edmond [historian]
p 211, 213
DU BLED Victor [historian]
p 324
DUBERNES [animal trainer]
p 160
DUMANOIR [playwright] p 193
DUMONT DE LONGPONT
p 215
DUVAL Georges [playwright]
p 105
ECHINARD Jacques [journalist,

historian] p 10
EGGIMANN Ch [publisher]
p 47
EGRET Miss [relative of RobertHoudin s family] p 78
ENGEL [manager of the
Krolltheater of Berlin] p 379,
380
ESCALOPIER Count de 1' [friend
and sponsor of Robert-Houdin]
p 156, 193, 209, 221, 251, 384
EUGENIE Empress p 368
I\DI X
EVANS Geo G [American pu

bhsher of Robert Houdm s memoirs] p 61, 207
FAKIR OF AVA the [conjurer]

P 75
FALAISE Jacques de [polyphagist] p 100
FALCONI [conjurer] p 37
FALOCI Roger p 11
FATH Georges [writer] p 348
FECHNER Alexandra p 11
FECHNER Christian p 11, 12,
13, II, IV, VI, VII, XIII, XVI,
XVII, XX, XXIX, XXXI, XXXIII,
XXXVII, XXXIX, XL
FECHNER Jean-Guy p 10
FECHNER Maxime p 11
FECHNER Solange p 11
FELIX Le Sieur [conjurer] p 25
FERAUD [Robert Houdm s
Latin professor] p 21
FILLON [watchmakerfrom
Blots] p 71
FINDLAY J B [historian and
collector] p 132, 174
FIT2-JAMES [ventriloquist
p 97, 198, 199
FLANC [mechanician] p 160
FLERS Marquis de [friend and
neighbor of Robert-Houdm]
p 36, 66
FLUDE Mrs p 10
FONTENEY and PELTIER [authors, booksellers, publishers]
p 167
FOREST [engraver] p 250
FOURNAY Paul [trick manufacturer] p 301
FRANCOEUR [member of the
Society for the Encouragement]
p 147
FRANgOIS P p 60
FRANCONI [circus manager]
p 100
FREDERIC p 77
FRIAUT Pascal [magician and
collector] p 10
FRIKELL Wiljalba [conjurer]
p 75, 376
FROGER-DESCHESNES ame
[notary] p 203
FUGERES Henri [decorator]
p 249
G
GABILLARD Jane-Louise p 10
GALLES Prince of p 402
GALLET widow [trick manu-
facturer] p 301
GALLON [man of letters] p 151
GAMAIN [navalorama] p 160
GANDON Antome [journalist,
mesmerist] p 327, 403, 404
GARANCE Jean [magician] p 10
GARÔN maitre Maurice
[lawyer, academician and
conjuring enthusiast^ p 342
GARNIER [optics] p 160
GASTINEAU Octave p 176
GAUGHAN John [mechanician, illusion-maker, historian, and collector] p 10, 174,
212, XXXV
GAUTIER Theophile [writer]
p 261, 263
GAULTIER Camille [author of
works on the magic art] p 11, 68
GELIS Edouard [historian]
p 208, 211
GERARD-SEGUIN p 23
GERMER-BAILLERE [publisher]
p 391
GERVAL [animal trainer]
p 160
GHERBRANT Jean Laurent
[lawyer] p 117, 138, 207
GIROUX Alphonse [shopkeeper] p 147, 177, 179, 193, 301
GODET Francoise Hennette
[mother of Alexandre Roujol]
p 91
GODILLOT Sieur [puppeteer]
p 385
GOTTLIEB de WINDISCH
[author] p 176
GOUAUT [experiments in phy
sics] p 160
GOUMENAUD [nephew of
Gandon] p 403
GOUPIL Frederic p 23
GRAHAM Henry [clown,
conjurer] p 376
GRASSOT p 840
GRISY Antonia de [wife of
Tornni/de Gnsy] p 42, 43
GRISY de (see TORRINI)
GRISY Giovani de [son of
Tornni/de Gnsy] p 43
GRIVOLAS [conjuring enthusiast] p 209
GUILLEMIN [architect ofH
Bertm] p 226
GUILLON Francoise Mane
[Robert-Houdm s relative]
p 17, 52, 60
GUILLON Jacques [grandfather of Robert-Houdm] p 17,
18, 51, 52, 60, 117, 205
GUILLON Jean Francois [RobertHoudm s uncle] p 17,52

GUILLON Mane Catherine
[daughter of Jacques Guillon
and mother of Robert-Houdm]
p 17, 18, 19, 60, 61
GUYOT [author of works on
the magic art] p 31, 39, 151
H
HACHETTE L [author bookseller] p 348
HADES Micky [publisher]
p 408
HALANZIER [manager of the
Theatre de Strasbourg] p 378
HAMILTON [conjurer, student,
successor, and brother-in-law
of Robert-Houdm] p 13, 91,
215, 289, 326, 327, 330, 331,
332, 333, 354, 355, 356, 357,
358, 359, 360, 361, 362, 363,
364, 365, 366, 371, 372, 380,
405
HARRINGTON [conjurer]
p 160,
HATIN Eugene [journalist and
biographer of Robert-Houdm]
p 65, 66, 155, 228, 281, 283,
408
HEIMBURGER Alexander
[conjurer] p 75
HELLER [conjurer] p 75
HENRI [exercises of the savage]
p 160
HENRI IV p 202
HENRY doctor Guy p 11
HERRMANN Carl (Compars)
[conjurer] p 75, 311, 312, 336,
338, 341, 342
HESNARD [juggler] p 160
HESSE Prince Frederick
William of p 316
HILLIARD John Northern [magician and author of works on
the magic art] p 75
HJALMAR [magician, histo
nan, collector] p 392, 405
HOF2INSER [conjurer] p 75
HOME Daniel Dunglas [medium] p 289
HOMME INCOMBUSTIBLE 1
[phenomenon] p 107
HOMME-MOUCHE 1 [phenomenon] p 100, 106
HOUDIN Jacques [watchmaker from Blots] p 55, 117
HOUDIN Jacques Francois
[watchmaker-mechanician,
father-in law of Robert-Houdin]
419
p 54, 55, 56, 71, 117, 118,

120, 136, 137, 138, 139, 145,
147, 195, 208
HOUDIN Josephe Cecile
Eglantine [Robert-Houdin s
wife] p 13, 50, 53, 55, 56, 71,
79, 116, 117, 118, 120, 126,
137, 138, 139, 147, 150, 178,
181, 183, 205, 408, 409
HOUDIN Josephe Madeleine
p 195
HOUDIN Louis Francois [son
of Jacques Frangois Houdm]
p 117, 120, 138, 207
HOUDINI Harry [escape artist,
historian and collector] p 12,
68, 69, 212, 213, 317, 338, 341,
342, 393, 408
HUART Louis [journalist]
p 249, 343
HUBER Volker [historian and
collector] p 10, 207, III, V,
XXVIII, XXXII, XXXVI
HUGARD Jean [magician and
author of works on the magic
art] p 11, 68
I
IMBERT A [author, bookseller]
p 74
INDIENS Les p 100
J
JACOBS [conjurer] p 336, 342,
343
JACQUET-DRO2 [mechanician]
p 177, 213
JAPY brothers [watchmakers]
p 147
JAY Ricky [magician, historian,
and collector] p 10, 207, 408
JEANTET Florence p 10
JERROD, Douglas [journalist]
p 397
JORES Se [wax figures] p 160
JOSEPH-RENAUD J [conjuring
enthusiast and author of works
on the magic art] p 51
JOULIN Frangois [wood worker]
p 60
JOZON maitre [RobertHoudin s notary] p 118, 183
JULIE Miss [medium] p 399
JUVIGNY Albertine de
[woman of letters] p 167
KALUSH Bill [magician, histo

nan and collector] p 11, 207
ROBhRT-HoUDIN
KARR Todd [Editor] p 11

KAUFMAN Richard [Editor]
P 11
KEIME General p 391
KEIME ROBERT-HOUDIN
Andre [Robert-Houdin 's greatgrandson] p 10, 65 215, 391
KEMPELEN Wolfang, Baron
von [creator of the Chess
Player] p 75, 124, 169, 171,
172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 179,
213
KENT Duchess de p 316, 402
KIPLING Rudyard [writer] p 260
KLOSTERMAN Ken [historian
and collector] p 10, XXXIV
KNIGHT Hennette [ward of
Olympe andfean Eugene
Robert-Houdin] p 319, 331,
403
KNIGHT Henry [employee of
The Saint fames's Theater]
p 319
KUNIAN Gerard [magician,
comedian] p 10
L
LABBE p 185
LACAZE [conjurer] p 297,
332, 386
LA CHATRE Duke of p 99, 100
LA FONTAINE [writer] p 52, 202
LAFONTAINE [mesmerist]
p 289, 391
LAMARTINE p 393
LAMAZOU [puppeteer] p 385
LAMBERT [mechanician]
p 299
LANDAIS Napoleon p 151
LANDON Jean-Claude p 10
LANGLOIS [panorama] p 160
LANGLOIS [conjurer] p 299
LANGLUMEJ p 24
LANGOLF Georges [son-in-law
of Alexandre Roujol] p 197
LARESCHE p 55
LAROUSSE Pierre [writer, publisher] p 36, 199, 202
LARY Dam [illusionnist] p 10
LASSAIGNE Auguste [mesmerist] p 289, 331, 332, 384, 405
LAUREAU Marcel [magician
and collector] p 10
LAURENT [medium] p 403
LAWENSTEIN Prince of p 316
LE CARPENTIER Adnen [composer of the music for Soirees
Fantastiques] p 234, 240, 253,
255, 263, 281
LE CARPENTIER Anstide [an-
tique dealer, writer of fables]

p 240, 241, 260, 404
LECESNE p 66
LEFEBVRE [painter] p 175
LEGRAND Omer Augustm
[watch-making worker] p 154,
181, 335, 336, 337, 338, 339,
341, 405
LEMAIRE [entrepreneur of renovations on the Theatre
LEMAITRE Henri [husband of
Eglantine Robert-Houdin]
p 387
LEMERCIER DE NEUVILLE
[journalist, puppeteer, writer]
p 121, 403
LEPAUTE [watchmaker] p 55
L'ERCULE [conjurer] p 37
LEROUXp 185
LEROY Jean p 17
LEROY Mane p 17
LE ROY Servais p 388
LESSYEN [puppeteer, writer]
p 385
LETTSOM William Garrow [diplomat] p 336, 338, 339, 341
LEUCHTENBERG Duke de
p 214
LEVIE Francoise [historian]
p 202
LEVY Michel [publisher] p 385
LIAIGRE Lucien [historian]
p 212
LIBRAIRIE NOUVELLE [publisher] p 386
LINNE [man of science] p 28
LINSKI de [conjurer] p 351,
352, 368, 405
LINSKY de [conjurer] p 49,
373, 376, 404, 405
LIOTE [conjurer] p 160, l6l
LIVRAN Mathieu de [collector
of'musical instruments] p 125
LORAMUS [conjurer] p 281,
360
LOREDAN-LARCHEY [man of
letters] p 83
LORMEAU Juliette [journalist]
p 245, 253
LORMIER [scientific populanzer/wnter] p 299
LOUIS Le Sieur [conjurer]
p 25
LOUIS XII p 59, 60
LOUIS XIII p 13
LOUIS XV p 235, 245, 251
LOUIS XVIII p 13, 98, 201, 202
LOUISE Princess p 375
LOUIS-PHILIPPE p 13, 119,
143, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191,

263, 265, 307, 393
LOYAL [puppeteer] p 385
LOYER Francoise p 17
LURAT [Robert-Houdin's Greek
professor] p 21
M
MACALISTER [conjurer] p 163
MADOUF [puppeteer] p 385
MAELZEL Johann Nepomuc
[mechanician] p 123, 174,
175, 213, 214, 228, 249
MAGEUX Gilles [magician]
p 10
MAGNIERE [conjurer] p 37
MALTHETE-MELIES Madeleine
p 10, XXX
MAILLARDET [mechanician]
p 177, 213
MANNING Sissy and Betty
[daughters of William Manning}
p 318
MANNING William [student
and friend of Robert-Houdin]
p 11, 146, 178, 318, 320, 321
MANTOUX [Parisian tax office
employee] p 404
MAOUS [juggler, podiatrist
and conjurer from Blots] p 33,
48, 65, 66
MARCHAL & BUFFARD [trick
manufacturer] p 88, 304, 305
MARCILLET [mesmerist] p 287,
288, 289, 391
MARMONTEL [Robert-Houdin's
Greek professor] p 21
MARSHALL Jay [magician and
collector] p 10
MARTELIERE Agnes Josephe
p 117
MARTERET Antoinette [magician, collector] p 10, XII
MARTIN Felix [architect of
Soirees Fantastiques de RobertHoudin] p 226, 227, 251
MARTIN Louis Michel [Robert
Houdm's uncle by marriage]
p 183, 385
MARTIN Marguerite Louise
[Robert-Houdin's mother-inlaw] p 183, 215, 380, 385
MARTINET [publisher] p 268
MARTINET Jeanne p 17 59
MASSE or MASSEY [mechanical show] p 160, 197
MASSON Louise Victoire [wife
of Philippe] p 209
MAULNY Mane Francoise
p 17, 60
420
MAYER Pierre [magician and

collector] p 10, 147, 207, XIV,
XV
MAYETTE Andre [trick manufacturer] p 88
MELCHEL p 375
MELIES Georges [pioneer of cinema, inventor of "the cinematographic show," draftsman, director, magician and last manager
of the Theatre Robert-Houdin]
p 11, 215, 405
MENGEN Baron de [ventriloquist] p 198
MERCIER [diverse curiosities]
p 160
MERCIER [puppets] p 160
MERLIN L'enchanteur p 291
MESMER p 261
METIVIE Jacques Claude
[Robert-Houdin's surrogate
tutor] p 19, 52, 61
METIVIE Marguerite Rosalie
[Robert-Houdin's stepmother]
p 19, 55, 61, 183, 205
METIVIE Pierre Rene p 19
MEVILLON p 55
MEZANGE Joseph p 6l
MIETTE [conjurer] p 74
MILLET Madeleine Catherine
[Robert-Houdin's maternal
aunt] p 61
MILLET Mane Anne p 17, 59
MIRVILLE Marquis Eude de
[author, occult science enthusiast and friend of RobertHoudin] p 287, 288, 392
MITCHELL John [manager of
the Saint fames's Theater in
London] p 308, 315, 319, 375,
377, 397, 400
MOINETp 151
MOREAU "MORAX" Christine
and Didier [magicians and
collectors] p 10, 78, 127, 152,
187, 220, 260, 304
MOREAU-SAINTI [lyric artist,
conjurer and friend of RobertHoudin] p 289, 296, 297, 299,
392
MORIN [puppets] p 160
MORIN [mechanician] p 160
MORIN [correspondant of
MOTEL [watchmaker] p 55
MULLER Jean-Luc [cinematograph es] p 10
MUNITO [calculating dog, see
also Castelh d'Onno] p 69
INDEX
N
NADARp 371
NAPLES Prince Leopold de
p 316
NAPOLEON ICI p 215
NAPOLEON III p 289, 316,
327, 368
NARMAU Mane Jeanne de
p 117
NEMER Monique p 10
NERVAL Gerard de [wnter]
p 251
NEWTON Sir Isaac p 313
NICOLAI Chnstophe Frederic
[historian] p 212
NOEL Leon [engraver and lithographer] p 168, 218, 283
NOGENT ST LAURENS
[lawyer] p 338, 339
NORIAC Jules [manager of the
theater Les Bouffes Pansiens]
p 386
NORIET [watchmaker in Tours
and employer of Robert-Houdin]
p 40, 41, 47, 49
o
OFFENBACH [composer]
p 386
OKITO [conjurer] p 69
OLIVIER Son [conjurer] p 113,
115, 203, 343
OLIVIER Pierre Joseph [conjurer] p 37, 45, 49, 69, 90, 97,
100, 110, 111, 112, 113, 198,
199
OLIVIO [conjurer] p 37
OPRE [conjurer] p 43, 68, 69,
71
ORLEANS Duchess d' p 188,
265
ORLEANS Gaston d' p 59
ORLOFF D p 174, 175
ORVILLE Robert p 373
OZANAM [author of works on
the magic art] p 31, 151
PALATINY [conjurer] p 39, 66,

61
PAPIN Denis [inventor of the

steam machine] p 59
PARACELSE p 291
PARDESSUS maitre [notary
from Blots who was RobertHoudin's first employer] p 23,
25, 26, 30
PARIS Count de p 188, 190,
191
PELLETIER p 62
PERDRIZET & RICHARD [extraordinary horse] p 160
PERRELET [watchmaker] p 55
PERRIN [mechanician, conjurer] p 39, 66
PHILADELPHIA [conjurer]
p 95, 204
PHILIPPE [conjurer] p 75, 93,
95, 153, 162, 163, 164, 165,
166, 167, 209, 210, 227, 235,
249, 251, 253, 261, 266, 273,
281, 311, 312, 351, 376, 384,
388, 393, 396, 397, 400, 410
PHILIPPE Hennette Mane
Victoire [the artist's daughter]
p 384
PIERRE [mechanician] p 100,
251
PIERRE-LENTIN p 67
PIGEAIRE Miss [medium]
p 261
PILFERER [charlatan] p 38
PIN Bernard p 10
PINAULT-METIVIE [departmental architect] p 55
PINETTI chevalier [conjurer]
p 36, 37, 42, 43, 45, 46, 67,
68, 69, 71, 88, 93, 95, 97, 197,
199, 204, 205
PIPELET p 177
POLO F [publisher] p 83
PONSIN [author of works on
the magic art] p 301
PORCELET [wax figures] p 160
PORCHER Laure Mane
[Robert-Houdin's relative]
p 183
PRADEL [objets of curiosities]
p 160
PREJEAN [conjurer-mechanician] p 88, 90
PREVEL Jules [journalist]
p 197
PREVOSTJ [author of the first
book published on the magic art]
p 223
PROUST Georges [magician,
historian, collector, trick manufacturer, and creator of the
Museum of Magic and
Curiosities] p 5, 10, 88, 171,
187, 207, 222, 286, 298, 300,
346, 360
PRUCHE [engraver and lithographer] p 232, 244, 283, 313
PRUDENCE Miss [medium]
p 273, 289, 403
PRUSSIA King of p 100
PUYSEGURp 261
Q
QUEVAL [tightrope walker,
juggler] p 160
QUINEL [diverse curiosities]
p 160
R
RABATEL Mane Madeleine
[wife of Comte] p 96
RACHEL [comedian] p 375
RANSOM Harry Humanities
Research Center [University of
Texas, Austin] p 10, XX, XXII,
XXIII, XXIV, XXV, XXVI, 290,
310, 311, 312, 313, 317, 320,
322, 335, 340, 372, 376, 393,
394, 395, 396, 397, 398, 400
RATEL [clown] p 106
RAVEL p 375
RAYNALY Edouard [magician,
art] p 11
READ Bob [magician, historian and collector] p 207
RECHSTEINER [mechanician]
p 212
REGIL Jean [illusionnist] p 10
RENOU Therese Justine p 65,
77, 79
REILLE Baroness p 10
RENOU DESFRAY p 78
RIFFAULT [notary] p 117
RIDGELY EVANS Henry [historian] p 11, 49
RIGLET [policeman] p 138
ROBBE [conjurer] p 37
ROBELLY [historian] p 11, 67,
300, 379, 392
ROBERT [optics] p 160
ROBERT le sieur [conjurer]
p 66
ROBERT Henri [watchmaker]
p 383
ROBERT Jean Toussamt
[Robert-Houdin's uncle] p 17,
37, 39, 59, 65, 215
ROBERT Louis p 17, 59
ROBERT Louis (son) p 17
ROBERT Mane Celine [RobertHoudin's sister] p 18, 19, 51,
52, 60, 117, 126, 205
ROBERT Prosper [RobertHoudin's father] p 17, 18, 19,
20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 37, 39, 51,
52, 55, 59, 60, 61, 64, 65, 117,
181, 183, 205
ROBERT Prosper (son)
[Robert-Houdin's brother] p 18
ROBERT Toussamt p 17, 59
421
ROBERT-HOUDIN Auguste
Adolphe [son of Eglantine and
fean Eugene Robert-Houdin]
p 205
ROBERT-HOUDIN Georges
Emile [son of Olympe and fean
Eugene Robert-Houdin] p 205,
207, 331, 349, 353, 386, 405
ROBERT-HOUDIN Henri Louis
[son of Olympe and fean
380, 381
ROBERT-HOUDIN Jean Jacques
Emile [son of Eglantine and
p 120, 121, 141, 181, 203, 205,
241, 258, 259, 283, 284, 319,
331, 389, 390, 391, 394, 395,
396, 397, 398, 399, 401, 402,
403, 406
ROBERT-HOUDIN Joseph
Prosper Eugene [son of
Eglantine and fean Eugene
Robert-Houdin] p 141, 181,
208, 241, 291, 319, 331, 393,
394, 395, 396, 397, 398, 399,
400, 401, 404
ROBERT-HOUDIN Louis Henri
p 205
ROBERT-HOUDIN Louise
Mane [daughter of Olympe and
p 241, 242, 273, 319, 385
ROBERT-HOUDIN Marie Rosalie
[daughter of Eglantine and fean
141, 181, 205, 208
ROBERT-HOUDIN Olympe
(see BRACONNIER Olympe)
ROBERT-HOUDIN Paul p 205
ROBERT-HOUDIN Rosalie
Eglantine [daughter of Olympe
and fean Eugene RobertHoudin] p 205, 372, 373, 387,
404, 405
ROBERTI DE BRESCIA (see
BRESCIA)
ROBERT RENOU Jean Martin
["Cousin Robert'] p 17, 28, 29,
30, 31, 33, 40, 60, 65, 71, 76,
77, 78, 117
ROBERTSON Etienne Gaspard
[conjurer] p 100, 111, 113,
199, 202, 203
ROBIN Henri [conjurer] p 12,
75, 154, 289, 336, 337, 340,
342, 405
ROGER p 315
ROGER Charles Michel maitre
[notary] p 28, 29, 30, 65
ROBERT-HOLDIN
ROHAN-CHABOT p. 405
ROUET "ROGELLO" Eva and
Roger [magicians and collectors] p. 10
ROUGEOLE [trick manufacturer] p. 88, 197
ROUJOL Alexandre [trick manufacturer] p. 86, 87, 88, 89,
90, 91, 92, 93, 98, 120, 127,
154, 165, 175, 196, 197, 228,
266
ROUJOL Alexandre Francois
Adolphe p. 91, 197
ROUJOL Louis Julien p. 91, 197
ROUJOL Marie Victoire p. 91,
197
ROUJOL Pierre p. 91
ROUSSEAU Jean-Jacques [writer] p. 151
ROVERE Jules de [conjurer]
p. 49, 90, 91, 165, 266
ROYER Paul (see SERAPHIN)
RUEL Aine [author, bookseller,
publisher] p. 167
RUSSIA emperor of p. 100
RUSSIA great Duke Paul of
p. 213
SAINT-GILLES [ventriloquist]
p. 198
SAINT-LAURENT Philippe
[magician, historian] p. 10
SAINT LOUIS p. 323
SALABERI [Savant horse]
p. 160
SALTARINO signor p. 192
SALVERTE Eusebe [writer]
p. 400
SANTO-DOMINGO [writer]
p. 195
SARDINA Maurice [magic enthusiast, author, historian and
collector] p. 11, 68, 341, 342
SAUBERT [conjurer for whom
Robert-Houdin served as
confederate] p. 82, 84, 85
SAVREN [conjurer and collector] p. 337
SAXE-WEIMAR Duchess of
Bernhard of p. 316
SAXE-WEIMAR Prince Edouard
of p. 316
SAXON A. H. [historian] p. 10,
p. 215
SCHLEMIL Pierre p. 263
SCRIBE p. 109
SCRIVE les p. 373
SEEMAN Baron [conjurer]
p. 75
SEGUIER Baron Armand
[member of the Institute]
p. 191, 251, 339
SELDOW Michel [magician,
actor, journalist, author, and
biographer of Robert-Houdin]
p. 11, 214, 215, 391
SERAPHIN [shadow artist]
p. 100, 160, 202, 223, 228, 229,
230, 251, 262, 347, 348, 385
SEXE [lightrope walker, juggler]
p. 160
SHAKESPEARE William [playwright] p. 310, 400
SHARPE Sam H. [historian,
author, and biographer of
Robert-Houdin] p. 11, 68, 205,
371, 408
SHELTON MAKENZIE R.
[American translator of Confidences of Robert-Houdin] p. 71
SHERER L. p. 24
SIMONNET [Head of the 2nd
bureau of the Prefecture of
Paris] p. 383
SOUDRY [bookseller] p. 30
STANLEY [journalist and explorer] p. 215
STEUB [tightrope ivalker, juggler] p. 160
STEVENARD [mechanician]
p. 249
STOCK editions 215, 405
STRATTON Charles (see TOM
THUMB)
SUIN [lawyer'general] p. 340
SWEDENBORG p. 291
SYLVESTER [conjurer] p. 75
T
TALON (see PHILIPPE)
TARLIER [author, bookseller,
publisher] p. 195
TERRANOVA Anne-Marie [photographer] p. 10
THAYER p. 103
THIEMET [ventriloquist] p. 95,
198
THIOUT p. 151
THUREAU [lawyer] p. 338. 339
TOM THUMB General p. 192,
193
TORRINI [conjurer] p. 40, 41,
42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50,
51, 52, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 71,
235.
TRICARD [notary] p. 197
TROUSSEL [gas microscope]
p. 160
V
VAILLAT [photographer] p. 180,
182
VAL [conjurer] p. 49
VALENTIN [ventriloquist]
p. 299
VANDERBURCH Emile [playwright] p. 105, 106
VAN TIGGELEN Philippe John
[historian] p. 10, 122, 123,
124, 125, 203, 205
VARNEY [manager of the theater Les Bouffes Parisiens]
p. 386
VASSAL Alexandre [commissioner of the police of the PalaisRoyal area] p. 226, 386
VAUCANSON Jacques de [mechanician] p. 75, 169, 170,
171, 179, 211, 212, 228, 249,
263
VERGNAUD A.D. [author and
publisher of works on magic]
p. 173
VERNET Horace [painter]
p. 332
VEUDREILLE [tinsmith] p. 39
422
VEUILLOT E. [journalist]
p. 348
VICTORIA Queen p. 319, 375,
402, 403
VILA1N cure p. 6l
VIRGINIE Miss [medium] p. 26l
VIRO Prosper [writer] p. 386
VOIGNIER Francois [historian
and collector] p. 10, 86, 106,
405
VOIGNIER Jacques [historian
and collector] p. 10, 12, 13,
46, 66, 68, 69, 71, 86, 87, 197,
207, XVIII, 232, 294, 347, 352,
360, 379, 384, 388, 392, 405
VOISIN Andre [mechanician
and trick manufacturer] p. 12,
87, 88, 283, 297, 299, 300, 301,
303, 304, 305, 360, 392
VOISIN Emile [mechanician
and trick manufacturer]
p. 208, 300, 392
VOISIN Mrs veuve p. 300
VOLLMER Richard [magician,
art] p. 10
VRESSE Arnaud de [publisher]
p.155
w
WAGNER [watchmaker] p. 55
WEBSTER Sir Arthur p. 316
WELLINGTON Duke of p. 316
WINKEL Diederich Nicolaus
[inventor, manufacturer of
automatic instruments] p. 123,
124, 203
WOROUSKY p. 173, 174, 175
WYMAN [conjurer] p. 75
Y
YVERT Eugene [journalist]
p. 407
ZILBERMAN [cheater] p. 45
ZULU KAFIRS p. 375
Design: Cristal Communication

33, rue Nicole
28000 Chartres
Photoengraving: L.P.H.
11, avenue des Marronniers
93400 Saint-Ouen
Brochage: S.M.R.F
56190 Muzillac
Printed December 2002
by the presses of
Imprim.Plus
Z.A. de la Plaine Haute
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91560 Crosne
N ISBN 2-907584-05-7
Christian Fechner is a film producer and magic

enthusiast.
At the worldwide F.I.S.M. convention in 1979 he
was granted first prize in Invention and first
prize in Stage Illusions.
Since then, he has worked on a friendly basis
with the greatest illusionists of our time among
them Siegfried and Roy as well as David
Copperfield - and created new illusions for them.
The author published Soirees Fantastiques in
1988, Bibliography of French Conjuring in
1994 and annotated in 1995 the reprint of
Memoirs of Robert-Houdin by Robert-Houdin
for the publishing company Stock. In 2002, he
contributed to the work Melies, Magic and
Cinema published under the supervision of
Jacques Malthete and Laurent Mannoni.
The two volumes of this biography of RobertHoudin will be followed by a technical volume
dedicated to the study of the artist's legendary
inventions in the field of magic of which the
history, routines and explanations have maintained
most of their mystery to this day.
Photograph of the author

FAU 2002
N ISBN : 2-907584-05-7
COPYRIGHT
BERNARD
'' :
The celebrated ROBERT-HOUDIN wiU repeat his
Original a n d Extraordinary
EVERT
-
Tuesday, Thursday
Saturday Evenings,
DAY
w\> u.r \i si lift i \
PERFORMANCE
Wednesday
Morning*,
ij
< O.HHI:.V(
IM. . / / ' / / . ; / . / / ' i v y y i r o ix jut h
'*

Christian Fechner - Magic of Robert-Houdin An Artist's Life Vol. 1

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Robert-Houdin is not only the

Translated from the French by Stacey Dagron

Editions FC F 39 rue des Tilleuls - 92100 Boulogne, France

I affectionately dedicate this work

THE WATCHMAKER, MECHANICIAN,

Memoirs of Robert-Houd in. Philadelphia. Geo. G. Evans. 1859. p. 26.

Introduction t>y Jacques Voignier

.1805-1823- A Confiscated Childhood and Adolescence

. 1823-1825 - From Dr. Carlosbach to Maitre Pardessus

. 1825-1828 - From Maitre Roger to Jean-Martin Robert

. 1826-1828 - The Apprenticeship of the Artisan Watchmaker

and the Aspiring Magician

The Mysterious M. David of Bordeaux

- The Count de Grisy, French Conjurer, known asTorrini

. 1828-1829 - Return to Blois, Mademoiselle Houdin

- Paris, Here I Come

. 1809-1833 - M. Comte.The King's Conjurer

.1800-1832- Olivier, Conjuring Professor of Paris

- A Marriage of Love During the July Revolution

- The First Son

. 1831-1832 - The Componium

1832-1835 - A Long Depression

- Giovani Bartolomeo Bosco

. 1835-1836 - The Fall of the House of Houdin

. 183""-1844 - The Mechanician and the Watchmaker

. 1837-1844 - The Salon Conjurer

- The Little Parisian Curiosity Shows

- Philippe Talon, known as Philippe

. 1843-1844 - A Cascade of Mourning and A New Marriage

- The Exposition and Phineas Taylor Barnum

1844-1845 - The Big Leap

- The Secret Machinery of the Theater

- Robert-Houdin's Soirees Fantastiques

.1845-1846- Second Sight and The Inexhaustible Bottle

- First Foreign Tour and the Conjurer Louis Courtois

.1845-1852- Promotion and Advertising

- The Fortune-Teller Alexis Didier

. 184~-1848 - The Ethereal Suspension

- Moreau-Sainti - Andre Voisin

. 1848-1849 - Revolution in France and Triumphs in England

. 1849-1851 - Return to Paris; Pierre Etienne August Chocat,

- The English Connection or the Legrand Trial

- Letter on Education; Shows and Children

- Roberti de Brescia, De Linsky, Deveaux, Berneuil, and

- Farewell, My Dear Parisians"

. 18524853 - The Final Flames

Notes to Act III

These are quite a few qualities for one

The reader cannot realize how much work

than fifty years ago, Christian Fechner's

speculations published in magic literature

Houdin lived in The Priory in St. Gervais

v*t rSe t's&tfitA-vf-

(Alt ilstL. 4c /,4jaj

Illustration 6 - Birth of Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin.

From Louis Robert to Jean Eugene Robert

spouse, bore him a son, Jean Martin, [9] on

Carroir du Malassis. In a century where one did

Illustration 7 Robert-Houdin's childhood home in Blois.

Their first son was named Prosper, [16] and his.

talents to serve first the Republic, then the

The birth of the future conjurer Jean Eugene