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The Golden Age

Full-evening touring shows filled grand theatres worldwide. Magicians became international stars, and Japanese troupes toured Europe and America.

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  🇺🇸 1853–1932 Adelaide Herrmann born Adelaide Scarcez The Queen of Magic, who took over the show after her husband's death and kept it running for thirty years. The Golden Age Stage MagicIllusion

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  🇨🇳 1854–1922 Ching Ling Foo born Chee Ling Qua The first East Asian magician to achieve world fame — and the man whose name a white performer copied. The Golden Age Stage MagicManipulation

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  🇬🇧 1861–1918 Chung Ling Soo born William Ellsworth Robinson The golden age's most enigmatic performer, who lived his stage persona as a life. The Golden Age Stage MagicIllusion

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  🇬🇧 1861–1944 Talma born Mary Ann Ford The Queen of Coins — one of the few women of the golden age to make her name on pure sleight of hand. The Golden Age ManipulationStage Magic

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  🇺🇸 1869–1936 Howard Thurston The Last Great Touring Illusionist The summit of touring illusion, who perfected the full-evening show. The Golden Age Stage MagicIllusion

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  🇺🇸 1874–1926 Harry Houdini born Erik Weisz The Handcuff King — a century on, still the single most recognised name in magic. The Golden Age EscapologyStage Magic

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  🇯🇵 1886–1944 Shōkyokusai Tenkatsu I 松旭斎天勝 — "Queen of Magic" The "Queen of Magic" — a Japanese star who led a company of over a hundred and toured Europe and America. The Golden Age Stage MagicIllusion
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  🇯🇵 1888–1980 Shōkyokusai Ten'yō 松旭斎天洋 — born Yamada Matsutarō The link between Tenichi and the postwar era — both Tenko Hikita and Haruo Shimada came out of his school. The Golden Age Stage MagicIllusion

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  🇺🇸 1892–1934 Black Herman born Benjamin Rucker The most prominent Black magician of his day, who built a touring circuit for Black audiences under segregation. The Golden Age Stage MagicIllusion