Author Archives: Magicana

About Magicana

Magicana is a performing arts organization dedicated to the study, exploration and advancement of magic as a performing art.

Welcome to our online exhibition.

Welcome to Postcards of Magicians – over 300 postcards originally collected by Rev. Msgr. Vincent Foy. Here are just a few:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.


For decades Msgr. Foy has dutifully collected hundreds of postcards relating to magic. Read more about Msgr. Foy’s passion for collecting postcards.

 

We invite you to explore the various pages and enjoy the strange, wonderful and mysterious words that they represent. Think of each postcard is an “entry”. Scroll below and you can view thumbnails of  various entires. To keep viewing, just click on “older entries” after the thumbnail summary has ended.

If you wish to add a comment, or view other viewer comments, click on the postcard’s title and it will link you to the postcard’s individual entry. Here, you may find additional information about the card. You will be able to post your own note.

You can also search for specific individuals or topics. We have tagged most of the cards in an alphabetical category, so you can use the categories to the right to search for cards.

If know who the person is in a card  marked “unidentified”, please tell us, and/or, leave a comment by clicking on the link “Leave A Comment“.

We hope you enjoy the visit …  don’t forget to sign the Guest Book.


Dick Williams

Dick Williams (b. 1927) is a former television and radio presenter and magician who holds the record for hosting the longest running television magic show in the world. Under the name “Mr Magic” he presented the show MagicLand on WMC-TV in Tennessee from 1966 until his retirement in 1989.

See more about Dick Williams on MagicPedia


Russ Walsh

W. R. “Russ” Walsh (1894-1971) was an amateur magician who served as national president of both the S.A.M. and the I.B.M.  He invented the Appearing Cane in 1947.

See more about W.R. “Russ” Walsh on MagicPedia.


Dan Waldron


Dai Vernon


Trade Trickery


Trade Trickery


Ko Ten Ychi Troupe


Harold Taylor

Harold “Three Tricks” Taylor performed for Queen Elizabeth II (at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and Sandrmgham), J. Paul Getty (for 17 consecutive years), and engagements within the official prime ministers’ home at No. 10 Downing Street, London for diplomats.

See more about Harold “Three Tricks” Taylor on MagicPedia


Don Sweet & Louise

Don Sweet (c.1897-1975) was a news reporter and professional magician.

He worked as a news reporter in Dubuque, Iowa, and in Rock Island, Illinois. Later he became the city editor for The Daily Dispatch in East Moline, Illinois. During this time he also worked professionally as a magician.

See more about Don Sweet on MagicPedia.


You can depend on me for the balance.


What more can I do?


Chung Ling Soo

Chung Ling Soo (1861-1918), born William Ellsworth Robinson, died on the stage of London’s Wood Green Empire when his bullet catch routine went wrong.

During his early career, William Ellsworth Robinson called himself “Robinson, the Man of Mystery”. To increase his allure with a touch of exoticism, he changed his name to Chung Ling Soo and took his show to Europe. He took the name as a variation of a real Chinese stage magician, Ching Ling Foo, and performed many of the tricks that Foo had made famous.

Chung Ling Soo maintained his role as a Chinese man scrupulously. He never spoke onstage and always used an interpreter when he spoke to journalists. Only his friends and other stage magicians knew the truth.

See more about Chung Ling Soo on MagicPedia.


Sorcar, Rocket Ship Illusion

Thank you to Steve Fernandes for helping us correct this card.

P. C. Sorcar (1913-1971) was the stage name of the Indian magician, Protul Chandra Sorcar.

Sorcar was an internationally active magician throughout the 1950s and 1960s, performing his Indrajal show before live audiences and on television. He died of a heart attack at the age of 58 in Japan, on January 6, 1971, where he was performing.  His son fulfilled the rest of his contract.

See more about P.C. Sorcar on MagicPedia.


Sorcar, Invisible Flight

Thank you to Steve Fernandes for helping us correct this card.

P. C. Sorcar (1913-1971) was the stage name of the Indian magician, Protul Chandra Sorcar.

Sorcar was an internationally active magician throughout the 1950s and 1960s, performing his Indrajal show before live audiences and on television. He died of a heart attack at the age of 58 in Japan, on January 6, 1971, where he was performing.  His son fulfilled the rest of his contract.

See more about P.C. Sorcar on MagicPedia.


Sorcar

Thank you to Steve Fernandes for helping us correct this card.

P. C. Sorcar (1913-1971) was the stage name of the Indian magician, Protul Chandra Sorcar.

Sorcar was an internationally active magician throughout the 1950s and 1960s, performing his Indrajal show before live audiences and on television. He died of a heart attack at the age of 58 in Japan, on January 6, 1971, where he was performing.  His son fulfilled the rest of his contract.

See more about P.C. Sorcar on MagicPedia.


Sorcar

Thank you to Steve Fernandes for helping us correct this card.

P. C. Sorcar (1913-1971) was the stage name of the Indian magician, Protul Chandra Sorcar.

Sorcar was an internationally active magician throughout the 1950s and 1960s, performing his Indrajal show before live audiences and on television. He died of a heart attack at the age of 58 in Japan, on January 6, 1971, where he was performing.  His son fulfilled the rest of his contract.

See more about P.C. Sorcar on MagicPedia.


Siegfried & Roy (Stardust)


Lucille & Eddie Roberts

The Roberts were Lucille (c.1909-1977) and Eddie (?-?) Roberts, a husband and wife comedy mentalism act well known for performing a Second Sight routine from the 1940s to the 1960s. They used the billing, “What’s on Your Mind?”

They married around 1930 and soon became a struggling mental act until they joined The Great Nicolo in 1938. As his assistants, they presented their telepathy act in the show. When Nicola retired after losing the stage show when the ship they were touring on hit a mine in a Singapore harbor in 1939, The Roberts continued on performing in the nightclub circuit.

See more about The Roberts at MagicPedia.


Conny Ray

Conny Ray, a Swedish banker and a kid show comedy magician/ventriloquist, flourished during the 1970s-80s.

See more about Conny Ray at MagicPedia


Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.