CHAPTER III.Theodin.
Contemporarywith Houdin were Theodin, Robin, Professor Anderson, and a whole host of minor stars, at whom I shall just take a passing glance, and then I will enter at once into the subject of modern automata, second sight or clairvoyance, optical illusions, and the other branches of the art of magic and conjuring. The principal production of Mons. Theodin was the rope acrobat, which I have fully explained in a preceding chapter.Mons. Robinalso exhibited a very ingenious and interesting piece of automata, well known asthe Magic Windmill. Upon a table a large-sized windmill was placed. The exhibitor tapped at the door, when the miller’s head was seen at the window for a moment, as if he desired to know who was knocking, and then a few seconds after the door opened, and the miller appeared in full person, candle in hand and pipe in mouth.
Mons. Robin desired the miller to kindly grind a small sack of corn which he gave him; the miller nodded assent, took the corn and entered the mill, the door closing upon him. Shortly afterward the sails of the mill went gaily round, and after a brief interval the miller opened his door and handed Mons. Robin the sack back, with the ground bran and corn mixed. This he was desired to separate, when he again entered the mill, and after a brief interval returned with the task duly performed. The door of the mill being closed, and the miller supposed to have retired to bed after his labors, Mons. Robin selected five cards, or, rather, made his audience believetheyselected them; he tore them up, and loaded a pistol with the pieces. He then fired at the windmill, whenlo! presto!one of the torn cards was perceived upon each sail of the mill, and one upon the door! Butthis was not all. The firing of the pistol set the mill on fire, and the blaze was seen emerging from the top. I need scarcely say that Mons. Robin’s Windmill was highly successful. The whole of the effects obtained by this clever conjuror from this one piece of automata was caused by precisely the same means as those of the magic Harlequin and the Cook of the Palais Royal. The same system of levers, valves, and pulleys was employed, and the whole was worked by a person off the stage.
The only automaton of Professor Anderson was, compared with that of his predecessors, extremely weak, and scarcely deserving of notice. It consisted of an old man, who nodded, shook his head, and raised his arm to ring a bell. The reader of these articles will know exactly how this was done. The head was worked beneath the stage; one string causing the head to nod, another to turn from side to side, and a third raising its arm and letting its hand fall upon a bell. By these three simple movements it answered various questions put to it.
Before proceeding further, I may as well state that I have necessarily passed by a large number of automata which were exhibited by numerous other professors of the “black art” whom I have not even named. This was absolutely unavoidable, inasmuch as the space and time that would be required to give a full history of automatic conjuring is not at my disposal. But I have endeavored to give the principal wonders of mechanical art as applied to conjuring, those which I have omitted to mention being weak imitations of the great masterpieces, and therefore of no note. But, following up the sequence of events in the history of conjuring, I must make mention of Colonel Stodare’s Living Head, especially as this will open up quite a new subject. Stodare placed upon a table, supported by legs, and beneath which the audience apparently saw the back of the stage, an empty box with folding doors in front. Having closed the doors of the box for a few minutes, he reopened them, when a living head, dressed to represent the head of a sphinx, was seen within the box. To all appearance there could not possibly be any connection of that head with a body. There was the head in a box of such a size as only to be capable of admitting a head. The audience saw that the body could not be placed beneath the table, for they perceived thecurtains at the back of the stage, between the legs, while the table itself was at some distance from the curtains at the back, and the space between could plainly be seen. The audience, however, couldnotsee through the legs of the table, but what they saw was a reflection of the sides of the stage, which were made to correspond exactly with the back. This was effected by means of two plate-glass mirrors fixed so as to closely fit into the space between the three legs facing the audience. The floor was covered with green baize, which was reflected in the glasses, and seemed to be a continuation of the floor. The living body belonging to the animate head was in reality beneath the table, concealed from view by the mirrors. The annexed illustration will show the position of the body during the performance.
In order that the reader may more clearly understand how this great optical illusion was produced, I will give a full explanation of an improvement upon this apparently wonderful phenomenon—the Fatima illusion—when the reader will more clearly comprehend the solution of what must have hitherto been to him or her a profound mystery. But before doing so I may mention that simultaneously with the appearance of Colonel Stodare’s Talking Head there was produced by Messrs. Pepper and Tobin an optical illusion founded upon precisely the same mechanical arrangement.It was called “Proteus; or, We’re here and not here.” A cabinet 3 ft. 6 in. wide by 6 ft. high, standing upon four small feet so that the audience could see beneath it, was brought upon the stage. It was then opened, and inside was seen a pillar in the centre from floor to top, on the point of which was hung a lamp. The cabinet was seen to be empty. A person entered it, closing the door after him. In a few seconds, when the door was reopened, it was found to be empty. This was repeated with three different persons.A fourth went in, and on the door being opened the four persons were seen inside, and emerged from the cabinet. Of course, where these men concealed themselves was the cause of a great deal of surmise and conjecture; but the reader who has seen this trick, after I have explained the mystery, will marvel at the ease with which he was deceived and hoodwinked.
From the preceding ground plan of the cabinet, it will at once be seen by the simple laws of optics how our very eyes may be made to cheat the other senses: A B, C D, is the floor plan of the cabinet. A B, B D, D C, and C A, representing the four sides. E is the pillar from floor to roof. Attached to the sides A C and B D, are two plate-glass sides fitting exactly, so as to form two sides to the cabinet, A E, B E, terminating in the pillar E. These plate glasses are movable on hinges in the direction indicated by the arrows, and could be moved close to the sides of the cabinet. The backs of the plate-glass doors are painted or papered to resemble exactly the sides of the cabinet, so that when closed the plate-glass sides appear to bebona fidesides of the cabinet. Thus, when a man stepped into the cabinet he merely opened the plate-glass sides, and stood behind them when the cabinet was opened. The glass reflecting the sides of the cabinet, which were exactly like the back, made it appear that the box was empty, the lamp being so placed that it was not reflected by the glass sides. From this it will be seen that as many persons as the space inclosed by the folding glass sides could hold, might easily enter the cabinet, and yet not seem to be in it.
This and the Living Head of Stodare were such good optical illusions, and so safe for the exhibitor to work upon, that succeeding conjurors have improved upon the trick, and produced one of the prettiest and most marvellous effects, that of a lady being seen on thetable, without any lower limbs whatever, and yet able to talk and sing. No doubt many of my readers will remember to have seen Fatima when exhibited some little time ago in Lime Street, Liverpool. A description of this optical illusion, as seen by the public, will be scarcely necessary.
It will be remembered that to all appearance a half body was resting upon a small table standing on legs, which again rested upon a larger table likewise upon four legs, and that the space beneath the table was seen. In point of fact, the space beneath the table wasnotseen, for the remaining portion of the visible body actually stood in the space beneath the table. The table was really upon three legs placed at right angles. Between the middle and two other legs were two plate-glass mirrors, fitted closely to the legs and the top of the table. The pattern of the carpet was always of a square character, and the table was so placed that the reflection in the glass formed a continuation of the pattern, thus giving an appearance of space and a continuity of surroundings. The fourth leg of the table was produced by a very simple contrivance. A single leg, carved similarly to the legs of the table, was concealed behind each of the small screens which bore a lamp, and on each leg was a placard bearing the letters composing the name of Fatima, but written thus—AMITAF, so that, as seen in the glass, they appeared FATIMA. These legs were so placed that they threw their reflections in such a way as to continue and form one leg, the fourth leg of the table. The ground plan, as given here, will at once show the position of the table and the separate legs.
A B C are the three legs of table, A B and B C being the two plates of glass. D D are the two screens concealing the single legs E E. According to the laws of reflection the legs E E will be reflected in the point F, and thus present the appearance of four legs. Upon each of the legs is placed the placard bearing the name writtenbackward, and the reflection so deceives the spectator that he fully believes he is looking at a fourth substantial leg. Of course the upper table upon which the visible portion of the body appears to rest is likewise made of three legs with looking-glass in between. The invisible portion of the body is concealed by the looking-glasses. The pattern of the floorcloth being of a cubic shape, the reflection in the glasses seems to be a continuation of the pattern. It was by these simple combinations of mechanics and optical contrivances that thousands upon thousands of persons were mystified and completely cheated of their senses.