Overview

Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin (1805-71) was a French watchmaker, magician, and illusionist, widely recognized as the father of the modern style of conjuring. He transformed magic from a pastime for the lower classes seen at fairs, to an entertainment for the wealthy performed in his own theatre. Determined to follow in his father's profession of watchmaker, he ordered a two-volume set of books on horology but received instead two volumes entitled Scientific Amusements which immediately piqued his interest, and such was his enthusiasm that he took lessons from a local amateur magician. After moving to Paris where he continued working with clocks, he took an interest in automata and fell in with fellow magicians, soon acquiring new skills in sleight of hand, and constructing mechanical figures and equipment for his own use. In 1845, having obtained financial backing, he opened his 200-seat Theatre Robert-Houdin and although his premiere was not a success he soon achieved critical acclaim. As his repertoire increased so did his fame, leading to a command performance for Queen Victoria and an ambassadorial magical mission to Algeria. Robert-Houdin's memoir, which is the prime source of information about his extraordinary life, is reprinted from an English translation published in America in 1859. It was first published in the original French in 2 volumes in 1858 as Confidences d'un prestifigitateur, une vie d'artiste.

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