OPTICAL TRICKS.
The prestidigitateur has always been indebted more or less to the use of
reflection from mirrors and plate glass as an important adjunct in
conjuring. Many of the illusions in the succeeding pages have often been
used as an entertainment in themselves so that it might really be termed
“side show science.” Without doubt the most famous of all the illusions
in which effects of lighting are used is “Pepper’s Ghost” which was
devised by that eminent experimentor on physical and chemical science,
John Henry Pepper. There are a number of variations of the Pepper Ghost
of which the “_Cabaret du Neant_” is an excellent example.
THE “CABARET DU NEANT.”
The name “_Cabaret du Neant_,” or “Tavern of the Dead” (“non-existing”),
has been given by the proprietors to a recent Parisian sensation; it was
also exhibited in New York. The interest of course centers in the ghost
illusion.
The spectators on entering the _Cabaret_ pass through a long hall hung
with black and find themselves in a spectral restaurant. Along the walls
coffins are placed for tables, and on the end of each coffin is a
burning candle. From the center of the ceiling hangs what is termed
“Robert Macaire’s chandelier,” made to all appearances of bones and
skulls. The spectators are here at liberty to seat themselves at the
tables and are served with what they desire by a mournful waiter dressed
like a French mourner with a long crape streamer hanging from his silk
hat. Around the walls of the room are placed pictures to which the
spectator’s attention is called by the lecturer. Seen by the light of
the room these pictures are ordinary scenes, but a new aspect is given
to each when lights directly behind it are turned on; the figures in it
appear as skeletons, each picture being in fact a transparency giving a
different effect as it is lighted from the rear or as seen simply by
reflected light. The second chamber is now entered; it is hung with
black throughout. On the walls tears are painted, and in close
juxtaposition are two somewhat incongruous inscriptions, “_Requiescat in
pace_,” and “No smoking.” The reason for the latter admonition, which
is also given by the lecturer, is that for the success of the illusion
an absolutely clear atmosphere is essential. At the end of this second
chamber, at the back of a stage, is seen a coffin standing upright, in
which one of the audience is requested to place himself. Entering the
stage by the side door, he is conducted by an attendant to the coffin
and placed in it. Blocks of wood are placed for him to stand on in
quantity sufficient to bring his head to the right height so that the
top of it just presses against the top of the coffin, and the attendant
with great care adjusts his height according to the predetermined
position. Two rows of Argand burners illuminate his figure, which is
then wrapped in a white sheet. Now, as the spectators watch him, he
gradually dissolves or fades away and in his place appears a skeleton in
the coffin. Again, at the word of command the skeleton in its turn
slowly disappears, and the draped figure of the spectator appears again.
The illusion is perfect to the outer audience; the one in the coffin
sees absolutely nothing out of the common. His interest, if he knows
what is going on, is centered in watching the changing expression of the
spectators, being increased by the fact that at their period of greatest
astonishment he is absolutely invisible, although directly before them
and seeing them more plainly than ever. After the restoration to life
one or more auditors are put through the same performance, so that the
recent occupant of the coffin can see what he has gone through.
[Illustration: THE SUBJECT AND HIS SKELETON.]
[Illustration: THE SHEETED GHOST.]
The third chamber is now entered, somewhat similar to the second, but
on its stage is a table and seat, all the walls being lined with black.
One of the auditors is invited to seat himself at the table on the
stage. He does it, and, as before, sees nothing. While the description
of the lecturer and the appearance and comments of the audience tell him
that something very interesting is going on, the remarks will probably
disclose to him the fact that this time at least he is never out of
their sight. He leaves the stage and his place is taken by another, and
then he understands the nature of the drama in which he has been an
unconscious participator. He sees the other spectator seated alone at
the table. Suddenly a spirit, perhaps of an old man, appears at the
other side of the table, while a bottle and glass are seen upon the
table. When exhorted to help himself to the liquid, the performing
spectator’s idle gestures show that he certainly does not see the glass,
through which his hand passes unobstructed. Or perhaps it is a woman who
appears and makes the most alluring gestures toward him who never sees
her. This concludes the exhibition, which as accessory has the strains
of a funeral march, the ringing of deep-sounding bells as room after
room is entered, and the appearance of a brown-robed monk who acts as
Charon to introduce the spectator to his place in the coffin. In one of
our illustrations we show, side by side, the coffin with its living
occupant draped in a sheet and in the other the skeleton which appears
in his place. Two other cuts show the scenes between the spectator at
the table and the specters, illustrating how active a part the specters
take, they being no mere painted appearances, but evidently living,
moving things. Our large illustration shows precisely how it is done and
so clearly that an explanation is hardly needed. The floor of the stage
is represented. To the left are seen the spectators and the performer at
the piano discoursing his lugubrious melodies. To the right is seen
Charon, and directly in front of him the coffin with its living
occupant. When lighted up by the burners shown near him, the other
burners being turned down, the coffin with its occupant is all that is
seen by the spectator. Directly in front of the coffin, crossing the
stage obliquely, is a large sheet of the clearest plate glass, which
offers no impediment to the view of the coffin with its occupant, when
the latter is fully illuminated. At one side of the stage, in the back
of the picture, is a painting of a skeleton in a coffin with its own set
of Argand burners. It is screened from view. When strongly illuminated,
and when the lights of the real coffin are turned down, the spectators
see reflected from the glass a brilliant image of the pictured coffin
and skeleton. By turning up one set of burners as the others are turned
down a perfect dissolving effect is obtained, skeleton replacing
spectator and _vice versa_ at the will of the exhibitor.
[Illustration: AN X-RAY ILLUSION UPON THE STAGE--CONVERSION OF A LIVING
MAN INTO A SKELETON.]
[Illustration: THE FEMALE SPIRIT.]
The magic lantern operator always realizes that to secure a good
dissolving effect perfect registration is essential. In the securing of
this lies the secret of the coffin exhibit of the _Cabaret du Neant_. By
the blocks on which the occupant of the coffin stands, and by the
adjustment of his head by the attendant, the head is brought into
perfect registration with the reflected head of the skeleton. The
wrapping with the sheet, presumably the enveloping in a shroud, is done
with a purpose. It covers the body from the shoulders down and extends
to the very bottom of the coffin, covering the blocks also, thus doing
away with all defects of registration which would be incurred in the
persons of spectators of different heights. In other words, the
exhibition fits out everybody with a skeleton of precisely the same
height, however tall or short he may be, the draping of the sheet and
accurate position of the head concealing from the spectators this
inaccuracy, the skull occupying precisely the place of the head, the
rest taking care of itself.
Still referring to the large cut, it will be seen that it serves to
explain the exhibition in the other chamber. Instead of the coffin there
is the table and chair, and in place of the pictured skeleton a live
performer is placed. In this act there is no dissolving effect; by
turning up the lights at the side of the stage any object desired and
performers dressed as spirits are made to appear upon the stage, being
reflected from the glass plate. The spectators simultaneously see their
companion sitting at the table and the reflections of the ghosts
apparently executing their movements about him.
From the scientific as well as scenic aspect, the exhibition is most
interesting, and to one who knows how it is performed, the interest is
vastly enhanced. To properly enjoy it, the stage position should be
taken during one or both performances.
THE THREE-HEADED WOMAN.
[Illustration: THE THREE-HEADED LADY.]
In this illusion the spectators are separated from the stage by a
balustrade--behind which is seen the curtain. In a few moments the
latter is drawn back and there is distinctly seen a woman’s body the
lower part of which is hidden by a basket of flowers. This body has
three heads, one in the middle and two others grafted at the base of the
neck of the first. The heads move their eyes, answer questions and sing,
and finally salute the audience, and the curtains are drawn together and
the performance is over. As in many tricks of this kind the showman
usually announces that for an additional admission the secret of the
illusion will be divulged. The visitor then enters the side scene and
perceives that on the little stage where the phenomenal woman just
appeared, nothing is visible but a large plate of glass slightly
inclined towards the audience and its edges hidden by drapery. Behind
the mirror there is a recess whose sides are covered with a jet black
fabric. In front of the mirror on the stage sits the basket of flowers
from which issued the woman’s body. On an inclined board which rests
against the screen or balustrade lie three young girls; one of these,
the middle one, is clothed in a brilliant costume of light-colored silk,
and it is she who in the exhibition makes trunk, arms, and the middle
head. The lower part of her body is covered over with a black fabric
and she is supported by a cushion which permits the two other girls to
place their necks closely against hers. The bodies of these two girls at
the sides are completely covered with fabric of a dead black color. In
front of these three young women are placed powerful lights. The heads,
hair, and arms of the “body” are covered with powder so as to present
completely white surfaces. All the white or light-colored surfaces being
strongly lighted by the lamps reflect the light; the image is thus made
upon the spectator.
“AMPHITRITE.”
This illusion, which is presented under the name of “Amphitrite,” is as
follows: When the representation is about to begin, the curtain of a
small stage rises. There is observed a circular aperture, cut in a
screen, over which is stretched transparent muslin.
[Illustration: AMPHITRITE.]
About six feet behind the latter there is a scene representing the sky
with clouds; below, in the foreground, there is a canvas representing
the sea.
“Amphitrite, come forth!” exclaims the person in charge of the show. All
at once, a woman in the costume of an opera nymph rises from the sea
without anything being visible to support her in space, in which she
turns round and round, gracefully moving her legs and arms, now in one
direction, and then in another. When the exhibition is at an end, she
straightens out in the position of a swimmer about to make a dive, and
plunges behind the curtain representing the ocean.
[Illustration: DIAGRAM EXPLAINING THE AMPHITRITE ILLUSION.]
The illusion that we have just described may be performed as follows:
Amphitrite is an image--a specter analogous to those of Robin. If we
imagine that a transparent glass, M M, in our diagram, is inclined 45°
with respect to the stage, a person clad in light clothing, lying
horizontally upon a black background beneath the stage, and well
illuminated, will exhibit an upright image behind the glass. This image
will appear to be formed in front of the back canvas, T T. Now, as
Amphitrite is lying upon a table, P P, she will be able to go through
her evolutions and bend herself in a circle; and if, during this time,
the table, movable upon its axis, A, is revolved, her image will turn in
all directions. Finally, to cause Amphitrite to appear or disappear, it
will suffice to slide the table upon rails, thus bringing it in front of
or behind the glass. Amphitrite should be placed upon an absolutely
black background. Her costume should be of a light color with metallic
spangles, and she should be illuminated by a powerful electric light.
The muslin stretched in front of the screen is designed to arrest
anything that jesters might throw against the glass, and which, sticking
thereto might explain a part of the mystery.
“THE MYSTERY OF DR. LYNN.”
In this illusion which was presented at the “Folies Bergères,” at Paris,
the stage is rather larger than in most of the talking heads and other
analogous tricks. At a short distance from the spectator is observed a
woman cut off at the thighs and resting on a small swinging shelf. The
showman moves the shelf laterally, and at a signal the exhibitor removes
the shelf, and the half-length body appears suspended in the air. The
question which every visitor asks is, where is the rest of the body? In
many of the tricks of talking heads, isolated busts, etc., the illusion
is obtained by the aid of mirrors, but the mystery of Dr. Lynn is
obtained in a much simpler manner. All painters know that in a very
strongly lighted picture the bright colors stand out at the expense of
the half-tones and dark colors, and this effect is greater as the light
becomes brighter. It is upon this principle that the Dr. Lynn trick is
based. The lower part of the bust seen is a dummy upon which the upper
part of the woman’s body lies, the remainder of her body being extended
nearly horizontally upon a board which is capable of swinging and
following the motion of the shelf. All this portion is hidden by opaque
black drapery so arranged as not to reflect the light at any point. The
bust and shelf receive a very intense light; then immediately behind
there is seen intense darkness, forming an absolutely dark background.
The latter is rendered still darker by the brilliant cords of the shelf,
a metallic chain and a dagger suspended beneath it, as well as a white
handkerchief which seems to have been dropped upon the stage by
accident. At least six powerful gas burners or electric lights with
reflectors are turned towards the spectators, so that it will be seen
that the latter are in a manner dazzled by everything that strikes the
eye in the foreground, and that beyond this they see absolutely nothing
but a black background.
[Illustration: THE ILLUSION EXPLAINED.]
Another variation of the illusion of the “Decapitated Princess,” which
will be described later on, is obtained without the aid of mirrors. A
young girl appears before the audience, accompanied by an executioner
clad in red, and armed with the traditional axe of his profession. The
curtain then drops, and rises in a few moments, the stage being somewhat
darkened. Near the executioner can be perfectly distinguished the girl’s
head lying on a round table at the back of the stage. The body is seen
lying on the bed a few feet from her head and at her side is the fatal
block that had served for execution. The trick is the same as the
preceding one; it requires, however, two persons of the same size,
wearing the same costume, to carry out the illusion successfully. One of
these, the one who shows herself to the public, makes the head, her body
being hidden behind the cloth in the rear of the stage, which is in
darkness, as has just been explained. The other, who makes the body, has
her head bent far back and hidden in a sort of box, a false cardboard
neck contributing to increase the illusion.
“BLACK ART.”
To the Yogi and Mahatmas of India, the magicians and illusionists of
Europe and America are indebted for the ideas of many of their best
tricks and illusions. While the published reports of many of the alleged
marvelous effects produced by the “wonder workers” of India must be
taken with a very large amount of salt, yet we must give these people
due credit for being the originators of many tricks from which the
modern magician has taken principles on which he has founded and created
several of the grandest and most successful illusions of modern times.
Take, for instance, the illusion known as “Black Art,” or the “Midnight
Mysteries of the Yogi,” made famous in this country by those master
minds of magic, Harry Kellar and the late Alexander Hermann. The weird
illusion is founded on an idea advanced by the Yogi of India.
No doubt nearly all of the readers of this article have seen “Black Art”
presented by one of the above named magicians, yet the number who could
advance a plausible explanation of how it was done, are very few,
because as soon as one thinks that he has discovered the secret, the
performer produces an effect in direct variance with the principle on
which the illusion appears to be founded.
In this illusion the entire stage from the first groove to the rear is
hung with black velvet, the floor covered with black felt, and the top
is covered with black velvet, thus forming a large room lined entirely
in black. The regular footlights are turned out, and a special set are
used, that consist of a row of open gas jets placed on a line with the
boxes, and carried up the outside of the black room, as shown in the
large engraving.
The lights throughout the entire house are either turned very low or put
out, with the exception of the special lights mentioned above.
[Illustration: THE STAGE SETTING FOR BLACK ART.]
The curtain rises, disclosing the black chamber. In a moment the
magician appears, dressed in a white suit; a wave of his hand, and a
white wand appears floating in the air, which the magician secures. A
wave of the wand, and a table appears on the right, then a second table
appears on the left. A large vase appears on one of the tables, and a
second vase appears on the magician’s outstretched hand. Both of the
vases are shown and proven empty, and in one is placed a few orange
seeds, and the wand is passed over the vase, which instantly becomes
filled with oranges. The oranges are poured into the second, then
returned to the first vase, when they disappear as quickly and as
mysteriously as they appeared, and the vases are again shown empty, and
again placed one on each of the tables. A borrowed watch is placed in
one of the vases, from which it disappears and is found in the vase on
the other table. A life-size skeleton now appears and dances around the
stage, becomes dismembered, the separated parts floating about, but they
finally rearticulate themselves, and the skeleton vanishes. Now a rabbit
is seen in one of the vases, from which it is taken by the performer,
and in his hands it becomes two, which are tossed in the air and
disappear.
[Illustration: AN ASSISTANT REMOVING THE TABLE COVER.]
The number and style of tricks performed in the mysterious black
chamber are almost unlimited, but an explanation of the ones mentioned
above will suffice to show how “Black Art” is performed.
While the stage is draped in black, everything that appears is painted
white, and the magician is dressed in white. There is an assistant on
the stage all through the act, but as he is dressed in black, with
gloves on his hands and a hood over his head, made of black velvet, he
is not seen by the spectators, whose sight is somewhat dazzled by the
open gas jets. The tables are on the stage, but covered with pieces of
black velvet, rendering them invisible. The second engraving shows how
the assistant removes the piece of velvet and causes a table to appear
at the magician’s command.
[Illustration: THE DISARTICULATED SKELETON.]
The vases are also sitting on the stage, but covered with pieces of
black velvet. By picking up the covered vases the assistant can cause
them to appear, by removing the velvet, one on the table and the other
on the performer’s hand. The oranges are in a black velvet bag, from
which the assistant pours them into the vase. To cause the oranges to
vanish, the magician, instead of pouring them into the vase, pours them
into the open mouth of a large black bag held by the assistant just over
the lower vase. The transposition of the watch from one vase to the
other is just as easy. The assistant merely removes it from the vase in
which the performer placed it, and places it in the second vase. The
manipulation of the rabbit is equally simple. The assistant places the
first one in the vase by means of a black bag in which it was concealed,
then places the second one in the performer’s hands from a second small
bag. In vanishing the rabbits the performer merely tosses them up into a
large open-mouthed black bag held by the assistant.
[Illustration: THE JOINTED PAPER SKELETON.]
The skeleton is made of _papier maché_, painted white, and fastened on a
thin board that is sawed to shape and covered with black velvet. One arm
and one leg are jointed so as to be readily removed and replaced by the
assistant when he is operating the skeleton. The last two illustrations
fully explain the method of construction and manipulation of the
skeleton.
The tables are made either of wood or _papier maché_ and painted white.
The vases are made of _papier maché_, painted white on the outside and
black on the inside. The reason the inside of the vases are painted
black is to prevent the hand of the assistant beings seen when he places
it in the vase.
This is one of the most expensive of stage illusions, costing several
hundred dollars to properly stage it with the best drapery and
accessories, and unless such are used the proper illusory effect is
lost. In magic as well as in other business, cheap apparatus is dear at
any price.
THE TALKING HEAD.
Probably the most common of all of the illusions which depend upon
mirrors is the Talking Head upon a table. The illustration is almost
self-explanatory. The apparatus consists only of a mirror fixed to the
side legs of the table. The mirror hides the body of the girl, who is on
her knees and seated on a small stool, and reflects the straw which
covers the floor so as to make it appear continuous under the table;
likewise it reflects the front leg of the table so as to make it appear
at an equal distance from the other side and thus produce the illusion
of the fourth leg. It also reflects the end of the red fabric hanging in
front of the table and thus makes it appear to hang down from behind.
The visitor stands only a few inches away from the table and head. Such
proximity of the spectator and actor would seem to favor the discovery
of the trick, but on the contrary it is indispensable to its success.
[Illustration: THE TALKING HEAD.]
THE LIVING HALF-WOMAN.
[Illustration: THE LIVING HALF OF A WOMAN.]
This illusion is a very ingenious improvement on the “Talking Head.” On
entering the small booth in which it is usually exhibited, we perceive
an elegant little room decorated with flowers and lights and hung with
tapestry. In front there are two railings and the floor is covered with
a carpet. In the center is seen a small table on which rests a kind of
three-legged stool supporting a cushion and the half body. The lady
shows she has arrived by moving her arms and head and speaking and
singing. The visitor can see the four legs of the table and can
perfectly distinguish the space under the stool, the whole scene being
brilliantly lighted, contrary to the usual custom in any such illusions.
The secret of the illusion is as follows:
The stool is formed only of a hollowed out disk whose supports are
connected by two mirrors that make with each other an angle of
forty-five degrees. These mirrors rest on the top of the table which was
decorated in regular designs in mosaic and reflect the latter in such a
way that they seem to continue uninterruptedly under the stool. The
table presents an analogous arrangement, its side legs being connected
with the middle one by two mirrors. These mirrors reflect not only the
designs of the carpet which by their continuity produce the illusion of
a vacancy, but also two table legs located on each side behind the
railing, as shown in our small engraving: the mirror to the left
transmits to the spectators on that side the image of the leg placed on
the left and this image seems to them to be the fourth leg of the table.
The mirror to the right plays the same _rôle_ with regard to the
spectators on that side. These mirrors in addition hide the lower part
of the girl’s body.
[Illustration: EXPLANATORY OF THE HALF-WOMAN.]
“SHE.”
During the season of 1891-92, among various interesting things to be
seen at the Eden Musée, perhaps the most interesting, and at the same
time the most scientific, was the weird spectacle entitled “She,”
exhibited by Powell, the well-known illusionist, and suggested by the
Cave scene in H. Rider Haggard’s celebrated novel “She.”
[Illustration: PREPARED FOR CREMATION.]
[Illustration: THE ESCAPE.]
[Illustration: THE BURNING.]
In this scene a beautiful young lady mounts a table arranged in an
alcove formed by a folding screen. Above the victim is suspended a
cylindrical cloth screen. The screen is lowered to the level of the
table, completely inclosing the subject. The table apparently has four
legs, and four candles shown beneath it indicate that the space
underneath the table is open and clear. The cylindrical screen is shown
to be entire, with openings only at the upper and lower ends, and no
openings are seen in the folding screen which partly surrounds the
table. Upon the firing of a pistol the occupant of the table is ignited,
and smoke and flame bursting from the screen indicate that the work of
destruction is going on within. When the fire is burned out the screen
is lifted, and nothing remains upon the table but a few smouldering
embers and a pile of bones surmounted by a skull. Close observation does
not reveal any way of escape for the young woman. It is, however,
obvious that the magician cannot afford to sacrifice such a subject
every evening, and the spectators are forced to conclude that the whole
affair is a very clever trick. In fact, it is simply a modification of
the beheaded lady and numerous other tricks based upon the use of plane
mirrors. The table has but two legs, the other two which appear being
simply reflections. The central standard supports but two candles, the
other two being reflections. Underneath the table, and converging at the
central standard, are arranged two plane mirrors at an angle of 90° with
each other and 45° with the side panels of the screen. By means of this
arrangement the side panels, which are of the same color as the central
or back panel, are reflected in the mirror and appear as a continuation
of the back panel. The triangular box, of which the mirrors form two
sides, has a top composed in part of the table top and in part of mirror
sections for reflecting the back panel, or with a covering of the same
color as the back panel.
[Illustration: THE FINISH.]
The operation of the apparatus is now obvious. When the victim is
inclosed by the cylindrical screen, she immediately escapes through a
trap door in the table top, places the bones and the fireworks upon the
table, and at the firing of the pistol ignites the latter and retires,
closing the trap door after her.
“THE QUEEN OF FLOWERS.”
[Illustration: MR. KELLAR’S ILLUSION, “QUEEN OF THE FLOWERS.”]
One of Mr. Kellar’s recent illusions is what he is pleased to call “The
Queen of Flowers.” Our first engraving represents the stage as the
audience sees it, and the last cut will help to explain it to the
reader. The background, set against curtains, is about ten feet long and
eight feet high, and represents a mass of flowers and bushes
indiscriminately thrown together, with blue sky above. There is a
little flat roof which projects out about three feet from the bottom of
the screen and is supported by four red poles. The bottom is a floor
raised about a foot from the stage, and in front of each of the three
divisions made by the poles between the stage proper and the floor of
this improvised summer house is placed an electric light. The audience
usually wonders what these lights are for in this strange place; but as
audiences always accept anything shown them by the prestidigitateur,
these lights do not disturb them very much except by dazzling them, as
they are meant to do. So much for the setting. There being no doors or
screens or curtains of any kind, the spectators have the satisfied
feeling that there is no deception there, for they can see all there is
to see. They can, that is true, only they don’t realize how much they
are seeing.
[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE CABINET.]
Mr. Kellar next brings a semicircular stand which he places in front of
the middle panel at the height of the floor. At the roof is fixed a
brass rod in the form of a semicircle, from which hangs a curtain
inclosing the little stand. This, however, cannot do much good, for, as
Mr. Kellar says, those on the extreme right and left of the audience can
still see quite behind the curtain, through the summer house, and they
believe him, not only because he told them so, but because they can see
with their own eyes. What could be more convincing! In a moment the
curtain is withdrawn and a beautiful lady surrounded by flowers is seen
standing on the little platform.
The last engraving will explain matters. The lines extending from the
two center poles to the background represent double mirrors; that is,
each mirror consists of two mirrors back to back, running from the floor
to the roof of the summer house. On account of the indefinite
arrangement of the flowers painted on the back scene in monotonous
design, the spectators do not notice the mirrors. These, of course, form
a passageway through which anyone can walk from behind the scenes to the
stand behind the curtain, while the audience is still keeping guard with
its ever watchful eye.
“THE DECAPITATED PRINCESS.”
[Illustration: ILLUSION OF THE DECAPITATED PRINCESS.]
In this illusion the exhibitor states that it is the head of an Egyptian
Princess who was accused of treason and beheaded. The head is exhibited
in a curtained recess and it reposes upon two swords lying across the
arms of the chair. The chair is upholstered in red plush and is placed
close to the curtain at the back of the recess. At the back of the chair
is an opening just below the level of the tops of the chair arms. This
opening is not seen from the front, as it is concealed by a mirror that
is placed between the arms of the chair at an angle of 45°. The ends of
the mirror rest in folds of the fan-shape upholstering on the inside of
the chair arms. The lower edge of the mirror is resting on the bottom of
the chair and the upper edge is concealed by laying one of the swords on
it, as may be seen in the other illustration. At the proper angle the
bottom of the chair is reflected in the mirror, leaving the impression
that one is looking at the back. The folds in the upholstering of the
inside of the arms effectually conceal the ends of the mirror. There is
a hole in the rear curtain directly opposite the hole in the chair back,
through which there passes a board supported at one end by resting on
the seat of the chair and at the other end by a small box or any
convenient article.
[Illustration: THE DECAPITATED PRINCESS--EXPLANATION OF ILLUSION.]
The lady who is to impersonate the princess takes her position on this
board with her chin just above the edge of the mirror, the second sword
is placed at the back of her head and a wide lace collar that she wears
around her neck is adjusted so as to rest nicely on the two swords. The
second illustration shows the board in position, passed through the
curtain, with the lady lying on it, her head on the swords and the lace
collar in position. The curtain in the rear must be close to the chair,
but the side curtains are removed about five feet. The board is padded
so as to make the lady as comfortable as possible.
“STELLA.”
[Illustration: AN ISOLATED HEAD IN THE CENTER OF A STAGE.]
The following illusion is similar to the “Decapitated Princess.” A small
stage is partitioned off by curtains. In the center of the stage,
suspended in space, is a young girl’s head, the neck of which starts
from a satin collar. This head is isolated on every side. One sees the
rear of the stage, the sides, the top and the bottom, and the brilliant
illumination leaves no portion in shadow. The head speaks and smiles and
finally blows out a lighted candle. The exhibitor then disappears behind
the side scenes with the candle. He now, as it seems, draws out a panel
in the back of the stage, and through the aperture thus formed the
spectator very distinctly sees the top of a table and upon it a candle
which the head has just extinguished. Now this aperture is directly
under the head, but much farther off, and is in the direction the body
would occupy if the head possessed one. The absence of the body is
therefore apparently demonstrated to the visitors.
The illusion was obtained by means of a simple mirror which starting
from the upper part of the back of the stage descended obliquely to the
front. In the center of this there was an opening which was concealed by
the satin collar and through this the young girl passed her head. The
inclination of the mirror was, in fact, indicated by a gold rod designed
to hide the junction of the mirror and the side. The arrangement will be
better understood by reference to the annexed diagram, which belongs to
the same illusion, only the clown is substituted for the girl’s head.
Now, by virtue of the optical law that “an object reflected from a
mirror appears to be behind the latter at a distance equal to that which
separates it from it,” every point of the line, M _l_, reflected from
the mirror, P M, will appear to be situated upon the line, M L.
So, to the spectator located at O, the point, _c_, reflected at C′ will
appear to be the point, C; the distance, _c_ C′ equaling C C′. The
point, _l_, reflected at L′, will appear to be L. And it will be the
same for all the intermediate points. The spectator, then, will believe
that he sees the line, M L, when in reality he sees only the reflection
of M _l_. Now, as we have just said, he will believe that he sees the
back of the stage, when, in fact, he sees nothing but a reflection of
the ceiling in the mirror. In the same way, the reflection from the
front of the ceiling will produce the illusion of the stage floor. This
fact still further contributes to increase the illusion, for the
spectators are not aware of the difference that exists between the
arrangement of the place where the bust appears and of that of the place
where the showman is walking.
[Illustration: DIAGRAM EXPLANATORY OF THE PHENOMENON.]
In the illusion of “Stella” the aperture through which the table was
seen was in reality at the top. The table was vertical and the candle
which was firmly fixed to it was horizontal. The farce of blowing out
the candle and carrying it behind the scenes was only designed to make
the spectators believe it was the same candle that was seen at the rear
of the stage, when in reality it was only a duplicate.
HOUDIN’S MAGIC CABINET.
These apparatus were formerly much employed by magicians--Robert-Houdin,
for instance. The following is an example of one of the scenes that may
occur with them:
When the curtain rises, there is seen in the center of the stage a
large, dark-colored cabinet, ornamented with mouldings, and mounted upon
legs that are a little longer than those of ordinary cabinets, the
object being to remove all possibility of a communication with the stage
beneath. These legs are provided with casters. The showman turns this
cabinet around and shows that there is nothing abnormal about it
externally. He then asks some of the spectators to come up close to it,
and lets them examine its interior, which is entirely empty. There is no
double bottom, nor any hiding-place. When the witnesses have made
themselves certain of this fact, they station themselves around the
stage, and a certain number of them even consent to remain behind the
cabinet and see nothing of the experiment. The cabinet being thus
surrounded on all sides, and every one being able to look under it,
fraud would seem to be an impossibility.
A young woman dressed as a _danseuse_ then comes on the stage and enters
the cabinet, and the doors are closed upon her. In a few moments the
doors are opened again, when, lo and behold! the closet is empty, the
young woman having disappeared. Then the doors are closed again, and
then opened, and the _danseuse_ makes her appearance; and so on. At the
end of the experiment the witnesses examine the cabinet again, and
finding nothing changed therein, are justly stupefied.
In another style of cabinet there is no bar in the center, as shown in
our engraving, but there is observed on one of the sides in the interior
a bracket a few centimeters in length, and, back and above this, a
shelf. This arrangement permits of performing a few experiments more
than does the one just described. Thus, when the woman has disappeared,
the showman allows a young man to enter, and he also disappears, while
the young woman is found in his place. This is a very surprising
substitution.
The box into which the harlequin takes refuge, and which appears to be
empty when Pierrot or Cassandra lifts the curtain that shields its
entrance, is also a sort of magic cabinet.
In a series of lectures delivered a few years ago at the London
Polytechnic Institution, a professor of physics unmasked the secret of
some of the tricks employed on the stage for producing illusions, and
notably that of the magic cabinet. The lecturer, after showing the
cabinet, and causing the disappearance therein of an individual while
the doors were closed, repeated the same experiment with the latter
open. But, in the latter case, so quick was the disappearance that the
spectators could not even then see how it was done. The illusion
produced by the apparatus is the result of a play of mirrors.
[Illustration: MAGIC CABINET.]
In the first cabinet described, when the exhibitor has closed the doors
upon the young woman, the latter pulls toward her two mirrors that are
represented in our plan of the cabinet by the lines, G G. These mirrors
are hinged at O O, and, when swung outward, rest by their external edges
against the bar, P, and then occupy the position shown by the dotted
lines, G′ G′. When the cabinet is again opened, the woman placed at A is
hidden by the two mirrors; but the appearance of the interior of the
cabinet is not changed, since the spectators see the image of each side
reflected from the corresponding mirror, and this looks to them like the
back of the cabinet.
[Illustration: PLAN EXPLANATORY OF THE CABINET.]
The illusion is perfect. When the experiment is ended and the mirrors
are again swung against the sides, at G G, the spectators see nothing
but the backs of them, which are covered with wood; the cabinet is
really empty, and no one can discover what modification has taken place
in its interior during the disappearance of the woman.
In the second arrangement, which is shown in vertical section in our
last engraving, the young man gets up on the shelf, _c n_, at the upper
part of the cabinet, by the aid of the bracket, T, and then pulls down
over him the mirror, _b c_, which was fastened to the top of the
cabinet. This mirror, being inclined at an angle of 45°, reflects the
top, and the spectators imagine that they see the back of the cabinet
over the shelf, as they did before.
[Illustration: SECTION EXPLANATORY OF THE CABINET.]
The box which Harlequin enters is based upon precisely the same
principle. Its interior is hung with paper banded alternately blue and
white. When Harlequin enters it, he places himself in one of the angles
and pulls toward him two mirrors which hide him completely, and which
reflect the opposite side of the box, so that the spectator is led to
believe that he sees the back of it. In this case, one of the angles at
the back of the box is not apparent, but the colored stripes prevent the
spectator from noticing the fact.
A MYSTIC MAZE.
We present an engraving of a very interesting optical illusion produced
with only three mirrors. By multiplying the mirrors the large number of
different effects can be obtained.
Let us imagine that three perfectly plain and very clear mirror glasses,
as large as possible, form a prism whose base is an equilateral
triangle. A person placed in the interior of this prism will see his
image reflected a very large number of times. A very simple geometrical
construction, and one which we recommend our young readers to carry out
as an exercise in optics, by the simple application of the principle
that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection, allows
us to see that the image of any point whatever placed in the center of
this triangle of glass plates will be reproduced indefinitely by groups
of six images distributed symmetrically around points regularly spaced
in the prolongations of the planes of the three glasses.
A person, therefore, sees his image reproduced indefinitely in groups of
six until, the successive reflections attenuating the intensity of the
images, the latter cease to be visible. Three or four persons massed in
one of the angles present the illusion of a compact and mixed crowd
standing upon a sidewalk and awaiting the passage of a procession. The
hats waving in the air convert the peaceful waiting into an enthusiastic
manifestation, which is so much the more surprising in that it is made
by but half a dozen persons at the maximum.
The accompanying figure gives an idea of this remarkable effect, and the
three persons, whose images reflected _ad infinitum_ produce the curious
result that we call attention to, would have much trouble to believe
that they were the subject of an illusion.
Upon the whole, the experiment is nothing more than an application of
the principle of the old kaleidoscope enlarged and revived, in the sense
that the observer has before his eyes the successive reflections of his
own image, and that the objects are replaced with living beings movable
at will.
Five or six persons may occupy, at the same time, the triangular prism,
of which the sides are about six feet wide, and which they enter through
a trap in the floor. When these five or six persons are walking about in
all directions, they present the aspect of a tumultuous and agitated
crowd commenting upon grave events.
[Illustration: AN OPTICAL ILLUSION PRODUCED WITH THREE MIRRORS.]
PLATINIZED GLASS.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.]
Platinized glass plates are no longer a novelty, but the illusion is
very effective. The mirrors give an image in the ordinary way when
looked at by reflected light, but are transparent when observed by
transmitted light. The metalization of glass with platinum was
discovered a great many years ago by the Messrs. Dodé. This property of
transparency by transmitted light affords a very clever surprise. The
mirrors are set in frames. In a panel behind the latter there is an
aperture closed by a shutter. As the glass is transparent there may be
seen through it, when the shutter is open, everything that is on the
other side, so it occurred to the inventors to utilize this transparency
by placing an image or photograph between the panel and the glass. On
exposing the mirror to the light to look at one’s self in the ordinary
way, if the shutter is open, the human head will disappear and may be
replaced by the photographic portrait or a horned devil, which is
placed behind the mirror. In the illustration we illustrate the head of
the devil whose body is hidden by two mirrors inclined at an angle of
forty-five degrees, as in some of the illusions we have already
described. As he moves his head and smiles, the effect is rather
startling. Electric light is used to illuminate the trick.
[Illustration: FIG. 2.]
STATUE GIVING A DOUBLE IMAGE.
At the Italian exhibition held a few years ago in the Champ de Mars,
Paris, there was a statue that attracted much attention from the
visitors. It represented Goethe’s Marguerite standing before a mirror.
This latter gave by reflection the image of Faust, as shown in our
engraving. The artifice was well concealed by the sculptor. In reality,
it was not a double statue, but the figure of Faust was skillfully
obtained by means of the folds of Marguerite’s robe.
[Illustration: MARGUERITE AND FAUST.]
Marguerite holds her arms in front of her, and these same arms form
those of Faust, who holds them crossed behind his back. Faust’s face is
carved in Marguerite’s back hair, and the man’s figure is obtained, as
before stated, by means of the folds of the woman’s robe.