Mystery in History
Magic performers in Australia since 1836
“We understand now; we've been made to understand, and to embrace the understanding,
that who we are is who we were.” - John Quincy Adams
that who we are is who we were.” - John Quincy Adams
Australia, in terms of the land under white colonisation since 1788, is a relatively young nation. Even so, there are many intriguing tales of magicians and their adventures, dating from the early 1800s until today.
This focus of this research is presently on the earliest performers to appear in Australia, particularly those who have never been documented elsewhere. Some of these stories are bare-bones reports of single appearances, amateurs, or names which require clarification. Stories will be updated gradually; the more detailed or major stories are marked with a diamond ♦ . The date shown indicates the performer’s first appearance in Australia.
Check the UPDATE LOG for details of major and minor story updates.
Latest update - October 16, 2024.
A guide to the focus of this site, and the main resources used, is here.
Latest update - October 16, 2024.
A guide to the focus of this site, and the main resources used, is here.
1788 - 1850
1788 William Fraser, the Convict Conjurer - Not Australia’s first performer, but probably the first mention of a conjurer in this country. ♦
1824 Sydney Smith - Salamander and Toby Ryan - Who was the first recorded magician to perform in Australia? Smith and other elusive candidates.
1836 Monsieur Du Pree, The Wizard Of The South - The first definitive record of a magic performance in Australia. ♦
1839 Joseph Masters - Tantalising references to legerdemain performances
1841 Powell Courtier, Necromancer and Fire King - From convict to magician to murder; one man's struggle. ♦
1842 Antonio de Hesperio
1844 Khi Kan Kruse tight rope walker and Wizard of the North for one night only.
1844 Saville and Douglas - Theatre and Legerdemain
1846 Anonymous - Maitland Races
1847 Arrup
1848 Joseph Gardiner actor, magician, moralist and author
1866 Professor Fuller
1848 Dr. Charles Meymott ship’s surgeon and gentleman conjurer
1850 Chas. Jingle
1851 - 1870
1852 W. D. Ford - the vanishing Wizard
1853 Mr. Hall, Wizard of the South, and swordsman Professor Parker. Was he also “Signor Blitz”?
1853 Professor Le Berg - apparently not one of the better magicians.
1855 Rolla Rossiter, Corde Volante and legerdemain artist
1855 Wizard Jacobs and the great fire
1856 The Darkey Wizard - a brief minstrel performance
1856 Monsieur Theo, the French Magician
1856 Samuel Walters in a single appearance
1857 M. Chabert for one night only
1857 Professor Franzheim
1857 Sander, Wizard of the East
1857 Testo - Fire and Water
1858 Richmond Fair
1858 Joe Miller, Wizard of the North, South, East and West
1859 Professor Ericksen, Scandanavian Wizard
1859 Professor Hermann
1859 Herr Wolff
1860 Mr. Charles, ventriloquist and Professor of Natural Magic, in Australia decades late.
1860 William Montague Murray, theatrical generalist
1862 Mr. James - A private entertainer and teacher
1862 Herr Arnold
1863 Professor Sams
1864 Thomas Carr
1864 John 'Vertelli' Morcom, Australian wire-walker and magician
1864 William O'Brien a.k.a. Professor Leon
1865 Herr De Barr
1865 Professor Ion
1865 Herr von Kehl, Man of Miracles
1866 Professor Hennicke, a.k.a Abda Shah, touring Australia and New Zealand with his wife, Madame Stella. ♦
1869 Abdul Indian Juggler and Wizard of the West
1869 W.A. Chapman the Sorceror's Apprentice ♦
1869 Robert Heller in Australia ♦
1869 Haidee Heller - the identity of Robert Heller's mysterious Second Sight partner ♦
1870 H.B. Wilton and The Somatic Conjuror ♦
1871 - 1899
1871 Professor Goodhear
1871 Jack the Conjuror
1872 Albertine, Fire King and Wire Walker
1873 Edward B. Graveur, sometime magician and seller of racy literature
1874 Bosco - Ventriloquist, Conjuror, Thief.
1875 Herr Martin Beaufort Tolmaque, Conjuror, Mesmerist, Actor and Author sent to New Norfolk Asylum ♦
1875 Lu Zeera, Circassian Lady Magician and Fire-Queen, in a horse-whipping incident with her audience.
1877 The Mystery of William Davenport - William Davenport, of the famous Davenport Brothers pseudo-medium act, died in Australia.
His gravestone is in Sydney; but is there a second monument to his name? ♦
His gravestone is in Sydney; but is there a second monument to his name? ♦
1900 ->
1906 Theodore - Crawling Through a Keyhole - Juggler, Magician, Contortionist, Hypnotist over 46 years, but lost to history. ♦
1911 Alvera - Escape Artist in the flames
- and an extensive set of photo albums from the performing life of Maurice Rooklyn.
1937 Rayman Bey - Showman. The tale of a Bullet-Proof Girl gone wrong.
1941 Davo the Magician and his ghastly murder
1942 Udinis - Daredevil Stirling and Joan Moore, the female escapologist
Miscellany
The Gun Trick - An atmospheric tale from 1873, of the tribulations of the travelling magician.
An examination of the Royal Lyceum Theatre - the many circuses, hotels and theatres connected with this site from 1833 - 1882. ♦
William Maxwell Brown - Pioneer of Goldrush theatre in 1850s Ballarat, and the first to present the "Sphinx" illusion in Australia. ♦
Tomahawk Joe, Wild Man of Queensland - Not a magician, but a fascinating character of Australian folklore. ♦
Assorted Wizards of the North, South, East and West adding to the problems of historical research. ♦