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Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring
·
Professor Hoffmann
705
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
the
curtains
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,
could
not
see
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.
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