ALEXANDER HERRMANN : THE MAN WHO DEFINED THE MODERN MAGICIAN

The Orchestra pit roared, A man in black velvet evening clothes a goatee, handlebar mustache and britches. Donning a top hat and white gloves, would step forward from the curtain to rapturous applause, he'd smile and bow. This would become the identity of the Modern Magician. Removing his gloves, he'd toss them into the air to where they´d vanish. then from the knee he would produce a perfect fan of cards. A display of card sleights and manipulation would ensue. Laymen would select cards which would then be placed inside a goblet. From the goblet, the selected cards would rise independently. He'd throw the cards from the goblet where they would vanish to the sound of applause. But the kicker, He'd produce a deck from thin air and throw them with hawk like precision into the audience. Cards would be called and they'd be scaled directly into the laps of the audience members who'd named them. Often times as far as the topmost row in the gallery. He would then borrow a silk top hat, and pluck an american silver dollar from thin air, after it caught the shine of a spotlight, he'd toss it into the hat to a definitive click before producing a near infinite surplus filling the hat. On decanting the silver onto a tray for display he´d wrap the coins in a box and paper returning them to the owner of the hat. on unwrapping the silver dollars would have transformed into a pristine box of chocolates. He'd then proceed to withdraw an impossible number of items from the hat, enough to fill a trunk. On returning the hat, he'd pull a pristine white rabbit inside. Herrmann would stroke the rabbit, pulling it apart at the ears duplicating it, one in each hand. Placing the rabbits on both sides of the table in a thick Parisian accent he'd state "if you notice... the rabbits are the same size, no?" Scooping them together morphing them into one. "Now, you see the rabbit, she is much fatter!" Pulling a pistol from his pocket he'd toss the rabbit into the air, shooting at it. The rabbit would vanish in smoke. Herrmann would scurry hastily into the audience, reaching into the coat tail of a spectator revealing the vanished rabbit. This Act would net Alexander Herrmann $75,000 dollars a year in 1877, which would equate over $2.5 million dollars in 2025 adjusted for inflation.

EARLY LIFE

Alexander Herrmann

So how did a small Parisian immigrant become one of the wealthiest magicians of his time. The Herrmanns were a family of entertainers, Alexander was the youngest of sixteen children born to Samuel & Anna Meyer Herrmann. His dad a physician by trade and part time magician himself was a favourite of the sultan of Turkey, who paid great sums to see him perform. He garnered so much attention from the Parisian Elite that Samuel performed for Napoleon himself, who gifted him a gold watch for his entertainment. The same watch Alexander would carry to the day of his passing. However Samuels practise as a physician would supercede his performance schedule causing him to give up performing almost entirely. Alexander´s eldest brother Carl (Compars) was born 1816, and was taught many of his fathers skills, he was granted free tuition to grandes ecoles medical college near Versailles as his father had performed for the college. Samuel his father retired from magic around 1860, passing his illusionary career to Carl, on his return to paris from medical school in 1853, he saw that his eight year old brother Alexander shared an interest in magic. Taking him to Saint Petersburg to tutor him on the art of magic and launching his tour. They stayed together on the road until Carl reached Vienna where their mother insisted Alexander returned to Paris. It was agreed that Alexander could stay until the tour was adjourned. Young Alexander would assist in the show. He´d often be impossibly suspended in a horizontal position from atop the tip of a rod, and would go so far as acting as a blindfolded medium for part of the performance. During this tour Alexander would learn complex sleight of hand with both cards and coins. He would present these skills to his father on his return to Paris. His father impressed by his young sons abilities allowed him to continue his illusionary studies until he was 11 where he returned to Vienna on the condition that Carl taught him curricula as well as sleight of hand. Alexander would accompany his brother on his subsequent tours, However Carl was forced to discard his prior illusions after a copyright claim from Robert-Houdin. Who had his trusted mechanic and illusion builder Le Grand arrested for manufacturing and marketing his Illusions. It's not known whether carl poached them directly from Le Grand or another source but he opted for pure sleight of hand as a result of the infringement.

THE UNITED STATES

They would leave Europe for the United States in 1860, Alexander Herrmann was just 16. His dexterity would soon supercede that of his elder brother. They would be the first to bring Magic to the Academy of Music in Brooklyn. Their marketing would state...

"The Herrmanns distinguishing feature being the entire absence of any apparatus, with all effects being solely produced by extraordinary manual skill." The second sight act was still a part of their segment with Alexander posing as the medium, it would be followed by Alexander's debut of his card scaling act. A mere five weeks of sellout shows would net Carl over $1,000,000 adjusted for inflation. They left the US on the breakout of the American Civil War.

THE ONE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS AT EGYPTIAN HALL

They would part ways, with Carl resuming the tour solo in Europe. Alexander would go on to pursue and independent career in 1862, bringing his show to London's home of mystery; The Egyptian Hall, in 1871 for a three year engagement which was aptly named Alexander Herrmanns 'one thousand and one nights'. Here Herrmann would develop his distinct mestophelian appearance constituting of thick slick curly hair, handle bar mustache and goatee. His key philosophy being that "The magician depends for the success of his art upon the credulity of the people. Whatever mystifies, excites curiosity; whatever in turn baffles this curiosity, works the marvelous." Carl would retire during Alexander´s London run, having completed his successful tour of Europe, though it would turn out to be just a hiatus... Alexander understood publicity, whilst strolling down Londons Regent Street accompanied by a friend, he would gather a crowd picking the pockets of two gentlemen as a means to garner police attention. On their approach Alexander would brazenly poach the pocket watch of the second man, the gentlemen discovered this whilst Alexander's friend vouched for his innocence to the two officers. The police would search Alexander for the items to no avail. Herrman would go on to suggest they search each other. To which the handkerchief was found on one officer and pocket watch the other. One would then discover one of their badges was also missing. It would be found on one of the initial gentlemen Alexander had poached. Alexander smiled and proclaimed. "It seems I would be the only honest man here." Despite the impromptu performance he was hauled off to the station, where he was recognised and set free. The London papers ran the narrative making him a sensation.

ADELAIDE HERRMANN

He met his future wife and co performer Adelaide Scarcez in London, she was just 22. They would marry in 1875. A wedding to which the New York Mayor officiated. He became a naturalised American Citizen in Boston a year later and bought himself a dark red mansion in Whitestone, Queens in New York. He owned a private yacht, Fra Diavlo which was moored in Long Island Sound, aswell as a private rail car and baggage cars for his equipment.

Herrmann The Great Promotional Poster

By 1883 his name was commonplace in the United States, he'd embark on another world tour. This included nineteen performances in Brazil where he was gifted the Cross of Brazil, before heading to Russia where he was crowned . "Herrmann The Great". Performing for Czar Alexander III of Russia. Who would challenge Herrmann by Tearing a deck of cards clean in half, Alexander would accept the challenge and tour the deck with ease. He would go onto perform for royalty in Paris before meeting up with his brother Carl who had returned to performing due to financial strain. They decided Carl would take Europe if Alexander stayed in the States. Carl Passed July 8, 1887 in Karlsbad, Germany. Europe was passed onto Leon Herrmann their Nephew.

THE GREAT AMERICAN MAGIC RIVALRY

Herrmann found management with Michael B. Leavitt, Amassing thousands. Though Herrmann often squandered his money, Leavitt was happy to pay advances knowing he would quite easily recoup his losses considering him a stable investment. Leavitt would manage The Dean of American Magicians Kellar alongside Herrmann without friction. Until 1888 when Kellar learned of Herrmanns proposed Mexican tour. He asked Leavitt to cancel Herrmanns engagement so he could tour prior to him.At first the proposal was rejected but Kellar would not take no for an answer. Leavitt gave in.

Whenever Herrmann or Kellar would play a town, they would hang posters and banners heralding their arrival. They would start a succession of paper wars. Herrmann's paster's would put up his posters. Then Kellar's would follow suit on top of his. This marketing warfare would prevail for the remainder of their careers. On Herrmanns return to the states he presented his expenses to Leavitt as usual. However he refused to pay them, claiming that many of the transportation fee's were for sending antique furniture and curios back to his home in Long Island. A litigation ensued straining their relations.

Maid of the Moon

Adelaide & Alexander would reintroduce and rework many of Robert Houdin's illusions including the aerial suspension. A board would be set atop two chairs, Madame Herrmann would lay across both. The chairs removed and a hoop passed across her as she lay their impossibly suspended. He would perform the bullet catch 'where he would catch a signed bullet fired from a musket mid air, though he only performed this seven times predominantly for charity affairs. This was co-designed by himself and adopted by his stage assistant William Robinson who defected from Kellar in 1893 to work with Herrmann up into 1886.

'William robinson was also responsible for the Maid of The Moon, illusion where a woman would fly and rotate freely across the stage.'

HERMANN, PHILANTHROPY & HIS FINAL DAY´S

In later life Hermmann donated much of his fortune bailing out actors and theatres. He met a debt of $3,000 to the Chicago Opera House. Bailing out hotel bills of a stranded theatrical company in Rochester and issuing them tickets to see his show prior to their departure. After the show he was invited as the guest of honour at a banquet given by the Genesee Valley Club.

Following the meal the party would board Herrmann's private carriage to Bradford, Pennsylvania. They would continue the festivities whilst Alexander performed and orated memoirs of his life and adventures around the world. Before proclaiming that his Nephew Leon would become his successor upon his retirement. The next morning he located the parties train, waving goodbye to his friends of the evening. A young drama critic of the Rochester Newspaper was amongst them. A John Northern Hilliard, he would go onto become America's foremost author on the subject of magic. December 17th 1896 he boarded his carriage to his next performance, where he tragically suffered from a heart attack at the age of 52. His last words to Adelaide where to "Make sure all in company return to New York." He failed to recover and was pronounced dead. His body was transported to New York with thousands in attendance. He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx. After his death his wife Adelaide Herrmann continued to perform with Leon joining Jan 1897. However they parted after just three seasons due to clashes, and continued performing separate acts, Leon went back to a small vaudeville act, opening up the door for Kellar to lead as America's foremost magician. Adelaide would go on to perform for the next 25 years, adopting the title "The Queen of Magic." retiring at 75 and passing in 1932.

Copyright © 2025 by Sid Quatrine, Author, Editor