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Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin
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Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (December 6, 1805 – June 13, 1871) was a French magician. He is widely considered the father of the modern style of conjuring.
rt-Houdin was born Jean Eugène Robert in Blois, France on 6 December 1805.
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Encyclopedia
Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (December 6, 1805 – June 13, 1871) was a French magician. He is widely considered the father of the modern style of conjuring.
Early life and entrance into conjuring
Robert-Houdin was born Jean Eugène Robert in Blois, France on 6 December 1805. He was educated at the university of Orléans, and for a short time worked as a watchmaker. In the mid 1820’s, the young Jean saved up to buy a copy of two volume set of books on clock making by Ferdinand Berthoud. The book seller had put the books off to the side for Jean. He reached up to the shelf and grabbed the books. He wrapped the two volumes and handed it to the young clockmaker to be.
When he got home, instead of the Berthoud books, what appeared before Jean’s eyes was a two volume set on magic called Scientific Amusements. Instead of returning the books, his curiosity got the best of him. From those crude volumes he learned the rudiments of magic. He practiced at all hours of the day.
From that point when accidently received those books on conjuring he became very interested in the art. He found that learning from the books in those days where very difficult because the lack of detailed explanations provided. So, Jean began taking lessons from a local amateur magician. When he felt he was ready he moved to Tours and set up a watch making business doing conjuring on the side.
Much of what we know about Robert-Houdin comes from his memoirs. It’s difficult to decipher fact from fiction. Robert-Houdin would have you believe that a major turning point in his life came when he became apprenticed to the magician Edmund De Grissi or better known as Torrini. Unfortunately, there is no record of a Torrini or a De Grissi.
Famous illusions
The Ethereal Suspension
When Robert-Houdin first performed this trick, ether had just come into use and was still quite mysterious. He made good use of this in the presentation of his illusion, by telling the audience the effect was achieved because ether strangely made people lighter.
Robert-Houdin's inventions were pirated by his trusted mechanic Le Grand, who was arrested for making and selling duplicate illusions. Many of those illusions fell into the hands of his competitors like John Henry Anderson, Robin, and Compars Herrmann. It is not known whether Herrmann or the others bought the illusions directly from LeGrand or from another source. But, they willingly performed the illusions after knowing that those where invented by Robert-Houdin.
Legacy
His home in Blois is open to the public as a museum and theatre.
Robert-Houdin's autobiography is . His life and works are also cited in Robertson Davies' "Deptford Trilogy", notably in the trilogy's third novel World of Wonders, which takes place on the set of a movie about Robert-Houdin.
American magician and escape artist Harry Houdini (born Ehrich Weiss) was so impressed by Robert-Houdin that after reading his autobiography in 1890, Ehrich adopted the stage name of "Houdini" in honor of Robert-Houdin. He incorrectly believed that "i" on the end of a name meant "like" in French. He later lost his respect for Robert-Houdin, believing that he took undue credit for other magicians' innovations, and wrote in 1908.
Name
It is incorrect to refer to Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin as "Houdin." His last name was Robert-Houdin. His birth name was Jean Eugène Robert. He married Mademoiselle Houdin, and under special dispensation from the French government, was allowed to use the hyphenated last name.
Sources
- Secrets of Conjuring and Magic by Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, translated by Angelo Lewis.
- Conjuring by James Randi.
External links
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- Harper's New Monthly Magazine, November 1877
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