Adelaide Herrmann
Encyclopedia
Adelaide Herrmann was a noted female magician
and vaudeville performer. She began her magic career as assistant to her husband, magician Alexander Herrmann (1844-1896). When he died she continued the show and later became a major star in her own right.
Following Alexander's death she initially worked with his nephew Leon Herrmann, but a clash of personalities led them to part ways after three seasons, each continuing with their own show. Adelaide was one of the few magicians to perform the infamous "bullet catch
" trick, which had been an occasional feature of her husband's act. It was said that, because of the trick's reputation, she could not bear to watch her husband when he performed it. However on January 19, 1897, a month after his death, she stood in his place in front of a firing squad at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. Surviving publicity material describes her as catching six bullets fired at her by local militiamen.
Adelaide continued performing until she was 75. She died at the age of 79 and is buried, along with her husband, at the Woodlawn Cemetery, New York
.
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
and vaudeville performer. She began her magic career as assistant to her husband, magician Alexander Herrmann (1844-1896). When he died she continued the show and later became a major star in her own right.
Following Alexander's death she initially worked with his nephew Leon Herrmann, but a clash of personalities led them to part ways after three seasons, each continuing with their own show. Adelaide was one of the few magicians to perform the infamous "bullet catch
Bullet catch
The bullet catch is a conjuring illusion in which a magician appears to catch a bullet fired directly at him—often in his mouth, sometimes in his hand or caught with other items such as a dinner plate...
" trick, which had been an occasional feature of her husband's act. It was said that, because of the trick's reputation, she could not bear to watch her husband when he performed it. However on January 19, 1897, a month after his death, she stood in his place in front of a firing squad at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. Surviving publicity material describes her as catching six bullets fired at her by local militiamen.
Adelaide continued performing until she was 75. She died at the age of 79 and is buried, along with her husband, at the Woodlawn Cemetery, New York
Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx
Woodlawn Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in New York City and is a designated National Historic Landmark.A rural cemetery located in the Bronx, it opened in 1863, in what was then southern Westchester County, in an area that was annexed to New York City in 1874.The cemetery covers more...
.
Further reading
- Mary Schendlinger, Prepare to Be Amazed: The Geniuses of Modern Magic, Annick Press (September 2005), ISBN 1-55037-927-5