BRESLAW
One of the Great Mystifiers of the Eighteenth Century
who toured Great Britain for more than two score years consecutively.
By HOUDINI.
[Copyright, Houdini 1920]
Very little has been written about this magician and for that reason I have been at considerable expense, both of time and money, in order to gather all obtainable information regarding him.
Caulfield, in his Remarkable Persons, (London, 1819) mentions Breslaw incidentally in an article on Fawkes, he says: "Fawkes was not an indifferent wit; but his successors in deception, Breslaw (like many other foreigners) exceeded him, both in tricks and impudence; the latter, while exhibiting in Canterbury, requested permission to display his cunning a little longer, promising Mr. Mayor, that if he was indulged with permission, he would give such a night, naming a particular one, for the benefit of the poor. The benevolent magistrate acceded to the proposition and he had a crowded house; hearing nothing about the money collected on the specified morning, the mayor waited on the man of trick, and, in a delicate way, expressed his surprise.
" 'Mr. Mayor, I have distributed the money myself!'
Still more surprised, 'Pray sir, to whom?'
—
'To my own company; none can be poorer'
—
'This is a trick!'
—
'We live, Sir, by tricks.' "
Frost in The lives of the Conjurers, (London, 1881) gives some five pages to a "life" of Breslaw, which is taken largely from his advertisements in the newspapers, and which contains many inaccuracies. Frost claims that Breslaw retired in 1784. This is an error for while he advertised a "Farewell Tour" in 1773 and again in 1784, I find his performances advertised in the Edinburgh Evening Courant of February 20th, 1788, and as this is not designated as a "farewell'', he may have continued some time longer, as he was then only sixty-two years of age. It was only after much troublesome research that I discovered his full name, which was Phillip Breslaw, also that he was born in or near Berlin, Prussia, in 1726; the day and month I have been unable to learn. The date of his death was Monday, May 16th, 1803.
When in Liverpool, I looked up all the old newspaper files in the library, but found only one Liverpool paper bearing date of May, 1803, this was Billings Liverpool Advertiser, and under the obituary notes of the issue of May 23rd I found the following- "Died Monday May 16th, aged 77, A. Pichart, etc. etc.
"Same day at the Bull and Punch Bowl Inn in this town, Mr. Phillip Breslaw, aged 77, well known for his celebrated deceptions, etc." The notice stated that he had been in England 44 years. I then looked over the various registers and records of the old time burial places and churches and found that he had been buried in the parish St. Johns, Liverpool. The place of his death was given as Dale street, and following his name in the space where his profession should have been named, the line was filled by a long dash. The name of the officiating clergyman was Richard Loxman.
It was impossible to locate the grave as the St. John's graveyard has been converted into a sort of garden, and the records in the Surveyor's office in the Municipal Building, where the erection of all tombstones is recorded,Breslaw's name does not appear, so there is nothing left to mark the location of his final resting place.
From the Houdini Collection.
It is evident that Breslaw was a very bold and aggressive conjuror, as he mentions the names of Pinetti and Comus in many of his advertisements.
I cannot give the exact date of the program which is reproduced here, but it was between 1770 and 1780, at which time he was evidently at war with Philip Astley, since he ridicules him by representing him as a hobbyhorse rider and pretended conjuror.
In Astley's book, Natural Magic, which was published in 1785 (the copy in my possession bears that date, but I think it probable that it was written earlier) his object seemed to be to belittle Breslaw.
Breslaw arrived in England about 1759 and we first hear of Astley as a conjurer in 1765, so it is apparent that the men were rivals for mystical fame, and as the figures show that Breslaw was the first in the field, it seems evident that he was the wronged party.
The history of magic and magicians shows many instances where one conjurer has sought to blight the fame of a rival by ridicule, even going so far in some cases as to expose his best tricks and by this, means some of the best effects have become public property. The efforts of the Society of American Magicians to discourage all forms of exposure have been largely responsible for the absence of such display of costly folly at present.
It was the custom in the days of Breslaw, Katterfelto, Boaz and Comus for the wizards to hire large rooms as near as possible to the main thoroughfare of the towns where they worked, and by means of newspaper advertisements, hand bills and, in some cases, the town crier, inform the public of the wonderful deceptions to be witnessed at their grand performances.
(To be continued)
Originally pubished in the M-U-M in Vol. 10, No. 2, (Whole No. 88) in New York, July 1920.
Continued from July
The engraving shown below is the best I have ever seen to illustrate the small quarters occupied by the conjurors of Breslaw's time—All the magic books of early times have frontispieces showing the same conditions, which proves that they invariably worked what is usually called a Store Show in America or a Penny Gaff in England, except that they were on a somewhat better scale.
SEEING.
Date: 1784
After work by John Nixon
Publisher: William Wells
Origin: England, London
Medium: Black and white stipple engraving with etching and period hand color
Dimensions: OH: 9 3/8" x OW: 11 7/8"
Housed at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg
Part of a series on the senses. A magician is shown conjuring up all manner of tricks. In his hand he holds a card presumably taken from a stack on the table, or from the hand of a woman in the audience who seems to have the other half of a deck. A box and cup are also on his table. An audience of men, woman and child have gathered to watch this performance. Behind a curtain to the rear is a helper in a harlequen costume. A candle chandelier hangs over the table, from an ornament in the shape of a crown. The curtains to the rear seem to have various things sketched on them.
As the above engraving was published in 1784, I am under the impression that the magician depicted is Breslaw.
There is no doubt that Breslaw was the first to perform a mind-reading or second-sight act in England but it is quite certain that he did not realize the possibilities of this discovery, for he made only casual mention of it in his advertisements while he featured his Artificial Fireworks, which consisted of different forms of the chromatrope on the magic lantern screen.
From newspaper advertisements and programs in my collection it is possible to trace Breslaw’s movements almost to the time of his death—I first discover him in the Province where he made a reputation which finally brought him to London. The following announcement, which appeared in the London papers at that time, is a good example of Breslaw's style in advertising:
He located at what he advertised as The Great Room, near Pinchbeck's, Cockspur street. This was evidently Christopher Pinchbeck, the inventor of an imitation of gold made from copper, zinc and tin. This alloy still bears the name of Pinchbeck.
In 1780 Breslaw was appearing at the Great Room in Canton street. Haymarket, and a year later at Greenwood Room, in the Haymarket. He was then living at 23 Haymarket. His advertisement of May 30th in this year shows that he was then playing in two places on the same night.
In 1782 he was billed to appear at the Great Room, Panton Street, Haymarket, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and at Mr. Lofts Great Room, late King's Arms Tavern, Cornhill, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
His prices reached as high as five shillings at times, while at others they fell to two shillings per person and in 1773 he added to his announcements that he would "wait on private parties or companies for three Guineas and each person exceeding twelve is to pay five shillings extraordinary, by giving Mr. Breslaw three days notice at the above mentioned place.
During the following three years, 1774, 5 and 6 had added an Italian company of singers and instrumentalists to his program, and during these years he advertised that he and his Italians would wait on private parties, etc. etc.
The following clipping from the Monthly Obituary shows that there was another trickster in Breslaw's company, he was advertised as La Rossignol and his act was sufficiently novel to get him an engagement at Covent Garden!
"Lately, at Snaith near Whitby, the once celebrated Signor Rosignol, whose successful imitations of the notes of singing birds excited universal approbation. He appeared in London about twenty-five years ago, at the celebrated Breslaw's, in Cockspur street, opposite the Haymarket, London. His exhibition consisted of tutored birds. A number of little birds, to the amount (we believe) of twelve or fourteen, being taken from different cages, were placed upon a table, in the presence of the spectators, and there they formed themselves into ranks like a company of soldiers. Small cones of paper, bearing some resemblance to grenadiers' caps, were put upon their heads, and diminutive imitations of muskets made of wood, secured under their left wings. Thus equipped they marched to and fro several times, when a single bird was brought forward, supposed to be a Deserter, and set between six of the musketeers, three in a row, who conducted him from the top to the bottom of the table; on the middle of which a small brass cannon charged with a little gunpowder, had been previously placed; and the deserter was situated in the front of the cannon. His guards then divided, three retiring on one side and three on the other, and he was left standing by himself. Another bird was immediately produced; and a lighted match being put into one of his claws, he hopped boldly on the other to the tail of the cannon, and, applying the match to the priming, discharged the piece without the least appearance of fear or agitation. The moment the explosion took place, the deserter fell down, and lay apparently motionless, like a dead bird; but at the command of his tutor, he rose again. The cages being brought, the feathered soldiers were stripped of their ornaments and returned into them in perfect order. After he had quitted Breslaw, his next performance consisted in counterfeiting the notes of all kinds of singing-birds, when he assumed the name of Rossignol. (Angl. Nightingale,) and appeared on the stage at Covent Garden Theatre, where in addition to his imitation of the birds he executed a Concerto on a fiddle without strings; that is, he made the notes in a wonderful manner with his voice and represented the bowing by drawing a small truncheon backwards and forwards over a stringless violin. His performance was received with great applause, and the success he met with produced many competitors, but none of them equalled him. It was, however, discovered, that the sounds were produced by an instrument concealed in the mouth; and then the trick lost all its reputation.''
Breslaw seems to have played in London successfully for long periods with occasional tours of the Provinces and when business fell off seriously, he would advertise a farewell tour.
(To be continued)
Originally pubished in the M-U-M in Vol. 10, No. 3, (Whole No. 89) in New York, August 1920.
(Concluded)
In 1788 an advertisement in the Edinburgh Courant of February 28th, shows that he did not hesitate to make use of Penetti's name and fame, in fact, it seems to have been his custom to imitate the different magicians who appeared in England; thus, in 1782, he exhibited as original some of Katterfelto's experiments; in 1784 he boldly appropriated Bonlavard's egg dance and in 1793 he liked some of Comus' tricks sufficiently well to add them to his repertoire. On the whole, I gather from the evidence in hand that he was what is known today as a clever showman, and that he turned his cleverness to fairly good account is evinced by the fact that he had an uninterrupted record in England covering nearly forty-four years.
I have found no record of his movements from 1793 till the time of his death ten years later, but that he had dissipated his savings if any, at that time, is shown by the record of his burial at the expense of his masonic brothers.
Frost in The Lives of the Conjurors, tells of the failure of Breslaw to get out of a tight corner as follows: "He once met with defeat, however, from an unexpected quarter. He was exhibiting a mimic swan, which floated on real water and followed his motions, when the bird suddenly became stationary. He approached it more closely, but the swan did not move.
" 'There is a person in the company,' said he, 'who understands the principal upon which this trick is performed, and who is counteracting me. I appeal to the company, whether this is fair; and I beg the gentleman will desist!'
"The trick was performed by magnetism, and the counteracting agency was a magnet in the pocket of Sir Francis Blake Delaval."
Frost also states that Breslaw at one time was guilty of stage exposure, and quotes this from one of his advertisements in 1799. "Breslaw will discover the following deceptions in such a manner, that every person in the company shall be capable of doing them immediately for their amusement. First, to tell any lady or gentleman the card that they fix on, without asking any questions. Second, to make a remarkable piece of money to fly out of any gentleman's hand into a lady's pocket-handkerchief at two yards distance. Third, to change four or five cards in any lady's or gentleman's hand several times into different cards. Fourth, to make a fresh egg fly out of any person's pocket into a box on the table, and immediately to fly back again into the pocket."
Breslaw wrote a book disclosing the secrets of many of his tricks. The title of this book was Breslaw's Last Legacy, and it ran through several editions. Copies of this work are eagerly sought by collectors.
As an advertiser Breslaw set a record that was only exceeded by one conjurer—Katterfelto. He was bold and aggressive in his methods and always kept abreast of the times.
END.
Originally pubished in the M-U-M in Vol. 10, No. 5, (Whole No. 91) in New York, October 1920.
