Where: New York Library for the Performing Arts
40 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York, NY
Who: All ages
When: Through July 11, 2026
The heyday of magic occurred from around the late 1800s through the mid-1900s. The current exhibit at the New York Library for the Performing Arts, Mystery & Wonder: A Legacy of Golden Age Magicians in New York City, celebrates this period with a particular emphasize on the magicians who inhabited New York City and its environs. The area was, indeed, a mecca of magic at the time.
Most people are, of course, familiar with Harry Houdini, but there were so many other marvelous magicians performing as well. They included female magicians like Beatrice Foster and Dell O'Dell, and at least one married couple, The Zancigs. Other popular magicians of the time included Alexander Hermann, Harry Keller, and Howard Thurston. The latter was a protege of Keller, the father of Belle Foster, and one of Houdini's greatest rivals.
The exhibit was largely taken from the vast collection of the late Dr. Saram R. Ellison, the co-founder of the first professional organization for magicians in the United States, The Society of American Magicians. It includes numerous posters, pictures, scrapbooks, and artifacts. Objects on display include an entire collection of wands. There is also an area of the exhibit where a video of various magicians performing some of their most famous tricks runs in a continuous loop.
Another section of the exhibit is devoted to magic shops. These were not only places to purchase magic equipment and books but places where magicians could convene and confer. The most well-known is Martinka & Company, which was once owned by the great Houdini himself. The company is still in business today.
And that's our view. The exhibit is open during normal library operating hours. For more, visit www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/mystery-and-wonder-legacy-golden-age-magicians-new-york-city
Tune in tomorrow for Theater Thursday.
All pictures used in this post are our own. Any concerns regarding image usage can be addressed here.
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