ADELAIDE HERRMANN (August 11, 1853–February 19, 1932) was a well-known American magician and vaudeville performer billed as the Queen of Magic.
As a young woman, she studied aerial acrobatics and dance.
She began her magic career as assistant to her husband, magician Alexander Herrmann. She toured as a headliner for over 25 years and performed internationally, touring London and Paris. In 1903, she made her Broadway debut at the Circle Theatre.
In a November 2, 1899 article for Broadway Magazine entitled “The World’s Only Woman Magician,” Herrmann stated: “I shall not be content until I am recognized by the public as a leader in my profession, and entirely irrespective of the question of sex. Her “Noah’s Ark” was her greatest vaudevillian hit. At first an ark was shown empty; then buckets of water symbolizing the flood were poured down its chimney. Soon, two cats, one black and one white, climbed from the chimney, while a gangplank emerged over which prowled a parade of dogs in costumes of birds, leopards, lions, tigers, zebras, and elephants. A flock of white doves flew from the windows, and the biblical boat opened to reveal a lounging woman dressed in white.
MAGIC SPELLS
