News

The arrival of the new Phantasmagoria exhibit at the MFA provides good reason to mention Richard Balzar’s Peepshows: A Visual History.   This charming book details the history of optical toys such as magic lanterns and peepshows that predated movies, and which created the illusion of images that moved. The devices flourished as popular entertainment in the 18th century.

The MFA exhibit features many items from the late Richard Balzer’s collection. Years ago,  Mr. Balzer presented a fascinating lecture at Magic Art Studio that introduced NEMCA members to his magic lantern collection.  

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The Boston Museum of Fine Arts is sponsoring a special exhibit on The Phantasmagoria now through June 24th.

Phantasmagoria was a form of horror  theater that (among other techniques) used one or more optical devices known as magic lanterns to project frightening images such as skeletons, demons, and ghosts onto walls, smoke, or semi-transparent screens.  The shows started under the guise of actual séances in Germany in the late 18th century, and gained popularity through most of Europe (including Britain) throughout the 19th century.  Learn more about Phantasmagoria at the MFA.

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John Hodgson was interviewed on NPR’s WAMU radio station on his new book, Richard Potter: America’s First Black Celebrity.  The interview is available for free from WAMU and includes excerpts from the Potter book.  

Mr. Hodgson will present on his book in Keene (4/23), Concord(5/5), and Hopinton, NH (6/24). More details..

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Potter & Potter’s Spring Magic Auction, April 28th, 2018, features two recently rediscovered Houdini scrapbooks. The auction also includes Houdiniana in a range of categories, plus a wide offering of magic books, posters, broadsides, ephemera, and vintage magic apparatus. Now you can bid live, online (with a 20% buyer’s premium), at potterauctions.com.