Fred Harcourt

Fred Harcourt
Born	1867 Manchester
Died	January 12, 1906 Glasgow
Resting place	Manchester

Fred Harcourt (1867-1906) was a British magician, a skilled card performer and illusionist, of Jewish heritage. He is associated with the "Mysterious Lilith: illusion in which his wife, Lillian Warren, was placed in a trance to render her "lighter than air" and floated in mid-air while Harcourt passed a hoop around her.

Biography

Harcourt, performed in 1875 when eight years old as "The Boy Magician" at the Free Trade Hall. He was at the Empire Theatre, London, in 1901 and in the following year made a professional tour in Australia, India, and Ceylon.

Harcourt was able to boomerang cards and catch them on their return, then repeating with two cards in the air simultaneously. .

Hardeen reported in the September 1907 issue of Conjurers' Magazine that his widow was still performing her late husband's signature levitation, "Lillith."

Rameses (1876 - 1930) purchased Harcourt's effects from his widow sometime around 1908.

Program

In Programmes of Magicians by J.F. Burroughs, his effects were listed as:

• Single-handed production of four billiard balls.
• Various sleights with an egg.
• Throwing and catching a la boomerang and manipulation of cards.
• The sensational cards, portraits, and frame trick.
• The diminishing cards.
• The decanter of water and ink trick.
• Canaries passed from a small cage into a larger one. (Small cage was wrapped in tissue paper, the paper then being set on fire, showing that the birds had vanished from cage.)
• The Conradi flying lamp illusion.
• Large ball rolling up and down an inclined plank at command.
• Spring balls, glass casket, canister and cages.
• Coil of ribbon produced from bottom of one of the cages.
• Two large flags on staffs produced from ribbon.
• Illusions:
  • The Mysterious Lilieth.
  • The flying lady in a dark chamber.
  • Sapho, the American bungalow cabinet.
  • Aga, the floating lady.