Psycho

Psycho was an Automaton created by John Nevil Maskelyne first shown to audiences in January of 1875.

Psycho looked like a miniature man, dressed in Hindu garb with an turban. He sat cross-legged on a wooden chest. The chest sat up on a clear glass cylinder. Under his hand was a rack for thirteen playing cards. The wooden chest he sat on, would be opened and shown that it was much too small to conceal a person.

Psycho would by a card game of whist by moving his hand along the rack of cards in from of him, lifting a card and handing it to Maskelyne to play.

Maskelyne filled the Egyptian Hall theater presenting Psycho and it was much debated in the press about whether it was a pure mechanical invention or not. By September 2nd 1878, Psycho had already given 2,000 performances.

References

• Professor Hoffmann's Modern Magic, Chapter IV.
• Hiding the Elephant By Jim Steinmeyer