The Magician's Own Book, or, the Whole Art of Conjuring / Being a complete hand-book of parlor magic, and containing over one thousand optical, chemical, mechanical, magnetical, and magical experiments, amusing transmutations, astonishing sleights and subtleties, celebrated card deceptions, ingenious tricks with numbers, curious and entertaining puzzles, together with all the most noted tricks of modern performers.

by George Arnold; Frank Cahill

In Fig. 71, not only the lines of the shepherd's form are curved lines, and, therefore, conducive in a degree to its general pleasing character, but the attitude is formed upon a curved line. This will be perceived clearer by reference to the next figure, (72,) in which, without using a single straight line in the parts of the form, the oddity is attained by making the whole attitude stiff and angular.

The student will find no difficulty in multiplying examples for himself: those given will suffice as hints. We must now proceed to show how comic designs may be made and applied to the slides of magic lanterns. The proper course of procedure is as follows:

Procure a piece of clear common window glass, without specks or scratches; let this be made perfectly clean. Prepare your design, which should be made the exact size you intend it to be painted upon the glass; color it; and when quite dry, place it beneath your slide of glass, to which it might be fastened at the corners by means of a little gum or varnish. Now commence to paint upon the glass an exact fac simile of the design, which, of course, you see clearly enough through the glass.

Common camel's hair brushes will do; those made of sable are, however, much better; but the first will suffice for ordinary purposes.

The colors necessary are what are called silica colors, and are procurable of most artist's color makers.

It will be necessary to let your first colors dry before putting on your shades; and it is desirable not to work in too hot a room, as the nature of the varnish with which you work is to dry very rapidly.

Bear in mind too, that upon glass you cannot wash in a tint. Broad surfaces, such as skies, must be stippled in, as in painting upon ivory.

In originating this paper on "The Magic of Art," the author did not propose to himself to give a complete treatise, but simply to point out, by some very easy processes, at source of amusement and instruction, available to almost every intelligent reader. It is hoped that, in this subject, he has not entirely failed, and that all will find some entertainment from,