Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring

by Professor Hoffmann

The Vanishing Gloves.—This is a capital trick with which to commence an entertainment; when coming, as it should do, unannounced, and before the performance proper has commenced, it has an air of improvisation which greatly enhances its effect, and at once awakens the attention of the audience.

The performer comes forward in full evening dress. While saying a few words by way of introduction to his entertainment, he begins to take off his gloves, commencing with that on his right hand. As soon as it is fairly off, he takes it in the right hand, waves the hand with a careless gesture, and the glove is gone. He begins to take off the other, walking as he does so behind his table, whereon his wand is laid. The left hand glove being removed, is rolled up into a ball, and transferred from the right hand to the left, which is immediately closed. The right hand picks up the wand, and with it touches the left, which being slowly opened, the second glove is found to have also disappeared.

The disappearance of the first glove is effected by means of a piece of cord elastic, attached to the back of the waistcoat, and thence passing down the sleeve. This should be of such a length as to allow the glove to be drawn down and put on the hand, and yet to pull it smartly up the sleeve and out of sight when released. It is desirable to have a hem round the wrist of the glove, and to pass the elastic through this like the cord of a bag, as it thereby draws the wrist portion of the glove together, and causes it to offer less hindrance to its passage up the sleeve. Upon taking off the glove, the performer retains it in his hand, and lets it go when he pleases. He must, however, take care to straighten his arm before letting it slip, as otherwise the elastic will remain comparatively slack, and the glove will, instead of disappearing with a flash, dangle ignominiously from the coat-cuff.

The left hand glove is got rid of by palming. The performer, standing behind his table as already mentioned, rolling the glove between his hands, and quickly twisting the fingers inside, so as to bring it into more manageable form, pretends to place it in his left hand, but really palms it in his right. He now lowers the right hand to pick up his wand, and as the hand reaches the table, drops the glove on the servante. He now touches the left hand with the wand, in due course opening the hand and showing that the glove has departed.

Some performers vanish both gloves by means of elastic, one up the right sleeve, the other up the left, but in doing so they offend against one of the cardinal precepts of the art, viz., never to perform the same trick twice in succession by the same means. The audience having seen the manner of the first disappearance, are all on the alert, and are not unlikely on the second occasion to guess the means employed. If, on the other hand, the performer adopts the plan indicated above, the two modes of producing the effect being different, each renders it more difficult to discover the secret of the other.

The Egg-Bag.—This is a very old-fashioned trick, but, if performed with address, is by no means ineffective. It was exhibited in a modified form by the Japanese jugglers who visited London a few years ago. We shall first describe it in the simple form adopted by them, and shall then proceed to explain the older and more elaborate version.

The Japanese egg-bag is about eight inches in depth and six in breadth, and made of alpaca, tammy, or some similar opaque material. Its only peculiarity is that one of its sides is double, the stuff being folded down inwards from the mouth of the bag to about two-thirds of its depth, and stitched at the sides, but left open at its lower edge. The effect of this arrangement is to make a sort of pocket, mouth downwards, inside the bag. If any small article, such as an egg, be placed within the bag, and the bag be turned upside down, the article will not fall out, but will fall into the pocket, which, in the reversed position of the bag, will be mouth upwards. This will enable you to conceal the presence of any article in the bag, as you may turn it upside down, and even inside out, without any fear of the article falling; and so long as you take care to keep the “pocket” side of the bag towards yourself, the spectators have not the least reason for suspecting that the bag is otherwise than empty. The uses to which this little bag may be put are various. Amongst others, it is available either to produce or cause the disappearance of an egg, and may thus, in combination with other apparatus, be made useful for many tricks. We shall content ourselves with describing one only of the modes of using it.

The performer comes forward, having in his hand the bag, in which is beforehand placed a small egg. He turns the bag upside down and inside out, thus proving, to all appearance, that it is perfectly empty. Holding the bag for a moment with his teeth, he pulls back his coat cuffs, to prove that he has nothing concealed in that quarter, taking care as he does so to show clearly that his hands are empty. Taking the bag in his left hand, and imitating (if he can) the clucking of a hen, he dips his right hand into it, and produces an egg (or rather the egg). This he places in his mouth, letting all see that he does so, then making a gesture of swallowing, he again dips his hand in the bag, and produces a second egg, of which he disposes in the same way, repeating the operation until a dozen or more have been apparently produced and swallowed. With the reader’s present knowledge, it is hardly necessary to suggest to him that the egg, though fairly placed in the mouth, is, under cover of the hand, instantly pushed out again with the tongue, and palmed, rendering it a very simple matter to produce (apparently) another egg from the bag. Although so absurdly simple, the trick is effective, and if neatly performed, produces a complete illusion.

The bag which is more generally known as the “egg-bag” is a much larger affair, measuring eighteen to twenty inches in width, by fourteen or fifteen in depth. In its most approved form, one side of the bag is made double, the double side being stitched all round, save for about four inches at one corner of the bottom of the bag. The little opening thus left affords therefore the sole access to the space between the double sides. Between these double sides, and immediately below their upper edge, is stitched a broad band, with a row of a dozen or more little pockets, each capable of holding an egg, end upwards. Each pocket covers about two-thirds of the egg, which is prevented from falling out spontaneously by a little piece of elastic round the edge of the pocket, though it will slip out and fall into the space between the double sides on the slightest pressure being applied to it.

The bag is prepared for use by placing an egg in each of the little pockets we have mentioned. The eggs used are either blown shells or imitation eggs of wood or tin, with one real one for the performer to break as a specimen, and so lead the audience to the belief that all are equally genuine. The bag being brought forward is turned upside down—of course nothing falling from it. The performer then, thrusting his arms down to the bottom, and seizing the bag by the corners inside, turns it inside out, taking care, however, to keep the double side towards himself. Having thus conclusively proved its emptiness, he again brings back the bag to its normal condition, and in the act of doing so, squeezes with his finger and thumb (through the stuff) the genuine egg out of its pocket. It falls into the space between the double sides, and by gently sloping the bag downwards in the direction of the opening at the corner, he brings the egg into the outer bag, whence he produces it, and breaks it to show its genuineness, as already mentioned. Again he turns the bag inside out, shaking and twisting it, and again produces an egg from it as before, repeating the operation until the supply of eggs is exhausted. Sometimes he varies his proceedings by trampling or jumping on the bag, which he lays for that purpose on the floor, with its lower edge towards the audience. The eggs are thus on the side remote from the spectators, and in trampling on the bag it is very easy for the performer to avoid the particular line in which he knows them to be.