Thomas Tobin

[Joe Mckay]

I have been learning a lot about illusions over the past few weeks. It has been great fun.

My area of expertise is close-up magic, so this has all been new to me. In close-up magic - there are certain creative geniuses who somehow seem to have slipped through the cracks of magic history. Despite a cornucopia of offbeat ideas, they are often overlooked by other magicians.

Bob Hummer, Charles Jordan and Winston Freer come to mind. I guess Theodore Deland can be added to that list as well. Although I will have to wait for the upcoming Kaufman book to more fully appreciate his genius. And to be honest - I am still waiting for the upcoming(?) Dr. Gene Matsurra book on Winston Freer to really understand his contributions to magic as well.

With the likes of Bob Hummer and Charles Jordan - you will find them to be incredibly rich thinkers. No matter how much you study their work - there always seems to be some new twist buried away for you to uncover. Every time I study their work - I seem to find something new and fresh that I did not notice before.

What does this have to do with illusions?

Well - it seems to me that a similar trio in the history of illusions would be Guy Jarrett, Charles Morritt... and Thomas Tobin.

So - let's talk about Thomas Tobin. He introduced a new principle to the design of illusions.

The use of mirrors.

Recently his grave (which had been lost) was found and there was a ceremony carried out to mark his contributions to magic. It was hosted by Lance Burton and you can read about it here:

https://insiderlouisville.com/lifestyle_culture/arts-and-entertainment/lost-for-150-years-unsung-genius-of-magic-found-in-cave-hill-cemetery/

It took place on March 22nd, earlier this year. You can watch a video of the Broken Wand Ceremony here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J2EJ1k4Md4

Back in 2005 - the guys over at the Los Angeles Conference on Magic History put together a performance of a lost trick of Tobin's called Palingenesia.

https://geniimagazine.com/wiki/index.php?title=Palingenesia

It was performed by Neil Patrick Harris. He was supported by Jonathan Levit (in a non-speaking role). It is amazing seeing a gifted actor perform an illusion. It is so rare in magic to see somebody with world class acting chops deliver a piece of theatrical magic. It is a real treat to see magic delivered this well.

You can watch a video of the performance here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QczBQIWkJbQ

The real magic here is seeing Neil Patrick Harris go from eccentric to mad in the space of just a few minutes.

You can read about the work that went into this recreation in the September, 2006 issue of Genii Magazine.

When reading the article above - I found a fun fact. Thomas Tobin invented a classic puzzle that went viral over a hundred years ago. You can see a video explaining the solution here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EY8zIP5vNA

I only recently gained my yellow belt in illusions - so I don't have much more to add just now.

[Joe Mckay]

I am watching the Broken Wand Ceremony now.

It is introduced by Lance Burton and is followed by an excellent talk by Jim Steinmeyer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J2EJ1k4Md4