Josef P. Freud (also known as Joseffy) (3 March 1873 – 26 May 1946) was a
Viennese Viennese may refer to:
* Vienna, the capital of Austria
* Viennese people, List of people from Vienna
* Viennese German, the German dialect spoken in Vienna
* Viennese classicism
* Viennese coffee house, an eating establishment and part of Viennese ...
magician.
Life
Joseffy came to the United States of America at the age of 19 where he worked at a Chicago Magic Store, building props and
illusions
An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people.
Illusions may ...
. He invented a self-contained, no-thread version of The Rising Cards that astounded magicians of his day.
One of his mechanical creations was "Balsamo, the
Living Skull".
Joseffy was a performer at
Coney Island
Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...
as the
Chautauqua
Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...
&
Lyceum
The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Basic science and some introduction to ...
headliner, and also played violin. He eventually stopped performing and became an electrical engineer.
Literature
* ''The Marvelous Creations of Joseffy'' by
David Abbott (1908)
* ''Joseffy'' by
Carl Sandburg
Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg w ...
(1910)
See also
*
List of magicians
This is a list of magicians/illusionists, prestidigitators, mentalists, escapologists, and other practitioners of stage magic. For the list of supernatural magicians, see List of occultists.
Magicians are listed by the most common name used in ...
*
Card magic
Card manipulation, commonly known as card magic, is the branch of magic that deals with creating effects using sleight of hand techniques involving playing cards. Card manipulation is often used in magical performances, especially in close-up, ...
References
External links
*
Chautauqua & Lyceum Magicians
Austrian magicians
1873 births
1946 deaths
Card magic
Austrian vaudeville performers
American vaudeville performers
Entertainers from Vienna
Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States
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