September 10, 2010
By Erica Taylor
Born in 1783, Richard Potter of New Hampshire was said to be the first American and first black credited illusionist and magician in the United States.
With 25 years of experience, Potter was known as a hypnotist, ventriloquist and stage magician. He performed at places like the Columbian Museum in 1811. It was said that Potter could climb a rope outside and disappear before the eyes of his audience. His best trick was "crawling through a log." This was a test of his skills as a ventriloquist and throwing his voice. While outside, he would throw a large "hall of yarn" into the air, and he and his wife climbed up on it and vanished - so legend says.
His other tricks included touching a hot iron with his tongue, walking on flames, dancing on eggs without breaking them and throwing knives. By 1824, Potter was busting up borrowed watches then restoring them in front of the audience. He fried eggs in a hat, swallowed molten lead and climbed into a large oven with raw meat and remained there until it was cooked. He would also pass coins through a table.
Potter was a socialite who held many dinner parties at his 175-acre farm. He would bring in nearly $5,000 for 20 days of work in the early 1800's. he was often requested to perform at the Columbia Musuem because of his amazing illusions with eggs, money, and cards. The scientists often questioned his methods. Even Harry Houdini payed homage to Potter in his popular magazine called Conjure.
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Monday, September 13th 2010 at 8:54AM
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