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Richard Potter (b.1783-d.1835) is credited as the first successful stage magician born in the United States and as the first black magician.

Biography

Reportedly, Potter was the son of an English baronet, Charles Henry Frankland, and an African American woman (some say "slave"). Frankland, however, died years before Potter was born. Church records from Hopkinton, MA, list his father as George Simpson. His mother's name was Dinah, who was a slave on the Frankland estate. Potter went to England around 1798. There is no record of his actual education. He returned to the United States around 1801, probably with John Rannie, a professional magician whom he started out working for as an assistant in 1802.

One of the earliest records of Potter advertising a show was in Boston, November 2nd, 1811 at the Columbian Museum. He advertised his show as, "An Evening's Brush to Sweep Away Care, or a Medley to Please."

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-[[File: KentC.png|right|thumb|200px|[[ Kent Cummins]]]]
-'''Kent Cummins''' is an American magician, juggler, author, teacher, magic historian and founder of the Austin Magic Auction and [[Fantastic Magic Camp]].
-== Biography ==
+[[File: RichardPotter.png|right|thumb|200px|[[ Richard Potter]]]]
-Kent Cummins got an [[A.C. Gilbert Company]] Mysto Magic Exhibition Set from his dad for Christmas in 1949 at the age of six, and declared, “I am going to be a Magician!” Naturally, he called himself, “Mysto.” Kent discovered magic books in the library, and now is proud of his large personal collection of books, magazines, lecture notes, catalogs, and memorabilia related to magic and variety arts at his Fantastic Magic Center in Georgetown, Texas.
+'''Richard Potter''' (b.1783-d.1835) is credited as the first successful stage magician born in the United States and as the first black magician.
-The first magician he saw was [[Blackstone]] Senior, who inspired his love of stage magic. His mentor was Louis Berkie, proprietor of the ELBEE Company and the Fun ‘N Magic Shop in San Antonio, Texas. Berkie gave Kent his first summer job at the age of 14 and took him to his first magic convention, the 1957 IBM Convention in Houston.
+== Biography ==
+Reportedly, Potter was the son of an English baronet, Charles Henry Frankland, and an African American woman (some say "slave"). Frankland, however, died years before Potter was born.  Church records from Hopkinton, MA, list his father as George Simpson.  His mother's name was Dinah, who was a slave on the Frankland estate.  Potter went to England around 1798.  There is no record of his actual education.  He returned to the United States around 1801, probably with [[John Rannie]], a professional magician whom he started out working for as an assistant in 1802.
-Kent’s first public show was in 1952 at the age of nine; his first paid show ($3.00) was the following year. While at Baton Rouge High School, Kent started the HI-Y Club and the Junior Society for Psychical Research (JSPR), and created the “Horror Hop” concept combining spook shows with record hops. While at Louisiana State University, Kent worked at the Checker Fun Shop and started both the Checker Magic Club and the Gordin Theatre Magic Club.
+One of the earliest records of Potter advertising a show was in Boston, November 2nd, 1811 at the Columbian Museum.  He advertised his show as, "An Evening's Brush to Sweep Away Care, or a Medley to Please."
-[[Kent Cummins|Read more about Kent Cummins…]]
+[[Richard Potter|Read more about Richard Potter…]]

Magicpedia:Today's featured article: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 17:27, 1 November 2024

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