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George Stillwell
| George Stillwell | |
| Born | George Edwin Stillwell circa 1874 Kentucky |
|---|---|
| Died | 1934 |
| Categories | Books by George Stillwell |
George Stillwell (c.1874-1934) was known as the Handkerchief King for his Handkerchief Manipulation Act.[1]
Biography
Stillwell first presented his Handkerchief Manipulation Act in Philadelphia at the Kornig's Casino. Finding it well received, he protected it in the United States, and showed it at all the leading vaudeville theaters in 1896 and then later in Europe.[2]
He created a handkerchief ball gimmick for his act, what became to be known as the "Stillwell Ball". The principle of the thumb loop is used by many magicians today.
Stillwell performed with the Thurston show in Australia around 1905[3] By 1907 Sphinx was reporting him in still in South Australia[4] In 1909, he was supervising the Magical Department within Alberts' Music Store in Sydney, Australia.
In 1917, there was an ad in Will Goldston's Magazine of Magic (January 1917) stating "TAKE NOTICE Mr. GEORGE STILLWELL, Please write to your sister STELLA (DOWNEY), who is in America, as soon as possible." Stillwell was recorded performing in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in 1918[5]
Whaley's Who's Who in Magic lists his date of death as 1934.
Books
- Stillwell's Handkerchief Manipulation Act (1902), MUM, February 1956, page 421.
References