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Owen Clark

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Owen Clark

Cover of Sphinx (Jan. 1913)
BornAlfred Owen Clark
1876
DiedSeptember 22, 1929
London, England

Owen Clark (1876-1929) was one of England's premier magical inventors and magician.

Biography

His forte lay in the invention and the construction of mechanical effects. These included his trick with a candelabra, where candles lighted and extinguished themselves at command, The Dream Of Lady Nicotine, the "The Flunky's Dilemma" illusion and a production of four cannon balls from a cloth.

Under the Maskelyne management he gave some 2,500 performances, his name being a familiar sight on the St. George's Hall bills for many years. Clark also toured for Maskelyne and Devant in Australia and New Zealand.

He often teamed up with his good friend of Oswald Williams condemning plagiarists who copied their ideas.

His final illusion show in 1920 had ten completely new illusions.

A one time member of the Magic Circle, Clark died a victim to pneumonia at the age of 53.

Christopher Brinson's research for a book about Clark, has shown that creations which may be his inventions are: The Botania, The Break-Away Fan, The Sand Card Frame, The Coin Vase and The Coin Stand.

Books

  • Owen Clark: A Genius Forgotten by Christopher Brinson (2010) [1]

References

  1. Genii Magazine, Vol. 74, No. 3, March 2011, Books reviewed by Jamy Ian Swiss – Owen Clark: A Genius Forgotten, by Christopher Brinson, page 89
  • Stanyon's Magic Vol 4, No 9 (June 1904)
  • http://sidlorraine.magicana.com/SidLorraine/Chatterbox/Chatterbox.html
  • Stanyon's Magic, Vol. 4, No. 9, June 1904, Owen Clark, Conjurer and Illusionist, page 1
  • Cover, The Sphinx, Vol. 11, No. 11, January 1913, Owen Clark, page 207
  • The Magic Circular, Vol. 24, No. 269, November 1929, Obituary, Owen Clark, page 25
  • The Magic Wand, Vol. 18, No. 144, December 1929, Obituary, Owen Clark, An Appreciation, by Oswald Williams, page 214
  • The Magic Circular, Vol. 38, No. 425, June-August 1944, Great Magicians I have known - (17) Owen Clark, by Frederic Culpitt, page 18
  • The Magic Circular, Vol. 104, No. 1133, December 2010, Owen Clark – A Genius Forgotten, by Elizabeth Warlock, page 385
  • MCA - Owen … anyone?
  • St George's Hall Behind the Scenes at England's Home of Mystery by Anne Davenport and John Salisse (2001)
  • http://magicpostcards.wordpress.com/2010/10/22/owen-clark/