Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin

Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin was a French magician. He is widely considered the father of the modern style of conjuring. For a short time, Robert-Houdin worked as a watchmaker. When he accidentally received a book on conjuring he became very interested in the art and began taking lessons from a local amateur magician. When he felt he was ready he moved to Tours and set up a watch making business doing conjuring on the side.

Before him, magicians performed in marketplaces and fairs, but Robert-Houdin performed magic in theatres and private parties. He also chose to wear formal clothes, like those of his audiences. Many magicians today mimic this by wearing tail-coats, though other magicians view this as old-fashioned and believe that they should wear contemporary clothes.

Watch a short French Documentary on Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (featuring his brilliant automatons).

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Learn more about Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin by visiting his Wikipedia entry
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