biography
| name: |
Maskelyne, John Nevil
|
pronunciation:
[maskelin]
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1839–1917)
|
| biography:
| Magician, born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, SWC England, UK. He trained as a watchmaker, and built ‘magic boxes’ and automata which he used in his entertainments. He joined forces with George Cooke (d.1904) and they appeared together, first at Cheltenham, then at the Crystal Palace, in 1865. In 1873 they leased the Egyptian Hall for three months, but their tenancy lasted for 31 years. Maskelyne then moved his ‘Home of Magic’ to the St George's Hall in 1905, with David Devant (1868–1941) as his partner. He devoted much energy to exposing spiritualistic frauds. |
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