Thursday 15 August 2019

Pagan Eye: Stage Enchantress at Smoke and Mirrors

Here's a picture of a 1915 poster advertising a female stage illusionist called Raymond Enchantress. I really love this image, which is currently on show as part of the Smoke and Mirrors: The Psychology of Magic exhibition at the Wellcome Collection. This is what the label next to it says:
It is unusual for a woman to be the principle figure on a magic poster. Around the feet of this unidentified enchantress swirl letters from those seeking answers to questions about their futures. 
The information on the label also suggests that the artwork was possibly adapted from a poster originally advertising another stage magician.

Smoke and Mirrors is mainly on the theme of what conjuring tells us about the human mind. It is about psychology and deception, so generally offers a view of how stage illusions can fool us. The  Wellcome Collection is at 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE. Entry to the collection and to the Smoke and Mirrors exhibition is free, just turn up during open times before 15 September.

On each Pagan Eye post, I show a photo that I find interesting, with a few words about it. I'm not quite sure what I'll be including - it could be a seasonal image, a pagan site, an event, or just a pretty picture.

If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to badwitch1234@gmail.com Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself and you must confirm that you are submitting it for A Bad Witch's Blog.

Links and previous related posts:
https://wellcomecollection.org/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/06/pagan-eye-ouija-board-at-smoke-and.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/07/smoke-mirrors-psychic-games-magic.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2019/05/pagan-eye-kabuki-cat-witch-at-manga.html

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