10 Famous Female Magicians That Changed History!

Magicians are used to thrilling audiences with their tricks. But for centuries, they were also condemned by the people around them. 

Rather than being admired for their ability to create amazing illusions, magicians were persecuted and imprisoned. Why? Needless to say, their female counterparts had it even worse.

The fact is that there are plenty of female magicians who changed history by protecting the art when few others would dare do so. 

Here are some more points discussed about 10 Famous female magician That Changed History-

1. Marie Antoinette.

The Queen of France, both Louis XVI and Louis XV, was a well known and popular magician. She was known to perform the card trick “Le Reve” in which she hid objects inside a sealed box. 

She was also said to pull disappearing acts in which she swallowed her own fingers and reappeared again.

2. Annabelle.

Annabelle was a famous magician who performed super amazing acts such as showering coins on people’s heads or stepping on top of two chairs at once. 

Two years before her death, Annabelle donned the role of Madame de Pompadour in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical version of “The Phantom of the Opera”.

3. Annie Abbott.

Annie was a perfect match for Houdini and was the only one to ever successfully escape from his infamous Chinese Water Torture Cell. She was also the first woman to be elected as President of the Magician’s Society.

4. Margery Crandon.

The wife of Dr. E. V. Cotta famously claimed that she possessed the power of telekinesis. She claimed that she would levitate a spoon from her hand and move it to another location by remote control.

5. Robert-Houdin.

The father of modern magic, Jean Robert-Houdin was a very controversial magician in Paris both for his political views and his entertainment choices. 

Among other things, he allegedly performed trickery to support Napoléon Bonaparte during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, causing him to even lose a leg at an early age during the battle of Sedan where French met their end in battle against German forces.

6. Maud Crandall.

The only female magician to perform at the New York World’s Fair in 1893, Maud was a favorite of film stars such as Emil Jannings and Ramon Novarro. 

She was also a well known medium in her day and a representative of the Society for Psychical Research.

7. Barbara Gordon.

A close friend of Houdini, Barbara became a famous illusionist with her own series of magic tricks called “The Amazing Lady.” Her most notable act was to appear to walk through solid objects such as wood and glass.

8. Lilian Cooley.

A famous illusionist and friend of Harry Houdini’s, Cooley performed the “Hand in the Bottle” trick. 

Here, she held a bottle inside her hand and pretended to hand it off to someone else. She would then immediately take the bottle and put it back inside her own hand.

9. Suzanne Desprat.

A member of Harpo Harpo’s Magic Circle, Desprat was known for her ability to pass through solid objects such as walls and even passing through a trap door without them collapsing around her.

10. Amada Massey.

A legendary black magician, Massey’s tricks were said to be so powerful that they could make a man sick or even die if he did not believe in her magic. 

She was said to have a friend named “Wizard” who would handle her card manipulations while she did the rest of the magic. 

This supposedly helped her to perform her tricks without anyone suspecting that it was two people doing the magic instead of one.

11. Ruth Vincent.

Vincent is known for her appearance in the 1941 film, “The Devil and Daniel Webster.” She was also one of the most popular magicians in her day that performed her own tricks in a cute American Girl style.

12. Lee Grabel.

One of the oldest professional female magicians around today, Grabel has performed in over 14 countries and is said to have performed with David Copperfield at one point. 

Her famous trick is making a live bird fly from one hand to another without having been seen to have done so by the audience. 

You can get more information about 10 Famous Female Magicians That Changed History from this video shared by MagicRingWizard on Youtube .

13. Houdini.

A magician himself, Harry Houdini was known for his escape act that involved being locked inside of a box that he could not fit through. He performed the same trick on himself in the movie, “The Houdini Imprisonment.”

14. Robert-Houdin – The Father Of Modern Magic

He was a very controversial figure in the 19th Century because of some of his tricks against politics during his time as a magician. His most famous trick was said to be hiding coins on the heads of people participating in card games.