Who was Harry Kellar?

Harry Kellar (1849–1922) was an American stage magician from Erie, Pennsylvania, born Heinrich Keller. He started as a boy assistant to a travelling magician, worked with the Davenport Brothers and Fay, then toured with his own show. He became known for a levitation illusion, retired in 1908 with Howard Thurston as his successor, and was often called the “Dean of American Magicians.”

Who was Harry Kellar?

Harry Kellar was born Heinrich Keller on 11 July 1849 in Erie, Pennsylvania. Wikipedia and Britannica both give that date and place, the bookseller Lybrary.com gives the same date, and PBS’s American Experience also gives his birth name and Erie, 1849. Britannica lists “Keller” as another spelling of his name.

He died in Los Angeles in 1922. Britannica and Lybrary.com give the date as 10 March 1922, as does the summary box on Wikipedia’s page. The body of the same Wikipedia article gives 3 March, so you may see both dates.

How did he get started in magic?

Kellar learned his trade on the road. Wikipedia says he saw a performance by a travelling magician billed as “The Fakir of Ava,” the stage name of Isaiah Harris Hughes, and was hired at the age of 12. PBS says he tracked down the “Fakir” and became his assistant. Britannica gives the same story in fewer words: from age 12 to 18, Kellar learned magic while travelling as an assistant to I. H. Hughes.

Who were the Davenport Brothers and Fay?

In 1869, both Wikipedia and PBS say, Kellar took a job with “The Davenport Brothers and Fay.” Wikipedia names the group as Ira Erastus Davenport, William Henry Davenport and William Fay, and describes the Davenports as stage spiritualists. Our free ebook The Secrets of Stage Conjuring by Robert-Houdin has a chapter on the Davenport brothers that examines their performance and their spirit cabinet.

PBS says Kellar worked with them for several years, first as an assistant and later as business manager. By 1873 he had set out to tour on his own: PBS says he struck out on his own again that year, taking Fay with him, and Wikipedia dates the start of his tour through Central and South America to 1873.

Where did he tour?

Far and wide. PBS lists Canada, Mexico and South America among his travels, and Wikipedia describes more than one “world tour.” Kellar wrote about these years himself in A Magician’s Tour, whose contents, as listed by Lybrary.com, include chapters such as “Triumphal Tour through Mexico” and “Through South America.” Our sources differ on when it was first published: Lybrary.com gives a first edition of 1886, while Wikipedia dates it 1890.

What illusion was he known for?

Lybrary.com says he is best known for his version of the Levitation, “in which a girl mysteriously rises up from a couch.” Wikipedia names the illusion as the “Levitation of Princess Karnac,” and Britannica shows a poster with the same title, dated 1894.

We won’t explain how it was done. Like most grand illusions, its mystery is part of what makes it worth seeing.

How did Howard Thurston become his successor?

Kellar retired in 1908 and handed his show on to Howard Thurston. Wikipedia says he “retired in 1908, and allowed Howard Thurston to be his successor,” and Britannica says that in 1908 Kellar “publicly turned his show over to his successor, Howard Thurston.” Lybrary.com and PBS describe the same handover. Read more about Thurston in our profile, Who was Howard Thurston?

Were Kellar and Houdini friends?

Yes. Wikipedia says Kellar was often visited by other magicians, notably Harry Houdini. PBS says Houdini became a frequent guest at Kellar’s estate in Los Angeles and that the two men “shared a strong bond of friendship in Kellar’s later years.” Both sources say Houdini later coaxed Kellar back onto the stage for one more big show. PBS describes it as a benefit, and Wikipedia places it in 1917. For more on Houdini, read Who was Harry Houdini?

Why was he called the Dean of American Magicians?

Wikipedia says he was often referred to as the “Dean of American Magicians,” and Lybrary.com uses the same title. Britannica words it a little differently, calling him the “dean of magic.”

What helps you take it further?

• The Secrets of Stage Conjuring by Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, translated by Professor Hoffmann (1881). A free, complete 263-page PDF on stage illusions, with a chapter on the feats of the Davenport brothers and their spirit cabinet.
• Howard Thurston’s Card Tricks by Howard Thurston (1901). A free, complete 44-page PDF of the card system from Kellar’s successor, including the back palm and his rising cards.
• Vernon Chronicles Volume 4 by Keith Burns and Bruce Cervon. A 326-page ebook of Dai Vernon’s life in his own stories, with a chapter titled “Harry Kellar and Thurston.”

See all our free ebooks, and our profiles of John Nevil Maskelyne and Chung Ling Soo.

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