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One of the best magic showmen in history,
this Scotsman billed himself as The Wizard of
the North. Anderson was not only a very good magician (he made a specialty
of the Bullet Catch, and
was perhaps the first magician to make a feature of pulling a rabbit
from a hat) but an outstanding show promoter as well. He frequently
advertised his show by plastering each city with elaborate posters
and staging grand parades that included marchers carrying banners
proclaiming "Anderson Is Coming!". He was also known to
paint these words on the actual pavement, providing advertisement
that lasted long after his show was over.
He
toured internationally for decades with a very elaborate and
successful stage show. Interestingly, he was forced to cancel a tour
of the Southern United States during the Civil War- because he was
billed as being from the "North".
His broadsides are very
collectible today. He is the subject of numerous biographies, including The
Great Wizard of the North by Constance Pole Bayer, the great-granddaughter of
this remarkable magic personality.
The Anderson family
was also very much involved in show business. His wives Hannah and
Angeline (Leona); sons John Henry Jr., Oscar, and Philip (Prentice);
daughters Alice and Helena, nieces Margaret (Nellie) and Isabella
Jean (Bella); and even mistresses Antonia (Louisa) and Miss Prentice
all performed with the Anderson illusion show.
John Henry Anderson
is buried in St. Nicholas Churchyard in Aberdeen, Scotland.
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