Public domain — Miscellaneous Items in High Demand, PPOC, Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons
19th Century / Early Magic
Adelaide Herrmann
1853–1932
Biography
Adelaide Herrmann was one of the most prominent female magicians of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Beginning her career as a dancer and assistant, she married and partnered with the celebrated illusionist Alexander Herrmann and, after his death in 1896, continued the show as its principal performer.
As 'Madame Herrmann' she headlined for decades, mastering both the grand illusions of the Herrmann act and her own specialty of bullet-catching and other danger effects. Her long career made her a trailblazer for women in a field dominated by men and a significant performer in her own right.
Why They Matter
She was one of the first women to achieve major status as a solo stage illusionist during the Vaudeville era.
Supporting Images
Additional Photographs & Ephemera
Performance poster
Public domain — Metropolitan Printing Co.; Herrmann the Great Co., via Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons Source