How much do you know about magic? It’s time to see through the illusion! The Magic! exhibit is now open at HMNS. Throughout the run of the exhibit, check back here for exclusive videos and descriptions of the unique items on display from curator Scott Cervine.
“The Girl Without a Middle” has become a classic standard illusion since its invention by P. T. Selbit, an Englishman whose birth name was Percy Tibbles (1879 – 1938). The original version involved a man, not a woman, but it soon featured the fairer sex.
The woman is secured in the cabinet with restraints at neck, arms and legs. The doors are closed and blades inserted at the shoulder level and the waist. When the doors are open, the head and legs are still there and can move, but the middle section is gone. The back of the cabinet behind the missing section is open so the audience can see there are no mirrors or hidden compartments – but the middle is gone!
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| Will Rock’s “The Girl Without A Middle” On display in Magic! through Sept. 6 |
The version on display in the exhibition was owned and used by Will Rock (1907-1995) an American magician who presented a full evening show under the auspices of Howard Thurston (1869 – 1936).
Discover the Magic! exhibition in style at Magic VIP Nite! During this exclusive event, the evening of Mar. 18, view the exhibit at your leisure, see your favorite magic tricks up close with live performances, and enjoy complimentary appetizers and a stocked cash bar. First 250 people receive a magical swag bag. Tickets are limited, so purchase yours today!
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I took my two grandchildren to your magic exhibit on the opening weekend. While I could appreciate some of the historical items and information, my grandchildren (ages 8 and 11) kept asking me, “How did they do that, Grandma?” Having no education on the subject, I had to tell them that I did not know, but maybe we could try to find out at the library next time they visited from their mother’s.
This leads me to my question. Why does the Houston Museum of Natural Science not provide those answers within the exhibit? The subtitle is “The Science of Wonder,” but it had much more wonder than science. The purpose of science is to explain what isn’t obvious to the untrained observer.
The exhibit itself is visually appealing, with a good mix of artifacts, video, and posters. However, there was a part of the exhibit which was a train car that was closed down. On the opening weekend of an exhibit that seems unacceptable.
I have enjoyed previous exhibits at this museum, like Lucy, Body Worlds, and the Nature of Diamonds, but this exhibit fell short of my expectations. To borrow an expression, it left much to the imagination–of both myself and my grandkids.
Sincerely,
Madeline Benoche
Hi Madeline,
Thanks for your comment – and for visiting the exhibit on opening weekend! In answer to your question, we don’t provide the “why” of classic illusions like the cups and balls or the zig zag girl because it would take away many people’s enjoyment and appreciation of it. Many of our magicians have told us that in most cases, the secret is simple – but once you know it, it ruins the experience of that kind magic forever. This is not something we would want to do, especially for kids! And especially since, as you say, most of this information is easily found online.
As with all of our exhibitions, we tried to present the things you can’t find online or anywhere else – the experience of standing in front of the actual historical artifacts used by Houdini and other famous magicians in their performances, combined with the kind of information you can only get from true experts in the field and actual live performances by real magicians.
I’m very sorry to hear that you were disappointed with the exhibit – and that the rail car was not functioning properly at the time of your visit. I hope you’ll consider returning to check out our next exhibition, Archaeopteryx: Icon of Evolution, which is focused entirely on the science of paleontology. If you’d like, I can provide passes to that or any other exhibit you might be interested in seeing.
Best,
Erin
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