Harry Kellar

July 11, 1849 - March 10, 1922

As the 19th century turned into the 20th century, America's great magician was Harry Kellar from Erie, Pennsylvania. As a teenager, he worked with The Fakir of Ava, a touring magician; later, Kellar traveled with the Davenport Brothers, who performed a spirit séance act on stage. When Kellar started his own show, he insisted on the most innovative, most beautiful magic from around the world.

At Egyptian Hall in London, he studied the latest innovations and adapted them for his American audiences. Kellar's Levitation of Princess Karnac, his floating lady illusion, was one of his most notable achievements and the envy of all magicians. A bald, smiling wizard who performed with a twinkle in his eye, Harry Kellar became a household name in America and was said to be the inspiration for the character of the Wizard in the book The Wizard of Oz. He retired in 1908, selecting Howard Thurston as his successor to continue his great magic show.