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Greenland Unicorns and the Magical Alicorn

- September 19, 2019 in alicorn, cabinet of curiosities, caspar bartholin, Featured Articles, folklore, greenland, iceland, magic, narwhals, ole worm, Religion, Myth & Legend, Science & Medicine, thomas bartholin, unicorn horns, unicorns, wunderkammer

When the existence of unicorns, and the curative powers of the horns ascribed to them, began to be questioned, one Danish physician pushed back through curious means — by reframing the unicorn as an aquatic creature of the northern seas. Natalie Lawrence on a fascinating convergence of established folklore, nascent science, and pharmaceutical economy.

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The Astrologer of the Nineteenth Century (1825)

- October 23, 2018 in astrology, geomancy, ghosts, magic, necromancy, occult, spirits

Guide to astrology and the occult by the mysterious “Raphael”.

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The Magic Roses (1906)

- June 2, 2016 in early film, early special effects, floral, flowers, Georges Méliès, magic, magician, roses, Segundo Chomón, trick film

A film by the pioneering Spanish film director, cinematographer and screenwriter Segundo Chomón.

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The Magic Roses (1906)

- June 2, 2016 in early film, early special effects, floral, flowers, Georges Méliès, magic, magician, roses, Segundo Chomón, trick film

A film by the pioneering Spanish film director, cinematographer and screenwriter Segundo Chomón.

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The Magic Roses (1906)

- June 2, 2016 in early film, early special effects, floral, flowers, Georges Méliès, magic, magician, roses, Segundo Chomón, trick film

A film by the pioneering Spanish film director, cinematographer and screenwriter Segundo Chomón.

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The Key of Hell: an 18th-Century Manual on Black Magic

- October 29, 2015 in black magic, cyprianus, magic, magician, occult, sorcery

Images from the Claris Inferni or "The Key of Hell", a late-18th-century book on black magic.

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The Key of Hell: an 18th-Century Manual on Black Magic

- October 29, 2015 in black magic, cyprianus, magic, magician, occult, sorcery

Images from the Claris Inferni or "The Key of Hell", a late-18th-century book on black magic.

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Harry Kellar’s Show Posters

- October 22, 2015 in harry kellar, illusion, magic, magician, posters

A series of wonderful promotional posters to accompany the shows of Harry Kellar, an American magician of the late 19th and early 20th century.

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Harry Kellar’s Show Posters

- October 22, 2015 in harry kellar, illusion, magic, magician, posters

A series of wonderful promotional posters to accompany the shows of Harry Kellar, an American magician of the late 19th and early 20th century.

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The Expositor, or Many Mysteries Unravelled – including that of the Learned Pig (1805)

- August 19, 2014 in animals, domesticated animals, illusion, learned pig, magic, pig of knowledge, pinchbeck, sapient pig, tricks

A wonderful book amounting to something akin to an early 19th-century version of the Masked Magician, in which the reality behind various tricks and illusions of the day are exposed, including that of the Learned Pig.

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