On this date in 1865, 27-year-old actor Henry Irving achieved his first theatrical hit with a parody of the Davenport Brothers’ spirit séance, in Manchester, England. The Davenports, the gloomy American tricksters who pretended to be spirit mediums, were touring England with their controversial performances. For the Manchester shows, Irving took the part of Ferguson, the shyster Spiritualist who delivered the lecture of spiritual humbug: “Many really sensible and intelligent individuals seem to think that the requirement of darkness seems to infer trickery. So it does!” Irving went on to a spectacular career as Britain’s greatest actor. The Davenports inspired a generation of magicians who found success exposing Spiritualism. These two sullen brothers—for better or worse—taught great magicians the value of real deception.
