Hercat

[Mike Covell]

Does anyone have any information on this Magician?
It appears as though he is carrying out a performance of "SHE"
Is this the same "SHE" as the one mentioned by Robert D'Onston Stephenson, who appears in Rider Haggards book "SHE"?

This snippet appears in The News of the World, Sunday October 7th 1888. It is part of a special edition which was featured in the News of the World, November 21st 1999 as a Make A Date With History series.

[smezenen]

Mike,
I havent been able to find out much about this guy he was a British Magician and ventriloquist probaly born in 1843 and died in 1913. I did find a showcard and his picture in a book he wrote, Hercat's Ventriloquist and Ventriloquial Dialogues. Apperently he wrote a few on the subjects of magic and ventriloquism.

[Mike Covell]

Thats great Smezenen.
I found an online theatre stubb, with details about the man, and his show, but haven't actually found a picture of him! Thanks.

[anna]

Hi Mike,

This is of interest to me,as it ties in with something I am researching at the moment...which I gave up on a few months ago
How about...
Hercat the American Illusionist at the Egyptian Hall c 1888..Theatre programme...Egyptian Hall,Piccadilly 1879...1/4 images...
and.........
Hercat the American Illusionist at the Egyptian Hall c 1888 Evan 26 Programme Guide..Open Air Fete,1888..Evan 31 Theatre Programmes..

Both found in earlier days by putting in Hercat-American Illusionist,into Google-there are nice thumbnails you can enlarge,on lots of programme covers...but there are about 300 to go through..I am personally interested in the lower of the above,but haven't found the cover yet-takes discipline!

Best Regards
ANNA.x

[Robert]

At one of his shows, the curtain caught fire and as he was extinguishing the flames the rod fell down and banged his nose, making it bleed.

[Robert]

Just to say that this isn't compare the market.com or compare the meerkat.com but compare the Hercat.com.

[smezenen]

Anna interesting that the information you found say he is american and the website i got one of the 2 pictures from said British.

mis-print?
typo?
Two Hercats?

[anna]

Hi Smezenen,
I can't find any pictures of the programmes,as whenever you click on the link,they aren't there...but
I have had a result!...I worked for some time and have come up with some information that was catalogued to do with one of the programmes for Hercat.
Although,no picture again when I clicked on the link.
But here is what I found...
I typed in "American Illusionists in London in 1888" into Google.
Another link..
Hercat the American Illusionist at the Egyptian Hall 1888,Royal Aquarium and London Crystal Palace Westminster Bazaar,Oxford Street.
I clicked on this and the full catalogue listing came up.
It read....
Pressmark:Evan 16 -(this is the Evanion Catalogue)
Venue:Egyptian Hall
Place:London,Piccadilly.
Title:Programme.Egyptian Hall,London..England's home of Mystery!Hercat,the
eminent American Illusionist,ventriloquist and humorist,assisted by
Miss Fay Rivington.
Mirth!Mystery!Price one penny.(on P.2)
Programme:Overture..Pianoforte-Mr Hubert Delma.
Hercats Magical melange.Le croissance des fleurs veritable.
on p 3-Hercat's ventriloquial entertainment"A cure for the Blues"
Hercat's magical melange(continued) The spirit hand-Hercat's new and startling illusion "The mystery of She".The ashes of Ayesha are burnt in the presence of the audience,when "she" rises from the flames.
Ayesha:Miss Fay Rivington.
Size:22.5cm.
Date 1888
ImprintLondon) Thomas and Denman,Printers,New X,S.E
Notes: A folded sheet-Printed on pink paper- with extracts from articles in
London Newspapers dated September 30th to October 10th,1888.(on p 4)
Genre:Theatre programme.
Subject:Magic tricks,Magicians.
Names:Hercat,Rivington,Fay.Delma,Hubert.

ANNA.
P.S.....Don't know about English,or American,as I can't find any info about him personally so far.

[anna]

Hi all,
Found more on Hercat...
Google in "Hercat the Illusionist"..
The two "results"...both have thumbnail images you can click on to enlarge Hercat programmes.

And books...

Art Latcham Magic Collection....is a special collection of 375 rare magic books and magazines...4 by Hercat.

Hercat....Card Tricks
Hercat....Card Tricks and Conjuring,Up to date.
Hercat....Latest Sleights,Illusions,Mind Reading and Bew card effects...2 Editions.

He appears on a Theatre bill for artists appearing at the
Britannia Hall of Varieties,Eastbourne.
Artists at the New Empire 1896-1900...formerly Britannia Hall of Varieties.
Hercat......on 19-24 October,1896.
(No appearance on the artist listings for 1880-85.)

Also found him in a Magic Annual......
Magicians Annual 1908-9 by Will Goldston.
P.44....How I became a Magician by Hercat.

Strangely enough at this point I jumped a bit,as I realised the magician's featured inside had small linked images on the front cover,and the third one down resembles to me,a young Stephenson...how weird is that!

ANNA.x

[smezenen]

What a mysterious gentleman. I have now found him on a list of irish magicians also. I cant find any basic information about him such as real name, place of birth ECT. I did find one one website that said he was british, born in 1843 and died in 1913. Come to think of it maybe Jack was a magician, he certinaly know how to make himself disapear.

[jmenges]

Hi All,

Hercat's real name was RD Chater (1836-1913). He born in England, spent time in the British Navy and was also a journalist before becoming an illusionist. He may have spent time in America as a young man, as the name RD Chater appears on a passenger list for the Java arriving in New York from Liverpool in 1868. His trick "She" was named after the novel of the same name by H. Rider Haggard.
JM

[jmenges]

Notice Hercat is an anagram of Chater.

JM

[anna]

Oh excellent,thank's for that info JM

According to some old notes I've found..he lived in New York...Brooklyn,Long Island..(According to the New York Times).

I found an article about one of his appearances at the Egyptian Hall in the Marlborough Press a New Zealand newspaper,dated 1889.(where it also states that 23 years prior to that date,he was writing on the Melbourne Press.)

One of his tricks was to make coffee with a few dried beans without the aid of fire or water...supplies milk the same way...and transforms some bran into sugar..then hands the coffee around his audience for them to taste...

What a handy chap to have around.
ANNA.