Born in Brussels on December 20, 1888 - exactly 135 years ago - Clémentine de Vère would go on to become a renowned conjurer in Europe and the USA within a few years!
Clémentine de Vère took the stage name of Ionia, sometimes known as Ionia the Enchantress, and had an excellent mentor in none other than Charles de Vère, the famous 19th-century magician who even had a magic store in Paris!
Ionia was distinguished not only by her grand illusion acts, but also by the magnificent, colorful posters featuring her. While we know that at least twenty different posters once existed, we've only found a dozen or so today. So be on the lookout the next time you visit a flea market!
As well as being a consummate artist, Ionia put the money she earned from her shows to good use in a variety of investments that enabled her to live comfortably for the rest of her life. While she initially settled in Russia, the country's emerging revolution prompted her to return to France, where she opened a Russian-themed restaurant in the heart of Paris: Oussadba. The restaurant remained open for some ten years, before Ionia took a well-deserved retirement in France, where she could reminisce about her glory years.
This emblematic figure of magic, her success and her family's magical heritage make Ionia a complete artist whose life has been chronicled by Charles Greene III in a magnificent book available here: https: //www.ioniasecrets.com
It's tempting to make a link between Ionia, who was born in 1888, and Bénita Anguinet, another female magician with an extraordinary history, who died in 1887. If not a wink, at least a fabulous coincidence, making Ionia the direct and legitimate heiress of Bénita Anguinet!
