On July 27, 1856, Bénita Anguinet opened her magic theater at the Pré Catelan in Paris.
Twenty meters long, seven and a half meters wide and five meters high, this wood and canvas theater welcomed the magician from 1856 to 1858. The theater clearly announces its function with the words "Théâtre de magie" inscribed on its pediment, which the public can read when they arrive in front of this place dedicated to prestidigitation.
It is estimated that this theater, with its fourteen rows of bleachers, could accommodate around 170 spectators. Some rather exceptional period photographs allow us to relive what the spectators could see, with a snapshot of the props Bénita Anguinet presented during her shows. The exhibition includes many of Robert-Houdin's repertoires (l'oranger merveilleux, l'arlequin et sa boite, le carton fantastique, etc.), as well as more atypical tricks such as the Vendôme column trick, in which a chosen card is pulled up to the top of the column.
The Pré Catelan park, home to the magic theater, has unfortunately seen its revenues dwindle from year to year. Bénita Anguinet left the theater in 1858, and a few other magicians took over from there, albeit sparsely. But in the 1860s, the Pré Catelan went bankrupt, and the magic theater became a bicycle shop.
A few years later, at an unknown date, this last vestige of Bénita Anguinet's shows was completely razed to the ground, making this magic theater disappear forever!
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