At a time when the Fédération Française des Artistes Prestidigitateurs (FFAP) is revamping its visual identity and name, we thought it would be interesting to look back at the history of this federation... which wasn't always one!
It all began in 1903, when theAssociation Syndicale des Artistes Prestidigitateurs (ASAP) was founded under the presidency of Agosta Meynier (1861-1942). Meynier headed the association until 1928, when he was replaced by Henri Maurier (1865-1949).
Following this change of presidency, Agosta Meynier decided to create his own Syndicat International des Artistes Prestidigitateurs (SIAP).
Still evolving on its own, ASAP saw its president change in 1941. It was no longer Henri Maurier at the helm, but Doctor Jules Dhotel.
In 1944, SIAP and ASAP reconciled, finally merging to form AFAP(Association Française des Artistes Prestidigitateurs). Jules Dhotel was appointed president of this newly-created association.
It wasn't until 2004, when Guy Lamelot transformed the association into a federation, that AFAP became FFAP: the Fédération Française des Artistes Prestidigitateurs.
In 2024, the federation should see further changes to both its logo and its name, swapping FFAP for FFAM for the Fédération Française des Arts Magiques. With a lively debate taking place in the magical community about this change, only time will tell whether the federation will change its name once again, or whether it will remain FFAP for some time to come!
If you like these kinds of anecdotes, feel free to browse our blog, or check out our history of magic books, which are packed with them!