Novelties, Toys, Games & Jokes

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Index to the ‘Demon Telegraph’, Davenports house magazine

By Michael Colley

Michael Colley’s index will be a boon to any serious researcher who wants to check on relevant material in the Demon Telegraph.
When Davenports first published it in 1933, the content was mainly advertising. It wasn’t until Issue no. 61, when the New Series started in 1942, that more articles were added. There were articles aimed at performing magicians covering tricks, bits of business and performance advice. The series of articles on ‘Old Timers I Have Met’ and ‘Programmes of the Past’ are of especial interest to magic historians.

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Lewis Davenport’s tiny Stanhope Lens

Lewis Davenport had this miniature lens produced showing a publicity postcard drawn in 1930 by George Cooke (who was not the Cooke of Maskelyne and Cooke). The miniature lens fitted into a ring and would have served as a novelty give away. When held very close to the eye, and looking through the lens towards a bright light, the image becomes visible. Details of Stanhope lenses can be found on the web. It is very hard to obtain a photograph of what is seen when you look through the lens. We wish to thank Ken Scott for the very clear image which is illustrated here.

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Funicular built by Gus and John Davenport for their model railway

Gus and John Davenport built an OO gauge model railway in the 1960s. Once built, they tired of watching the trains go round, and so looked for other things to add to the layout. On one side of the layout was a cliff covered in nothing other than clumps of grass on the cliff face. This seemed the ideal spot to build a funicular, and that is what they did. I have included it on this website for personal reasons, and on the basis that a home made funicular is certainly a novelty! A film of the layout made by magician Harry Baron is also in the collection.

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Cufflinks with Queen of Hearts design

John Davenport believes that these were probably owned by his father Gus Davenport. This is a good example of ‘pipitis’, the condition which leads to the purchase of items covered in emblems, such as cards, beloved of many magicians.

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Binkie the bear

Binkie has been in the Davenport family, probably since the 1930s or 1940s. Binkie lived at Ivydene, Lewis and Wynne Davenport’s family home. The photograph shows him sitting on the piano (which came from Maskelyne’s) at Ivydene in 1971 when Wynne Davenport was playing the piano for a young Roy Davenport in the drawing room. Binkie’s arms and legs are jointed and, in his youth, he used to growl. As a young child John Davenport was frightened of him – he was too loud and scary!

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Novelty printed paper coil showing the magician Carlton’s head

Carlton was a successful comedy magician in the early part of the 20th century. This novelty is most unusual in that Carlton’s head has been printed in colour on the flat side of a coil of paper. The round coil is housed in a square cardboard container which has partial openings at the front and back. By moving the picture with thumb and forefinger the coil can be twisted, so distorting the face. This was clearly commissioned from the manufacturer by Davenports because the words on the container are ‘CARLTON. Zetes-Patent. Demon Series No. 45 L. D. London’. According to the illustrated advertisement from a contemporary Davenport catalogue over 30 different designs can be supplied. This might have been true, but now we are only aware of three. The other two do not show magicians. For further information on the other two, go to N1315 and N1316.

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