The Davenport Collection
- a growing resource on magic and entertainment history

1880s letter to Devant from Charles Reynolds of the Reynolds’s Exhibition and Musical Promenade, Liverpool

The letter reads:
Reynolds’s Exhibition and Musical Promenade
St. George’s Place, Lime Street, Liverpool June 26th 1887
Mr. Devant
Dear Sir
You can open here Monday week (July 9th). Is Mr Flynn in London?
Hoping you are well,
I remain, Yours truly, Charles Reynolds

The letter suggests that David Devant had an engagement at Reynolds’s Exhibition and Musical Promenade, Liverpool starting on Monday 9 July 1887. We are grateful to Ian Keable for pointing out that 9 July was a Saturday in 1887, not a Monday. Furthermore, Ian has evidence that Devant definitely was at Reynold’s Exhibition for the week beginning Monday 9 July 1888. So it appears that the correct date of the letter from Reynolds is 26 June 1888.

Reynolds’ establishment opened in 1858 with its main focus on waxworks but, as the decades went by, it moved increasingly towards live entertainment. From 30 November 1887 to 1 February 1888 the Royal American Midgets appeared there. They were General Mite (F.J. Flynn) and his wife, née Millie Edwards. Their lecturer was the young David Devant who also performed magic. Devant’s autobiography, My Magic Life, describes his time at Reynold’s Waxworks with the Royal American Midgets. Charles Reynolds’ letter mentions a Mr Flynn, who could be either General Mite or his father, E.F. Flynn. It’s appropriate, therefore, to illustrate a poster for the Royal American Midgets. This poster, from the Piccadilly Hall in London, belongs to the Wellcome Collection (Credit: General Mite and Millie Edwards, two midgets on exhibition. Colour lithograph. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain Mark.)

Item Details

Year ,
Date 26 June 1888
Theatre
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Category
Ref no N2637 Ep.Other65