Fred Coop was a photographer with a studio in London.
Other Ephemera
This section includes all types of ephemera other than Posters & Showcards and Programmes & Handbills.
The collection is particularly rich in ephemera relating to the Davenports, the Maskelynes and Will Goldston.
According to the card, the invitation is to a meeting ‘to discuss matters of great importance to all Concert Artistes and Entertainers’.
![An annoucement from Innes and [Henry] Bate concerning the end of their partnership](https://www.davenportcollection.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/N-3234.-Ep.Other101.jpg)
The Innes and Bate partnership operated from 36 Goldstone Villas in Hove. They had a photographic studio there. Note that the letterhead also mentions that conjuring and other entertainments were provided. These would have been provided by Henry Bate. By 1903 Bate was also busy providing illusions for David Devant.
Bate wrote this letter to Devant on old notepaper from the 1890s when he was known as Harry Bate, MYSTIFICATEUR. It confirms that Bate supplied conjuring apparatus to the wholesale and retail trade as well as providing entertainments and lessons in sleight of hand.
Henry Bate, Devant’s illusion builder, is writing to Devant in Aberdeen about a box trick. Devant had to return it to Bate because of a problem, which Bate says he has now resolved. A transcript of the first page is: Dear Mr Devant, Box duly arrived, you were quite right, the awful jerking on Rail had simply misplaced a part of the mechanism, nothing was either broken or out of order. I have placed with other papers, in Box, a full explanation of what occurred and the means taken to prevent it in future. I hope you will understand exactly what I mean. I feel certain everything is quite safe now. I want you to examine . . .
Henry Bate, David Devant’s illusion builder, charged him for work on the Barrel Illusion which Bate had to ship to Glasgow. At the time Devant was performing in Glasgow with the Maskelyne and Cooke Mysteries Provincial Company. Note the wide range of business activities listed by Bate in the top left corner of his letterhead.
The style of this well produced blue and gold brochure shows that Besoni is aiming at private shows for wealthy clients. Starting in 1914, Besoni performed many times at St George’s Hall under the Maskelyne banner.
The show involves performing, explaining and exposing many of the stunts performed by named magicians or spiritualists. This gives Berend an excuse for highlighting Maskelyne and Cooke at the Egyptian Hall in London, although his performance has nothing to do with them. No doubt he hoped that use of their names would result in larger audience numbers. With the silk advertisement and the considerable ticket prices, it is clear that Berend was trying to appeal to the better off in Jamaica.
This is a well produced compilation of press opinions on their act of New Psychological Experiments which formed part of the Maskelyne and Cooke shows at the Egyptian Hall.
This is a high quality brochure which includes useful information about their act, as well as a drawing by Ralph Cleaver dated 1893. A search on this website for Mons Alban and Mdlle Stella will include some Maskelyne and Cooke Egyptian Hall programmes where they are on the bill.
This is a good example of the popular style of advertisement in which the performer’s name – in this case Dr Lynn – is featured many times. The same style was used by Maskelyne and Cooke at the Egyptian Hall, for example see N1476.
It was in 1875 that Dr Lynn invited Buatier de Kolta to perform in some of the slots he had at the Egyptian Hall. This was de Kolta’s introduction to London. At the time, Dr Lynn performed in the Large Hall. Subsequently, J.N. Maskelyne took the lease on the Large Hall.