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.)
To our knowledge the contents of this partnership agreement have remained confidential until now. The parties to the agreement were J.N. and Nevil Maskelyne (the Maskelynes) and David Devant. Devant was managing partner. The Maskelyne and Cooke Provincial Company made annual tours of Great Britain from 1899 to 1905. The Entertainment Bureau supplied high class entertainments for many years. There is much of interest in the partnership agreement and Anne’s article is a useful summary.
This appears to be part of a larger sheet or brochure because it lists Devant’s entertainments starting with the number 3, Magnetic Mysteries. The illustration of Mr. David Devant and Miss Marion Melville is signed Meisenbach.
This business card sized item is well presented, as befits his target audience. However it is a pity that the programme side of the card has been printed out of true.
This impressive advertising is to promote Devant’s ‘Brilliant and highly refined drawing-room entertainment’. The excellent portrait photographs, signed Meisenbach, show Devant and his young wife. Today we know that they were not actually married at this time.
The front page advertises Devant’s Delightful Delusions and mentions that his inclusive terms start at one guinea. Pages 2 and 4 are blank, but page 3, also illustrated here, is full of Opinions of the Press.
One side of this advertisement, which is printed on thin card, has an eye catching illustration, including a roundel showing Devant’s head in the top left corner. The other side is headed ‘A HIGHLY-REFINED DRAWING-ROOM ENTERTAINMENT. PROGRAMME.’ Details are given of Devant’s repertoire: Prestidigitation, Hand shadows, Paper puzzles. Mental phenomena and Illusions.
This charming presentation signed by the members of the company accompanied the gift of a Dressing Case. Research in recent decades has pointed towards their daughter Vida Mary Heather being adopted by the Devants. This might explain the wording ‘congratulations on the recent advent of your daughter’. There is no mention of the birth of Vida.
These two items were stored together by Maskelynes, with a brass paper fastener attaching them by the top left corner. This explains the holes in the top left corners. The information gives the tour venues and confirms that the show usually spent a week at each venue. The financial summary gives a breakdown of costs for each venue and the average receipts and expenses for the whole tour. The images included here show both sides of the Tour List and the single-sided financial summary.
The postcard shows ‘The Artist’s Dream’. This postcard idea was used again when Devant opened at St. George’s Hall, but then the reverse of the card carried a ‘Wish you were here’ message.
These two items were stored together by Maskelynes, with a brass paper fastener attaching them by the top left corner. This explains the holes in the top left corners. The information gives the tour venues and confirms that the show usually spent a week at each venue. The financial summary gives a breakdown of costs for each venue and the average receipts and expenses for the whole tour. The tour usually followed the pre-printed tour dates and venues, but there were exceptions. The images included here show both sides of the Tour List and the single-sided financial summary.
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