Talamas

Tip toeing through the “T’s” in my collection, I came upon an interesting card that was both visually arresting as well as somewhat unique in size. With such a wonderful smile and jaunty pose, I just had to find out more about Talamas, the phenomenal manipulator. 

 

Thanks to a one-page June 1941 article The Sphinx, by Keith Clark, we know that
this native French magician was born in Saint Etienne in 1889. His natal name (with a nod to Dr. Eddie Dawes) was Charles Leger. He left school early to work for a leading manufacturer of firearms and bicycles. Hopefully they were not used in conjunction with each other. What really captured this young man’s attention were the many conjurors who appeared in his town, a great steel center in the country and dubbed “The Pittsburgh of France.”

 
When very young, Talamas ran away from home to follow Chevalier Ernest Thorn with whom he traveled for some time until his father had the police bring him home. This didn’t last long before he left home again and took up the life of a mountebank conjuror traveling from town to town with his box of tricks. He traveled the width and breadth of France as well as through Belgium and into Italy. These were the days of T. Nelson Downs, Welsh Miller, Clement de Lion, L’Homme Masque, Houdini and other magicians which fueled Talamas’ growing interest.

Cards were always his favorite and according to Clark, after Camille Gaultier witnessed Talamas’ first performance at the Alhambra Theater on September 15, 1922, he rushed back stage to congratulate him. He later called Talamas, “the most perfect exponent” of card manipulation and flourishes that he had ever seen.

Camille Gaultier

Talamas’ idols were Alan Shaw, Chung Ling Soo and Horace Goldin. Between World Wars, he played movie houses, theaters, circuses, music halls, and other venues. He never appeared in England, confining his performances to the continent. He disdained promoting himself and preferred to let his artistry in magic speak for itself.

The first mention we have of Talamas is in the January 1911 issue of “L’Illusionniste” where it notes that he is performing in his home town. Entertainment trades like Billboard and World’s Fair followed his career throughout the 1930s. And, magic trades like the Linking Ring and The Sphinx also noted his appearances. 

 In June 1929, he appeared at the annual conjurors Spring Fair in Paris. In September 1934 he was at the Casino des Fleurs in Vichy. In May 1935 he appeared at the Casino Municipal in Nice. By that December he was at the Eden Music Hall in his home town. August 1936 found him back at the Casino des Fleurs again. December of that year he was at the Petit Casino in France. In 1937, Talamas appeared doing sleight-of-hand at Amar’s Nouveau Cirque in Paris.

Casino des Fleurs

He was an expert at a manipulative move called the “Dart Forward” or the spreading of a pack of cards along the arm, tossing them up in the air and catching them without dropping any. His skill at this was noted in Victor Farelli’s “Card Magic.” Apparently he could perform this with cards spread on both arms and tossed up simultaneously. Keith Clark also included some of his manipulations in his cigarette booklets.

So, is the Talamas card a true scaling card? I don’t know. It’s certainly printed on heavy cardboard stock, has playing card pips on it, features his picture early in his career, but it does not feature a playing card back. The reverse side features only type which proclaims him, “The World-Famous Card Manipulator.” It notes him "Performing Before The World's King Monarchs and Potentates." His manipulations were modern and pure dexterity and he could be reached at 23, Rue Ste-Appoline, Paris (2e). 

Talamas

The card is larger than most such cards measuring 3.5” x 3”, a half-inch shy of square. I have not been able to determine when he passed away. If anyone can provide additional information it would be appreciated. 

Tom