Graupner – Gone But Not Forgotten

An interesting aspect about throw-out cards of magicians of the past is that the card may be the only surviving memento of the performer. When I decided to do some research on this particular magician named Graupner, it became quickly apparent that there wasn’t much to go on except for this simple, yet stylish throw-out card. 

Theodore Graupner was born on March 11, 1870 in Saint Louis, Missouri. From what I have been able to find, it looks like he may have had his ups and downs in his pursuit of being a magician.

In the magic magazine Mahatma for July of 1900, we find the below ad where he wants to sell some of his “Magical Goods”.

However in August of the next year, he has an even bigger ad offering a large amount of goods, and states, “Am going to quit the business”. It does not look good for Graupner.

Moving forward to September, 1904 a small blurb in The Sphinx shows he is back at it in St. Louis. It is hard to give magic up once the bug has bitten.

I found an interesting reference to Graupner from a book entitled Punch and Judy in 19th Century America: A History and Biographical Dictionary by Ryan Howard. Apparently Theodore Graupner was working as the “side show manager, orator, magic, ventriloquism, and fire act” for George W. Hall’s Two Ring Circus, Museum, and Menagerie. There is a quote: “We are in our sixth week of success. Everything is lovely around the show, and we have lost but one night on account of rain”. It looks like this quote was from The New York Clipper from June 14, 1902.

I found several more appearances in The New York Clipper of Graupner working in circus shows, even as far back as 1893. How long Graupner did side show work is anybody’s guess. However, in April, 1917 he ran another ad in The Billboard advertising “Six Side-Show Banners – Used three days: Fire King, Magician, Punch, Ventriloquist, Mind Reader, Snake, and Annex Door: complete with guy ropes, etc. They pack in a large trunk that is used for ticket stand. Price, $30, $10 cash, balance C. O. D. THEO. GRAUPNER, Valley Park, Missouri.”

Outside of these occasional advertisements in which Graupner was selling off his apparatus and effects and a few reports of his circus days, I have been able to find little else concerning his involvement with magic.

Theodore Graupner died on December 27, 1945 at the age of 75. He was buried in St. Charles, Missouri. If it had not been for Graupner’s throw-out card in my collection, it is possible that he might have been completely lost to magic’s history. I for one am glad that he was not.