Hendrickson – “The Mystifier”

This throw-out card for Edgar A. Hendrickson is a fine example and has a very interesting design on the back. I do not know which playing card company produced this, but it is a great looking card.

I think we will start off by allowing the reader to view Hendrickson’s short biography that was on the cover of Mahatma magic magazine for August, 1902, together with two images that accompanied the article.

The Mahatma article mentions that he held an office in the S.A.M., but neglected to add that he was a founding member of the society. His S.A.M. number was 17, and his date of membership was May 3, 1902.

In 1897, Hendrickson was working with a partner, Joseph Rosani, who was a juggler. The two of them performed together for a number of years, working both the Chautauqua and Lyceum circuits. Here as an early ad that ran in the Paterson, New Jersey News for November 13, 1897.

Below is an article that was in The Cecil Whig in Elkton, Maryland for December 5, 1905.

I also have found examples of Hendrickson and Rosani’s early advertising, like this pocket mirror and an early ad that may be from one of their brochures.

The reviews of Hendrickson and his magic were not always in glowing terms. The following two articles are from the Conjurers’ Monthly Magazine for January 1908, and then looking back on Hendrickson, from the Billboard for February 2, 1924. Keep in mind, that most performers get bad reviews once in a while.

To end on a positive note, The Sphinx for December 1910 had this to say, “Ed Hendrickson, the Entertainer, works seven days a week. Hendrickson has a big following and stands well in the community. His audiences expect new things of him, and he does not disappoint them. If there is anything new in magical construction, Ed has it”.

Edgar A. Hendrickson passed away on March 1, 1917, at the age of 56 and was buried in Brooklyn, New York.