Two separate things I was using the Egyptian influence to explain the India influence which I did not go in to. I used taht as a hint as to what to look for in the history books. Then when you dig deeper some interesting stuff pops up

And to throw this out, I have a very large studio photo of Dunninger from 1907 wearing a turban and in appropriate garb. Very rare, other historians have never seen it before.

That's very interesting Joe. Dunninger would have been 15 years old?

Great information about Samri. Thanks! I did find a poster of him from 1870 wearing a turban.

Indeed - he was billing himself as the Child Magician around that time. Just a kid! Never found any evidence of him wearing anything like it as an adult or even going down that path. Though he did tour doing "oriental mysteries" later on in life.

The late 19th and early 20th Century was the end of the days of British Empire. At that time, many in the English speaking world had some contact with or at least some idea of India from literature or from English speakers who had been there. Most children read Kipling. India was seen as a land of mystery and mysticism. Yoga wasn't something housewives practiced in strip mall studios, it was something akin to sorcery in the eye of most westerners. The turban was a natural prop for anyone wanting to appear "mysterious." I don't know who did it first in the context of western mentalism, but it likely goes back to the very beginning.

Indian mysticism and turbans became popular in UK because of Madame Blavatsky and the theosophical movement. Blavatsky's disciples brought that to America. That movement blended into the new thought, spiritualist movement in America. As a result, a lot of 'yogis' starting appearing. The columbian exposition in Chicago also introduced several mahatmas in the Indian exhibitions.