Does anybody know when dove magic really started or can somebody lead me to a thread regarding the beginnings of dove magic.

Channing Pollock really got the trend started, but its originator I think was actually a Mexican magician if I'm not mistaken. Channing made it popular with the help of national TV and his European Nights movie. Lance Burton gave it a boost in the 80s which spawned a bunch of little Lance clones and Greg Frewin and Jason Byrne really took it into a new direction in the 90s with neon colors and toy like props, which again, spawned a bunch of Jason and Greg clones. Joseph Gabriel and Dimmare helped it along too in the 70s and 80s I'd say too.

Since Channing Pollock was trained by dove workers it would be very difficult to make him the source or even close to it. What he did do was bring it to the attention of the US mass movie market. That was very valuable.

I don't know the source either. But I do know that dove magic was far from rare in the 50s in the USA. By 1963, I owned an agency and dove magicians were very common as were sources of expensive dove props.

Prior to the 50s they would have been booked as animal acts rather than magic acts. Perhaps a review of old AGVA contracts would give a measure of how rare it wasn't. Sideshow history would even tell us more. Researching European animal act history would likely make us feel foolish for asking. We do know that English literature of the 1300-1400s referenced it.

My hunch is that European dove magic is at least 600-900 years old. Middle eastern magic with doves may be thousands of years old. Goose and duck magic is.

Most of the doves we know in magic came from India and predate the USA or the New World. Magic is hardly new to India!

I really don't have any reason to believe that dove magic began after Christopher Columbus got lost. I feel certain that prior to 1066 AD it was in Euroupe as a consequence of the overland routes east developed in the 600s AD.

I think dove from silk is a very, very old trick. Perhaps originating where doves and silk do.

Bob
Magic By Sander

Thanks Mr. Sanders for the comprehensive and historical explanaton of dove magic's orgins.