Or Spirit Photograph!

The only post indicated after a Google search is in the card trick game. lol

This seems like a self working card trick with exception of a force.

Initially this post was made in another thread relating to the actual book I found it in; however, I've had no luck in locating a complete description of this effect. Please help if anyone is familiar with this effect? As a side note Denis Behr's archive indicates only envelope and cards are used.

Over a year ago, upon reading every page possible in “The Lost Notebooks of John Northern Hilliard,” I stumbled across and started implementing some of the great concepts and ideas contained within.

Apparently a particular effect (effect # 74 in The Lost Notebooks) most interesting “The Photograph Card” is Al Baker’s version of a Frank Ducrot routine. A version (if anyone who has this book could please verify) can be found in the “Secret Ways of Al Baker,” reflecting the alternate title above.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to make out the complete effect.

To start, it’s something with an envelope (I imagine a small brown pay envelope not an oversized white letter envelope??), showing a small blank (on both sides) piece of paper (80lb card stock perhaps) and inserting it into the envelope. A playing card is selected and when the paper inside the envelope is shown once again the face of the selection has now been magically reproduced on this miniature paper.

There’s also something with initials going on here; initials of participant, initials of the playing card, etc.??

Does anyone know the significance of the initials and are you suppose to actually be writing on the envelope when you also make the secret notations via c**** p**** in small corner on paper or not?

Any and all help will be appreciated.

Best regards,

MW

P.S. There is also an effect in Tarbell Volume 5 though I believe it utilizes photographic paper and may be a different effect completely.

Merlin,


Basically, the effect is that a small blank square of paper is placed in an envelope, a card is selected and when the envelope is opened, there is a miniature version of the card found on the previously shown blank paper.

There are three versions of this effect in The Secret Ways of Al Baker:

Psychic Photography, page 730, Psychic Photography Improved, page 731 and Latest Psychic Photography, pp. 731-732.

Regular letter envelopes are used in all three versions. Miniature photos of playing cards are also used in all three versions.

The Latest Psychic Photography utilizes the c***** p**** in a corner of the envelope and involves the initials of the spectator.


Brian

Brian,

Thank you for providing this information.

Do you have a reference in regards to the last effect you mentioned “Latest Psychic Photography?”

Also, when initialing… the back of the paper (I’m guessing?), through the envelope, what’s the cover? Perhaps a nail writer or an actual pencil used in guise of really writing something on the envelope – a message, phrase, word, etc. “TOP SECRET” (that’s nice), hmm the magicians initials (may be too close to actual method though), maybe even a picture?

Thank you,

MW

Merlin,


I have already provided the reference. Read my post again.

The spectator's initials are written on the blank paper initially inserted in the envelope. Then, the envelope is also used to record the initials. All of this is done in the open with a pencil.


Brian

MW,

For what it's worth, Bert Allerton performed a similar effect in which an aspirin tin was used as a tiny camera. An image of a card appears on a piece of blank photographic paper that had been previously initialed by the spectator. You can find a description of the effect in Robert Parrish's book on Allerton's magic called The Close-up Magician. Additionally, Eugene Burger describes his handling of the Allerton aspirin tin in The Performance of Close-up Magic.

Aspirin tins are a thing of the past, but small candy tins are in style and readily available. Perhaps someday, some enterprising soul will look into creating a personalized tin for use in his magic act.

Oh I see gotcha. Thanks again Brian for your input.

Lots of room for different presentation ideas; you are anyone else have experience performing this particular effect?

Barry, thank you, Bert & Eugene’s work cannot be forgotten.
You saying that reminded me of Thomas & Helge’s effect in, “The Book,” Instant Camera Card.

There was also a spirit photography effect involving a coin and a piece of photographic paper that changes to the card.