Magician Mystery

In appearance the Magician is best described as a two-thirds sized Original Express. The German firm of Guhl & Harbeck produced the O.E., but were they responsible for the Magician?
In France this same machine was sold with the marque "La Petite Lingère" - literal translation - "The Little Sewing Maid".
The UK Magician was retailed by the National Sewing Machine Co. of Fetter Lane, London (not to be confused with the like-named US concern).

the "Magician"
This woodcut advertisement for the "Magician" dates from 1886.
The British company was fronted by a John Wilson. It seems our Mr Wilson was keener to fly overseas flags than the native one, for his advertisements frequently boasted "no English Machines kept".
One of his biggest selling models was the appropriately named "National Express" - you've guessed it - a rebadged O.E.
The Magician was marketed from the 1880s. Each machine came complete with mahogany stained travelling case, hemmer, guide, screwdriver, oilcan etc.; all for the princely sum of 10s 6d.
The advertising puff pointed out that this was not a toy, but a perfect machine that would do the work of one costing 4 guineas. If the prospective purchaser was still not convinced, there was a 5-year warranty to reassure!
the "Improved Magician"
The "Improved" model still emphasises the domestic status.

By the early 1900s the machine had been replaced by the "Improved Magician". Adverts clearly show this model to be a German made Bremner & Bruckmann's "Original Lilliput". This similarly sized replacement was offered complete with its metal domed lid for the cut down price of 8 shillings.
Today both the Magician and its improved replacement are scarce machines to find, so we can assume that the carefully crafted marketing strategies did not leave the buying public spellbound (ouch!).
So, back to the first question - who made the Magician? Advertising states it to be "the latest American novelty", however I would be inclined to consider this a spurious claim. If I were a betting man, my money would be firmly on German origins.

GD
May 2002


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