P. T. Selbit

P. T. Selbit was a highly influential English magician, inventor, and writer.

Born Percy Thomas Tibbles in 1881 in Hampstead, London, he became a central figure in early 20th-century magic. He was known for his entrepreneurial instinct and his ability to create successful stage illusions. Selbit did not just perform magic; he also worked as a journalist for theatrical papers. He edited a trade journal for magicians and wrote several instructional handbooks. His stage name, Selbit, was a creative invention. He created it by spelling his surname backwards and removing one letter. This clever branding helped him establish a unique identity in the competitive world of entertainment.

Selbit's early interest in magic began during his apprenticeship as a silversmith. He would sneak into a basement leased to a magician named Charles Morritt. There, he studied new tricks while Morritt was away. This early period of self-directed study shaped his inventive career. Between 1902 and 1908, he performed under the name Joad Heteb. To appeal to audiences seeking exotic entertainment, he wore greasepaint, robes, and a wig. This persona reflected his desire to constantly innovate to keep audiences interested. He later moved into more complex illusions, such as "Spirit Paintings" in 1910. In that act, pictures in specific artistic styles appeared on illuminated canvases after audience members named an artist.

One of Selbit's most famous mechanical illusions involved a large model of a cheese wheel. This trick, called "The Mighty Cheese," used a gyroscope to create a surprising effect. A gyroscope is a device that helps an object maintain its orientation or balance. When audience members tried to tip over the massive circular wheel, they found it impossible to move. Selbit also worked with prominent magicians John Nevil Maskelyne and David Devant. He toured music halls and American vaudeville presenting illusions like the "Window of a Haunted House." He also introduced a "Walking through a Wall" illusion at St. George's Hall in 1914. This specific illusion relied on a trapdoor located underneath the wall to allow movement.

Selbit is most famously recognized for pioneering the illusion of sawing a woman in half.

While some suggest the idea might have ancient origins or written descriptions from 1858, Selbit was the first to perform it on a public stage. He debuted the act at the Finsbury Park Empire in London on January 17, 1921. The mechanism involved a female assistant entering a wooden box similar to a coffin. She was secured with ropes around her wrists, ankles, and neck. The box was then placed horizontally, and Selbit used a large hand saw to cut through the middle. The audience believed the saw would strike the assistant's waist. However, when the box was opened, the assistant was revealed to be completely unharmed.

This illusion had an immense impact on the magic industry and the public psyche. The success of the act was partly due to the era's social changes following the First World War. By 1920, audiences were moving away from older styles of magic toward more shocking performances. The illusion also changed the role of assistants in magic shows. In the Victorian era, bulky clothing often meant magicians used male assistants for confined spaces. By 1920, changing fashions made it possible and desirable to feature female assistants. This created a new entertainment fashion where the image of a woman in peril became a common theme.

Selbit's success also led to intense professional rivalries and legal disputes. An American magician named Horace Goldin developed a version of the sawing trick using a large buzzsaw. When Selbit traveled to America, he found that Goldin had already registered many titles for similar acts. This forced Selbit to bill his performance as "The Divided Woman," which lacked the same dramatic impact. Selbit attempted to sue Goldin for stealing his idea, but the court ruled the illusions were sufficiently different. He also faced a famous dispute with the legendary magician Harry Houdini. Houdini had performed a wall-walking illusion in 1914, and friends of Selbit claimed Houdini had seen and copied Selbit's London performance. Houdini denied this, claiming he had purchased the rights from an owner named Sidney Josolyne.

Despite these challenges, Selbit continued to invent many other ingenious illusions. He created works such as "Girl/Man without a Middle," "Through the Eye of a Needle," and "Stretching a Girl." He even helped fund the legal defense of his former mentor, Charles Morritt, in 1928. Although none of these later inventions reached the massive fame of his sawing illusion, they demonstrated his lasting creativity. The sawing illusion itself has seen many revivals, including a 1990s homage by Paul Daniels. Daniels performed the trick in its original style, including Selbit's later development of using glass panes. Selbit's legacy remains as a figure who fundamentally shaped the look and feel of modern stage magic.