Anna Eva Fay Pingree - the most mysterious stage mentalist of the last century (6 photos)

An ordinary country girl, Ann Eliza Hitman, born in the outback in 1851, managed not only to become a star, but also to remain a mystery for future generations.





At age 18, Anne moved to Boston and married Henry Melville Fay, an illusionist who was also known as an exposer of other magicians. The husband found his young wife promising, and under the pseudonym Anna Eva Faye began performing in performances that combined ordinary tricks with spiritualism, which was then gaining popularity.



The audience watched in fascination as the girl allegedly fell into a trance and spoke on behalf of the spirits. Additionally, the couple introduced so-called mentalism into the program. The practice these days is quite understandable and based on observation and the ability to instantly draw conclusions. And then it was like real mind reading.





The real highlight of Anna Eva’s program was the number “Joan of Arc,” first shown in 1895. The illusionist, tied hand and foot, was placed in a closed cabinet where various musical instruments were located. After that, their sounds began to be heard from inside, merging into a crazy orchestra. And Anna came out holding ropes with completely intact knots and seals in her hands.

Another famous trick was telekinesis and levitation: the magician made a variety of objects float in the air, from pocket watches and handkerchiefs to pieces of furniture. The audience was delighted that the woman did not perform in the usual otherworldly image - a shapeless black robe, but came on stage in luxurious evening dresses, with a perfect hairstyle, expensive jewelry, joked and smiled.



In 1888, a woman gave a performance in St. Petersburg. The pleasure is not cheap - the ticket price reached 5 rubles, which at that time was the monthly salary of a servant.

The woman finished performing at an advanced age, she was already over 70. And she was immediately criticized by other illusionists. There were dozens of decoy spectators whose thoughts she read. Colleagues exposed performances, including “Joan of Arc,” and mediums who considered themselves real openly called the woman a charlatan.



But she didn't really care about that. She did the almost impossible - she became a millionaire. True, personal life after the death of her husband left a deep wound. The only son, John Fay, a rather mediocre magician, married his mother’s assistant and began promoting his wife under the pseudonym Anna Fay. The mother got angry and accused her son of plagiarism and trying to make money on her name. After another quarrel, the man committed suicide by shooting himself in the heart.



In 1913, during a tour of Britain, a woman became the first honorary lady partner of The Magic Circle in London. Anna died in 1927. Shortly before her death, she revealed the secret of some of her tricks to Harry Houdini. Other numbers, over which modern masters of illusions puzzle, remain controversial and unsolved to this day.