One of the most important women in the history of magic is returning to the spotlight tonight.
On October 5, 2026, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is hosting a special program devoted to legendary magician Adelaide Herrmann, once celebrated around the world as the “Queen of Magic.”
The event, titled “Memoirs of a Magic Queen: Restoring Adelaide Herrmann's Lost Legacy,” features magician, historian and author Margaret B. Steele, who has spent decades researching Herrmann's extraordinary life.
The program coincides with Steele's new book, Queen of Magic: The Wondrous, Unstoppable Adelaide Herrmann.
For students of magic history, it's another important step in restoring a magician whose fame once rivaled some of the biggest names of magic's Golden Age.
Who Was Adelaide Herrmann?
Born in 1853, Adelaide Herrmann became one of the most celebrated female magicians of her era.
She originally performed alongside her husband, legendary magician Alexander Herrmann, known around the world as Herrmann the Great.
Together they presented spectacular magic during an era when elaborate stage illusion shows were among the biggest forms of popular entertainment.
But Adelaide's story didn't end when her husband died.
It entered an entirely new chapter.
Widowed at 43, Adelaide stepped into the starring role herself.
Instead of disappearing from the stage or remaining someone's assistant, she became the headlining magician.
For approximately three more decades, audiences knew her as the Queen of Magic.
Bullet Catches, Cannonballs and Grand Illusions
Adelaide Herrmann wasn't presenting a timid magic act.
Her performances included spectacular illusions and dangerous feats.
Among the most famous was the Bullet Catch, one of the most notorious effects in the history of magic.
She also performed as a human cannonball and presented the large-scale illusions audiences expected from the great touring magic productions of the era.
Her career ultimately spanned nearly six decades.
And yet, as the generations passed, much of Adelaide's story faded from popular memory.
The Mystery of a Lost Memoir
Perhaps the most fascinating part of the story happened after her performing career.
Adelaide had been working to preserve the Herrmann legacy by writing her memoir.
She was reportedly close to completing it when she died in 1932 at the age of 78.
Then something extraordinary happened.
The manuscript disappeared.
For decades, the firsthand story of one of magic's most important performers was essentially lost.
Then, in 2010, the missing memoir resurfaced.
Its discovery helped spark renewed interest in Adelaide Herrmann and provided historians with an invaluable window into her life and the Golden Age of Magic.
Margaret Steele Helps Restore the Queen of Magic
Magician and historian Margaret B. Steele has spent approximately 25 years researching and collecting material connected to Herrmann.
Her new edition expands Adelaide's story with historical material including newspaper and magazine articles, correspondence, interviews and more than 100 rare images.
Tonight's presentation at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts will go beyond simply discussing the book.
The program is scheduled to include an illustrated presentation, magic performances, rarely seen Herrmann memorabilia and a book signing.
It's fitting that an entertainer who once commanded enormous audiences is once again receiving attention more than 90 years after her death.
Giving Adelaide Herrmann Her Place in Magic History
Magic history is filled with performers whose names were once famous but slowly disappeared as generations changed.
Adelaide Herrmann deserves better.
She wasn't merely the wife of a famous magician.
She wasn't simply an assistant.
When circumstances forced her to decide what came next, she became the star.
She carried the Herrmann name forward, headlined her own performances and demonstrated that a woman could command the same stages and present the same spectacular magic traditionally associated with male illusionists.
Tonight's event isn't simply about remembering an old magician.
It's about restoring an important piece of magic history.
More than a century after audiences watched her perform seemingly impossible feats, Adelaide Herrmann—the Queen of Magic—is still finding her way back into the spotlight.
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