Blacaman: The Animal Hypnotist Who Cheated Death

If you ever look for old hypnosis posters online, you will likely stumble upon a Blacaman poster as they are reposted on a load of different websites and are usually presented without any context. You would think these posters are a modern parody. However, Blacaman was a real animal hypnotist, and his story is an interesting one that gives us a fun glimpse into the workings of the 1930s circus. Aversa Blacaman was born in Italy and got his start in the European circus, performing mostly in Italy, France, And Germany.

You’ll note that Blacaman is described as a Fakir. A Fakir is “Muslim religious mendicant or a Hindu ascetic or religious mendicant, particularly one who performs feats of endurance or magic.” Fakir magic became very popular during the inter-war period and marked the birth of a more extreme style of stage magic, one that often involved death-defying stunts and acts that would mutilate any normal person who attempted them… read more >