Psycho was an automaton created by

John Nevil Maskelyne John Nevil Maskelyne (22 December 183918 May 1917) was an English stage magician and inventor of the pay toilet, along with other Victorian-era devices. He worked with magicians George Alfred Cooke and David Devant, and many of his illusions a ...

with the assistance of John Algernon Clarke and first shown to audiences at The Egyptian Hall, London, in January 1875. Psycho, fashioned to look like a miniature Indian man, sat cross-legged on a wooden chest. The chest sat on a clear glass cylinder. Under his hand was a rack for thirteen playing cards. The wooden chest he sat on, would be opened and shown that it was much too small to conceal a person. Psycho would play a game of

Whist Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was widely played in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although the rules are simple, there is scope for strategic play. History Whist is a descendant of the 16th-century game of ''trump'' ...

by moving his hand along the rack of cards in front of him, lifting a card and handing it to Maskelyne. It was much debated in the press about whether it was a pure mechanical invention or not. Psycho gave his last performance in 1910 and it was then donated to the London Museum by the Maskelyne family in 1934. In 1878, Harry Kellar visited England and had a copy Maskelyne's whist-playing automaton made by Alfred La Mare. Other unauthorized copies of Psycho were made for the likes of Dr Cramer, Ludwig Haselmayer, Charles Arbre and Mr Everett. In 1919 Kellar gave his "Psycho" to

Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...

. When Houdini died, Bess Houdini passed the Psycho to Joseph Dunninger who then passed it to Henry Muller.

John Gaughan John Gaughan (born 1940) is an American manufacturer of magic acts and equipment for magicians based in Los Angeles, California. His style of work is classic, not based heavily on machinery and technology. Great illusionists have noted his work, su ...

purchased this version of Psycho from Muller and restored it to full working order. This now resides in his private museum in Los Angeles. A third known surviving example of Psycho which was made by Hamley's in 1882 was restored by

Scott Penrose Scott Penrose (born 1969 in Essex) is an English magician and magic consultant and is the son of magician John Penrose. Penrose is a former President of The Magic Circle having been proposed for the post by Paul Daniels. He is Honorary Vice Pres ...

and is performed occasionally.

References

{{Reflist 1875 works Automata (mechanical)