The Rising Card is a popular category of
magical illusion in which the magician causes randomly selected playing cards to spontaneously rise from the center of a deck. Many variations of this trick exist and are performed widely. The effect can be accomplished using a variety of methods and techniques, ranging from pure sleight of hand to complex electronic and mechanical solutions.
Variations
Magician
Howard Thurston
Howard Thurston (July 20, 1869 – April 13, 1936) was a stage magician from Columbus, Ohio, United States. His childhood was unhappy, and he ran away to join the circus, where his future partner Harry Kellar also performed. Thurston was deeply ...
is attributed with creating a unique take on the Rising Card. As described by
Smithsonian Magazine
''Smithsonian'' is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970.
History
The history of ''Smithsonian'' began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of ''Life'' maga ...
:
One, called the "Rising Card," started with an audience member choosing certain cards, as if for a regular card trick. But expectations turned upside down when Thurston put the deck into a glass goblet. He would then call up certain cards—the king of spades, the ten of clubs—and they would rise two feet in the air, into his hands. The dazzling end was when all 52 cards were thrown, serially, into the audience. One reporter wrote that they fluttered to audience members "like beautiful butterflies."
A similar variation is attributed to magician and inventor Samuel Cox Hooker. This version includes cards rising from the deck and floating in air beneath a glass bell jar. This complex, multi-stage iteration of the Rising Card effect was reenacted by John Gaughan in 2007 and has inspired curiosity and speculation as to the methods behind it.
In his ''Complete Encyclopedia of Magic'',
Joseph Dunninger
Joseph Dunninger (April 28, 1892 – March 9, 1975), known as "The Amazing Dunninger", was one of the most famous and proficient mentalists of all time. He was one of the pioneer performers of magic on radio and television. A debunker of fraudulen ...
shares a number of variations of the Rising Card effect, including ones where the deck of cards is held in the magician's hand, or placed in a wine glass on a table. Magician
Jeff McBride
Jeff McBride (born September 11, 1959), also known as "Magnus", is an American magician and magic instructor. He is known for his sleight of hand skills and specializes in the manipulation of playing cards, coins, and other small objects. His s ...
developed a version of the Rising Card effect where the card rises while the deck is held by a spectator; entitled "Kundalini Rising," McBride's variation links the Rising Card effect to mythology- and religion-themed storytelling.
Methods
Magicians accomplish the Rising Card effect using a variety of methodologies that include both
sleight of hand
Sleight of hand (also known as prestidigitation or ''legerdemain'' ()) refers to fine motor skills when used by performing artists in different art forms to entertain or manipulate. It is closely associated with close-up magic, card magic, card ...
techniques and mechanical solutions involving threads, weights, rubber rollers, elastics, adhesives, electronics, motors, and more.
Historic versions of the Rising Card in particular often involved complex mechanics and automation, similar to clock and watch-making technology, to accomplish the effect.
While some versions of the Rising Card involve complex equipment and carefully prepared decks, other variations can be accomplished using only special hand positions and an unaltered deck of cards.
References
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Card magic