Professor John Henry Pepper presents
Magic & Mentalism
at the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC
In April and May, Rhett Bryson appeared at the Biltmore House in
Asheville, NC in a series of weekend performances presented as a part
of the Spring Festival of Flowers - Amusements of the Guilded
Age.
Professor Pepper (in a homage to the real Professor Pepper, who
invented the Pepper's Ghost illusion) with the help of spirit guide,
Anton Hebble, attempted several experiments in mentalism. The
performances were done to provide an atmosphere of the types of
entertainments that George Washington Vanderbilt would have provided
for his houseguests in 1901.
These photographs capture some of the moments from Professor
Pepper's act. The performances took place in the basement "Halloween
Room." The fanciful paintings on the walls were the result of the
work of some of Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil's guests while decorating
for a party.
Professor Pepper shows
Anton's pocket watch.
Professor Pepper catches
a ghost in an old witch's cloth.
Professor Pepper shows
the correctly predicted time.
