Selbit presenting Sawing a woman in half ( copyright State Victoria Library )

In the 1920s , a new blow was dealt to women through an impressive series of great masochistic and sadistic illusions created by the Englishman , P . T . Selbit ( 1881- 1938 ). He created and designed different ways of harming a partner in a debauchery of machismo .

His most popular trick was The Woman Cut in Half ( 1920 ), which would become the world ' s most famous grand illusion . This is followed by Elastic Lady ( Stretching a girl , 1922 ), The Spiker ( 1923 ), Crushing a woman ( 1923 ), and Stick Rack .

The greatest magicians of the time ( Thurston , Dante , Nicola , Goldin , Carter ...) continue the wonders of perversion . Women are therefore increasingly called upon to " fit into custom-built boxes " to considerably accentuate the illusion of impossibility . Their size and flexibility were two strong factors .

In 1937 , another Englishman , Henry Baines created the effect called Impaled ( Pierced ) where the assistant , placed in a horizontal position , impales herself on the swords vertical tip .

Last but not least , in the 1960s Robert Harbin invented the famous and most used trick after The Woman Cut in Half ( 1921 ), the aptly named Zig-Zag Woman where the partner is cut into three pieces in a vertical box .

26 SPECIAL EDITION | 2021