Magic shows, séances, pantomimes, and circus acts were popular forms of entertainment during the Victorian era, when interest in spiritualism and curiosities from faraway lands was at a peak. The industrial revolution wrought huge changes in society, and people found themselves with more time and money for leisure activities. From Modern Witchery to The Fakirs of Benares, these spectacles were advertised on colorful posters, attracting crowds to stages and fairground tents throughout Britain. Henry Evans (c. 1832–1905), a conjuror and ventriloquist who performed under the stage name Evanion, gathered a large collection of material relating to Victorian entertainment and everyday life. The British Library now owns 5,000 of these items in its Evanion Collection.
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