I'm trying to trace the history of the effect where the magician takes a rose from his coat lapel and changes it to a silk. So far the earliest mention I could find of the effect Is a sleight-of-hand "FLOWER TO SILK" by Milbourne Christopher in the October 1946 issue of _The Conjuror's Magazine_. Can anyone provide more historical information, including the first gimmicked version of the effect sold by dealers?
Thanks!

----- Amado "Sonny" Narvaez

Abbott's was selling them in 1940. See below ad from The Sphinx Vol. 39 No. 9 page 235 November 1940. The catalog mentioned would be Abbott's Magic Catalog #6. Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of that one in my library to see original listing.



Regarding history, there was a common trick earlier than this where a flower was made to appear in the button-hole of the magicians coat. Then a silk would be produced from the center of this flower (the flower would remain in button-hole...it was a production not a transformation). So it may be that this production morphed into the rose to silk.

Good luck on your search!

It orginated in Germany. I believe it was Conradi but I would have to check my old catalogs. You might even find a reference in Hugard's Silk Magic. I am pretty confident it was not invented by Percy Abbott and made much earlier than 1940.