Been wondering about this for a long time... when did magicians begin using "The Great" as part of their stage name? I know some, like Carter in the 1920s, used it, but when did it all start? Any ideas?

George, you may have noticed that I love research questions! If I don't know it, I have to find it.

Okay, this is tentative, but reflects what I found so far. "The Great," of course was a common title applied to various rulers or other authority figures throughout history (think Alexander the Great), and I suspect it was this tradition that influenced magicians.

My go-to for magic history is usually Christopher's Illustrated History of Magic, so I started there.

The first magician Christopher lists including those words was The Great Wizard of the North, John Henry Anderson, one of the greatest self-promoters in the early history of stage magic. (This would have been the early 19th century.)

But since "The Great" is used in reference to the word "Wizard" rather than the performer, I don't think it qualifies in the way George is using it. What we're probably looking for is an advertising poster using "The Great" as a title.

The first example I've found (so far) is Herrmann the Great. For those unaware, there were multiple Herrmann the Greats (Carl, his brother Alexander, and his nephew
Leon). The Herrmann family was a magic dynasty which included Alexander's wife Adelaide.

It appears from my research that it was Alexander who first used "The Great" in his advertising. I haven't found any earlier references in any of my sources (yet).

That's great, and thank you.

Geez, I've had Christopher's book for a million years but didn't think of going there. Guess I have to pull it out again!