The Victorian Era saw new possibilities in science, technology, art and performance. Join historian, storyteller and magician David London for an entertaining exploration of some of the many mysteries, wonderful personalities, and unusual demonstrations that captured the imagination of the world at the end of the 19th century. Experience illusions, mind-reading, magic, hypnosis, and the summoning of spirits, while learning about how a changing world brought new ways of seeing and interacting with the unknown.

Presented in conjunction with Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic, and Mediums on view March 15 - July 13, 2025.

About David London:

David has spent over 25 years exploring the intersection of wonder, creativity and play. He has created and presented numerous theatrical magic productions, including Cerebral Sorcery, …Art of Dreams, Magic Outside the Box, and The Tricksters as well as numerous interactive seances, and immersive wonder-based experiences, such as Sensorium and the Winter Festival of Wonders.

David has also served as Director of Operations for the Circus of Wonders, as well as the guest curator for the exhibition Inescapable: The Life and Legacy of Harry Houdini, which toured museums in Baltimore, Atlanta and Milwaukee. For many years, he served as Chief Experience Officer of Baltimore’s Peale Museum, based in the oldest museum building in America, where he also presented HUMBUG: The Great P.T. Barnum Séance and Traveling Museum as well as Time Travel Tours, which utilized a working time machine to transport visitors to Rembrandt Peale’s private studio in the Peale Museum in the year 1818.