Does anyone have access to records of German or Italian Newspapers

[mykinda]

Some German and Italian newspapers here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_online_newspaper_archives

Hi, thanks for your early response. Unfortunately I don't speak / read German or Italian.

[Karen McDonald]

Hi,

I have been looking on & off over the past few days, but I can't find anything, either. 

As far as keywords go, it might be worth trying Entfesselungskünstler, as this is a more direct translation of escapologist.

I simply cannot find anything about an INO or The Great Ino. Very strange.

If we could work out the word before Gardens, it might help. It certainly doesn't look like Winter (Wintergarten would have been a good answer, for this type of act).

The loopy letter in the middle could be an "h", looking at "the" in the same text. And the last letter could be an "s".

I was wondering about Ballhaus, a famous venue in Wedding, a district of Berlin. It was very popular in the 1920s, and the "Hinterhof" (the garden out the back) was used for events. The rents were cheaper for the Hinterhof areas than inside the buildings, so it was common to have events take place in the back yard, as it were.

https://www.ballhauswedding.de/

In the video on the right side, next to Berlins schönster Hinterhof, there are shots of the garden.

However, there is a distinct lack of "ll" in the word in the autograph book. Even if it could be a lower-case "b" at the beginning.

I'll keep working on it...

[Karen McDonald]

P.S.

What is the word between German leader and interested? I would assume it should be "very", but what is the first letter?!

Just to help with identifying individual letters...

He started off writing quite neatly, but the mystery Gardens are very scrawly. 

[mykinda]

P.S.

What is the word between German leader and interested? I would assume it should be "very", but what is the first letter?!

Just to help with identifying individual letters...

He started off writing quite neatly, but the mystery Gardens are very scrawly. 

Hi, thank you very much for having a look at this for me.  I think that the word is 'pretty' as in 'pretty interested'.  I have a big gap in his whereabouts between the 21st Nov 1928 - 31st March 1929 but he may have gone further afield to America or even Australia.

[still_looking]

I didn't suggest the Wintergarten based on the handwritten word. Given the quotation marks I suspect that the word before gardens is something like Peerless or Lawless though I haven't encountered anything similar so far.

Beginning to wonder if newspapers in German are the best approach (unless the original poster knows INO was on tour and where). Considered British newspapers for mention of the performer having recently returned from the continent (to try to narrow down the date), English language magic magazines (e.g. Linking Rings) or their German equivalent (e.g. Die Magie) for passing mentions.

I did find an archive of photos of stage performers at the Wintergarten but sadly the only magic act was an illusionist called Recha.

S_L

[mykinda]

Hi,

I have been looking on & off over the past few days, but I can't find anything, either. 

As far as keywords go, it might be worth trying Entfesselungskünstler, as this is a more direct translation of escapologist.

I simply cannot find anything about an INO or The Great Ino. Very strange.

If we could work out the word before Gardens, it might help. It certainly doesn't look like Winter (Wintergarten would have been a good answer, for this type of act).

The loopy letter in the middle could be an "h", looking at "the" in the same text. And the last letter could be an "s".

I was wondering about Ballhaus, a famous venue in Wedding, a district of Berlin. It was very popular in the 1920s, and the "Hinterhof" (the garden out the back) was used for events. The rents were cheaper for the Hinterhof areas than inside the buildings, so it was common to have events take place in the back yard, as it were.

https://www.ballhauswedding.de/

In the video on the right side, next to Berlins schönster Hinterhof, there are shots of the garden.

However, there is a distinct lack of "ll" in the word in the autograph book. Even if it could be a lower-case "b" at the beginning.

I'll keep working on it...

. I got quite excited about the 'Ballhaus' possibility but the first letter if very different from the capital 'B' in 'Berlin'.  To me it looks more like 'C', or even 'L' if you compare it to the 'l' in 'Leader. I have a big gap in his whereabouts between the 21st Nov 1928 - 31st March 1929 but he may have gone further afield to America or even Australia.

[mykinda]

I didn't suggest the Wintergarten based on the handwritten word. Given the quotation marks I suspect that the word before gardens is something like Peerless or Lawless though I haven't encountered anything similar so far.

Beginning to wonder if newspapers in German are the best approach (unless the original poster knows INO was on tour and where). Considered British newspapers for mention of the performer having recently returned from the continent (to try to narrow down the date), English language magic magazines (e.g. Linking Rings) or their German equivalent (e.g. Die Magie) for passing mentions.

I did find an archive of photos of stage performers at the Wintergarten but sadly the only magic act was an illusionist called Recha.

S_L

.  Hi again.  I take your point entirely and have been searching on 'findmypast' looking for a reference about him having performed or returned from somewhere outside of the UK. I am a magician and have been looking at 'The Stage' for eg but the problem is that INO has gone under the radar. I doubt that anyone reading any of these messages have ever heard of him.  His hey days were 1927 and 1928 then he had the accident - the rope broke - in Apr 1929 and he gave up escapology but stayed with illusions. I know he came back to performing in public because I have a copy of a letter from Brunel White, editor of The World's Fair, to INO; Thomas R Middleton, dated 1938 which talks about illusions that INO has come up with. Cheers, Paul

[still_looking]

Had you already looked at https://askalexander.org ?

There are multiple references to a Tom Middleton in a publication called Abracadabra including the sale of that individual's props after their death.

S_L

[mykinda]

Had you already looked at https://askalexander.org ?

There are multiple references to a Tom Middleton in a publication called Abracadabra including the sale of that individual's props after their death.

S_L

H, S_L, no I haven't. They are both excellent ideas.  Abracadabra was great weekly magic mag. We had a full set in our club but have only just sold the lot.  Paul