Designer: Richard A. Boehlke

Richard Boehlke (Herr Bolke) was an acrobat and magician who created the illusion “Creo” shortly after the turn of the twentieth century. The magician places a solid steel plate on the platform showing traps are not used. Three rods, a female head of plaster, a wig, a long cloak and a tray of theatrical make-up are placed together to form the shape of a woman. Next, the lifeless eyes of the plaster head open, the face becomes animated and begins to smile. The cloak is removed and a living, breathing woman steps down. Many imitated the effect using methods of their own creation including Thurston, Dante, Nicola, Maruice Rooklyn, Mark Wilson, and Harry Blackstone Jr. Thurston renamed his version “The Vampire,” which was also the name of the marketed version by Thayer and Owen.

Guy Jarrett described the effect in his book Jarrett Magic. A description in the book, Greater Magic, and in the Thayer and Hull blueprint plans, were all based on Thurston’s method, which Jarrett criticized as inferior to Boehlke’s original.