Handkerchiefs have been a part of the magician's arsenal at least since the 1500s but it wasn't until the mid-1800s that handkerchiefs made of silk made their appearance as magical apparatus. The first recorded use of silk handkerchiefs in the literature of magic was by none other than Robert-Houdin for a vanishing handkerchief routine (which also coincided with his invention of the first pull.) The first full routine using silks was performed by de Kolta and written up in Professor Hoffman's Later Magic in 1903. At that point, tricks and routines using silks became a very common part of conjurors' acts.
Volume 1:
Spectral Silk - Daryl
Color Changing Silk - Fielding West
3D Photograph - Henry Evans
Coins Through Silk - Michael Ammar
The Berg Knot - Dai Vernon
Ring on Silk - Paul Wilson
Silken Dream - Dan Harlan
Jumping Knot - Petrick and Mia
Volume 2:
Silk Through Transparent Bag - Henry Evans
Silk Through Silk - Jeff Sheridan
Silk Cut - Karrell Fox
Coin Through Sheer Silk - Petrick and Mia
Sucker Egg and Hanky - Steve Dacri
Color Changing Silk - Dai Vernon
Sympathetic Silks - Paul Potassy
Time Machine - Henry Evans
Silk Through Cup Handle - Bob Read
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