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Ellen Emma Armstrong was an American stage magician. She was the only Black woman of the early- to mid-twentieth century to run an independent touring magic show.

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Ellen Emma Armstrong was an American stage magician. She was the only Black woman of the early- to mid-twentieth century to run an independent touring magic show. Carrying on a family tradition, she brought her singular act, full of illusion and humor, to Black audiences in the segregated South and on up to Philadelphia. In 1949, Ellen Armstrong was described as “probably the only Negro woman magician in the U.S. today.”

Ellen was only 6 when she started performing with her father and stepmother, going by the name “Little Zelle,” as they traveled to Black schools and churches along the East Coast, from Key West, Fla., to Philadelphia. Their slogan was “Going fine since 1889.” After her father died and her stepmother retired, she adopted his show and stepped into the lead role, dedicating her life to practicing magic in honor of her father. As a family, and then as a solo act, Ellen performed during the Jim Crow era, a time of legal segregation, sundown towns and lynchings. (There were many sundown towns: all-white communities, neighborhoods, or counties that would only allow Black people during the daytime. This meant that in some areas where performers like Ellen performed, they could host a show but weren’t allowed to stay the night.)

Nevertheless, Ellen persisted. She traveled for the next 30 years, performing for predominantly Black audiences in the U.S. Her shows incorporated humor, coin magic, cartoons, and mentalism. Her touring posters were humorous and light-hearted. She performed in churches, schools and other community venues that connected her intimately with her audience, places that were a refuge for African Americans and integral to Black culture, serving as public squares “that allow for joy, that allow for pleasure, that allow for restoration amidst the climate of injustice.” She continued to practice magic until the 1970s. “She performed until she couldn’t perform anymore. In January 2024, she was posthumously inducted into the Society of American Magician’s Hall of Fame.

She passed away in 1994 at the age of 88. Ellen is celebrated as the only Black female magician who toured solo during the Jim Crow era, bringing joy and wonder to audiences at a time when violent repression was rampant. We can only imagine what it was like to witness Black girl magic during a time when a Black woman magician felt impossible.

Lifespan

1914-1979

Nationality

American

Occupations

Magician

Era

20th Century

Born

1914 Reviewed

Died

1979 Reviewed

Tags

American, 20th Century, Magician

Themes

Arts and Culture, Global History