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You searched for: More Like: 'Walford Bodie'
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Walford and Albert E. Bodie
2656 This studio portrait shows Walford Bodie, in highland dress, and his son Albert.
Albert Edward Bodie managed his father's career for a number of years and was himself a Royal Society illusionist. He sadly died aged 25 in 1915, leaving a wife and son.
This photograph comes from a family photograph album, originally owned by Annie "Nan" Henry, held by Aberdeen City Libraries. Walford Bodie
2996 In the late-Victorian and Edwardian periods, at the height of music hall variety, Dr Walford Bodie M.D. was one of the most famous and highly paid entertainers in Britain.
He remains an enigmatic and charismatic figure in the history of the North East. Born Samuel Murphy Bodie at 33 George Street, Aberdeen on 11 June 1869, he was the son of a journeyman baker called William Bodie and his wife Margaret and received his education at Robert Gordon's College.
He went on to become a leading showman, hypnotist, ventriloquist, controversial 'bloodless surgeon' and was billed variously as The Electric Wizard, The Modern Miracle Worker of the North, and The Most Remarkable Man on the Earth.
At Aberdeen City Libraries we hold a family photograph album that offers an insight into the life and times of Bodie and his amazing family.
The inscription on this image reads "To Dear Nan with Fondest Love Sam". Jeannie Henry Bodie a.k.a. Princess Rubie
2997 In 1890 the magician Walford Bodie married Jeannie Henry (1869-1931), eldest daughter of David Henry (1839-1903), a road surveyor from Macduff, and Margaret Skene Henry (1843-1912). Jeannie performed with Walford as an illusionist and mind-reader called Princess Rubie until her retirement in 1930.
Jeannie was one of as many of eight daughters and four of them went on to play important parts in the Bodie show. One of her sisters was Annie "Nan" Henry (1880-1970) and this image comes from an album of hers we hold at Aberdeen City Libraries. Isabella Henry as La Belle Electra
2998 Isabella Henry was famous to the theatrical world as La Bella Electra. For a long time she was Walford Bodie's foremost performing assistant.
As part of the act she would have electricity passed through her body to illuminate arc lights in her mouth or to be dramatically emitted from her fingertips.
She also regularly faced death by electric chair. This image comes from an album of her sister, Annie Henry, held by Aberdeen City Libraries.
Isabella also performed as a chorus comedienne under the name Miss Bella Skene, and signed the postcards to her sister as "Lib". Isabella died in Glasgow in 1919 aged 42. Annie "Nan" Henry
2999 Annie "Nan" Henry (1880-1970) was one of the Henry sisters who worked with the magician Walford Bodie.
We hold a photograph album of hers at Aberdeen City Libraries. A handwritten inscription inside the front cover reads "To My Dear Sister 'Nurse Nan', From her loving Sis Loo, With Fondest Love." The inscription is dated 8 April 1912. "Loo" is Louisa Henry (1888-1912).
The album is a large volume, bound in dark green leather. The volume has seen damage over the years and now lacks some of this intriguing covering. Within floral endpapers is around 101 pages each containing approximately three photographs. The images are a mixture of postcards and photographic prints. Most appear to have been sent to Nan Henry while she was living in the Bodie family home in Macduff. Many have signed endearments on front and carry short messages on the reverse.
The life of variety performers was one of perpetual travel and many of the postcards are clearly missives sent back home. The majority of the images are studio portraits but there are also some outdoor scenes and views of home life in MacDuff. While it is difficult to establish exact information, the images look to date primarily from the 1910s with some perhaps reaching into the following two decades. As the album progresses we see new people, uniformed individuals clearly off to World War I and children who are likely to be the next generation of the family. Mary Walford Henry
3001 Mary Walford Henry, who worked for six years as a musical director and performer in the Walford Bodie Show under the name "Mystic Marie". Known as The Real Trilby, in reference to George du Maurier's 1895 scandalous hypnosis based novel, or The Human Marconigraph, Marie's specialism was mental telepathy and by all accounts she was a hugely popular performer. She sadly died aged 21 from tuberculosis in 1906.
This photograph comes from a family photograph album, originally owned by Annie "Nan" Henry, held by Aberdeen City Libraries. Jeannie Bodie
3002 Jeannie, the only daughter of Walford and Jeannie Bodie, died aged only 19 from heart trouble. Her obituary in The Era describes her as an accomplished musician and vocalist. Walford erected a memorial fountain in memory of his daughter in Macduff that still stands today.
This photograph comes from a family photograph album, originally owned by Annie "Nan" Henry, held by Aberdeen City Libraries. Louisa Henry
3003 A studio portrait of Louisa Henry (1888-1912). She was one of the Henry sisters who lived and worked with the magician Walford Bodie.
This photograph comes from a family photograph album, originally owned by Annie "Nan" Henry, held by Aberdeen City Libraries.
A handwritten inscription inside the front cover reads "To My Dear Sister 'Nurse Nan', From her loving Sis Loo, With Fondest Love." The inscription is dated 8 April 1912. "Loo" is most likely Louisa Henry. Albert E. Bodie
3004 Albert E. Bodie was the son of Walford and Jeannie Bodie. He managed his father for a number of years and was a Royal Society illusionist. He sadly died aged 25 in 1915. He left a wife and son.
This photograph comes from a family photograph album, originally owned by Annie "Nan" Henry, held by Aberdeen City Libraries. The Five Graces
3005 A group portrait showing the five Henry sisters: Nan, Jean, Lib, Louie and Kitty.
Kitty is most likely a youthful name for Jeannie Henry (1869-1931) who married Walford Bodie and performed on the stage as Princess Rubie.
This image comes from a family photograph album, originally owned by Annie "Nan" Henry, held by Aberdeen City Libraries. The Henry Sisters
3006 A fantastic group portrait showing the Henry sisters in Highland dress.
The figure on the near left is most likely a youthful Jeannie Henry (1869-1931) who married Walford Bodie and performed on the stage as Princess Rubie. She appears to have been known as Kitty when she was younger.
It is difficult to say for certain but top and bottom right could be Isabella and Mary Walford Henry respectively.
This image comes from a family photograph album, originally owned by Annie "Nan" Henry, held by Aberdeen City Libraries. Aberdeen Theatres: Fun on an Ocean Liner
3391 A group portrait of Dr Walford Bodie and his theatre company during a production called Fun on an Ocean Liner. This was a revue written by Bodie himself and first staged in 1924. It included a number of scenes and promised "gorgeous scenery" and "startling mechanical electrical effects". Bodie played a character called Capt. Waldon and his wife played Lady Henri.
Bodie (1869-1939) is in the centre of the image with the ventriloquist dummy. The woman sat to the right of him is mostly likely his wife Jeannie Henry (1869-1931), eldest daughter of David Henry (1839-1903), a road surveyor from Macduff, and Margaret Skene Henry (1843-1912). Jeannie performed with Walford as an illusionist and mind-reader under the name of Princess Rubie until her retirement in 1930.
Fun on a Ocean Liner was also known as Ocean Frolics and was performed twice nightly at the Palace Theatre in July 1928. It was advertised in the local newspapers as Walford Bodie's "Great Electrical, Musical, Revusical Extravaganza." Aberdeen Theatres: Walford Bodie
3392 A profile photographic portrait of Aberdeen born magician and entertainer, Walford Bodie (1869-1939).
In the late-Victorian and Edwardian periods, at the height of music hall variety, Dr Walford Bodie M.D. was one of the most famous and highly paid entertainers in Britain.
He remains an enigmatic and charismatic figure in the history of the North East. Born Samuel Murphy Bodie at 33 George Street on 11th June 1869, he was the son of a journeyman baker called William Bodie and his wife Margaret and received his education at Robert Gordon's College.
He went on to become a leading showman, hypnotist, ventriloquist, controversial 'bloodless surgeon' and was billed variously as The Electric Wizard, The Modern Miracle Worker of the North, and The Most Remarkable Man on the Earth.
The medical profession questioned his qualifications and right to the title of doctor. He would respond that his qualifications were from the United States, a country at the forefront of medical science, though he once conceded that the M.D. following his name in fact stood for "Merry Devil".
This photograph comes from a family photograph album, originally owned by Annie "Nan" Henry, held by Aberdeen City Libraries. Dr Walford Bodie and Company
256 The front page of a programme for a performance by Walford Bodie at the Britannia Theatre in London. The show is set commence 27th March, 1905. Treasure 120: Walford Bodie
343 In the late-Victorian and Edwardian periods, at the height of music hall variety, Dr Walford Bodie M.D. was one of the most famous and highly paid entertainers in Britain. He remains an enigmatic and charismatic figure in the history of the North East. Born Samuel Murphy Bodie at 33 George Street, Aberdeen on 11 June 1869, he went on to become a leading showman, hypnotist, ventriloquist, controversial 'bloodless surgeon', and was billed variously as The Electric Wizard, The Modern Miracle Worker of the North, and The Most Remarkable Man on Earth.
Our treasure is a photograph album held by Aberdeen City Libraries that offers an insight into the life and times of Bodie and his amazing family. Walford Bodie was for much of his career the headline performer of an extended and shifting company of artists. Members of his family, and in particular those of his wife, often played important roles in the Bodie Show. In 1890 Bodie married Jeannie Henry (1869-1931), who performed with Walford as an illusionist and mind-reader called Princess Rubie, until her retirement in 1930. Jeannie and 3 of her sisters went on to play important parts in the Bodie show. One of her sisters was Annie "Nan" Henry (1880-1970) and it is her album that we now hold in the library.
The album is a large volume, bound in dark green leather. Within floral endpapers there are around 101 pages each containing approximately 3 photographs. The images are a mixture of postcards and photographic prints. Most appear to have been sent to Nan Henry while she was living in the Bodie family home in Macduff. Many have signed endearments on the front and carry short messages on the reverse.
To learn more about this unique character, have a browse in the Treasures from our Collections interactive exhibition. The Bodie Electric Drug Company
395 Macduff magician Walford Bodie signed a lucrative sponsorship deal which saw the creation of The Bodie Electric Drug Company of London and the production of 'Dr Bodie's Famous Electric Liniment' and 'Dr Bodie's Renowned Electric Life Pills', advertised variously as the only sure cure for all manner of conditions. This advert is from the Evening Express of 2nd June 1907. |