Bamberg Magical Dynasty
The Bamberg Magical Dynasty was a Dutch family tradition of magicians, illusionists, actors, and stage performers spanning six generations.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
The Bamberg Magical Dynasty was a Dutch family of performers whose name became associated with professional magic across approximately six generations. The family’s activities extended from alchemical and illusionistic experiments in the eighteenth century to public magic, royal performances, international touring, stage illusion, shadowgraphy, and the manufacture of magic apparatus. The family’s documented professional line lasted for roughly 165 years, from the eighteenth into the twentieth century. The tradition began with Jasper Bamberg, who was described as an alchemist and necromancer rather than a professional magician. His experiments with chemistry, the philosopher’s stone, and attempts to simulate supernatural effects used techniques such as smoke, mirrors, hidden magic lanterns, and projected images. These experiments established an early connection between the Bamberg name and theatrical presentations of apparent supernatural phenomena. Jasper’s son Eliaser Bamberg became the first professional magician in the family. After losing a leg while serving as a gunner in the Dutch navy, Eliaser incorporated a hollow wooden leg into his act, using it as a concealment device. He performed sleight of hand, cups and balls, card and coin effects, and productions and vanishings involving live animals. His performances took place in streets, taverns, public squares, and private homes of wealthy patrons. He also maintained a collection of automata, some of which influenced or passed into the work of other magicians. David Leendert Bamberg expanded the family’s reputation during the nineteenth century. He assisted his father from childhood, developed a color-changing clay pipe effect, and introduced his own version of the egg-bag routine, including the production of multiple eggs and a live hen. In 1843 he was appointed court mechanician, a historical title used for a court magician, to William II of the Netherlands. The family subsequently maintained close links with the Dutch royal household, with several members receiving court appointments or performing for royalty. The next generations combined magic with scholarship, acting, mimicry, public speaking, and multilingual performance. Tobias Bamberg was known for sleight of hand and a coin routine called Boomerang Coins. His son David Tobias, generally known as Papa Bamberg, began as an actor and public speaker before turning to magic after seeing the illusionist Compars Herrmann. Papa toured locations including Java, Sumatra, and Ceylon and performed at the Dutch royal palace. Theo Bamberg, who performed under the name Okito, became one of the family’s best-known performers. He appeared before the Dutch royal family as a child, toured internationally, and developed or popularized apparatus and routines including the Okito box, a floating-ball presentation, a bowl-of-water production, and the Sofa trick. His stage identity drew on East Asian costume and imagery, initially using a kimono and later Chinese-style robes. After retiring in Chicago, he produced magic props for the dealer Joe Berg. Theo’s son David Tobias Bamberg achieved international recognition under the stage name Fu Manchu. He appeared publicly from childhood, worked for a period with the telepathist Julius Zancig, developed a comedy shadowgraph act, assisted the Great Raymond, and eventually created and toured with his own illusion show. His career connected the older family tradition with modern international stage entertainment. David’s son Robert did not become a professional magician, bringing the professional performing line of the Bamberg dynasty to an end. The Bamberg legacy is therefore best understood not as a conventional commercial brand or incorporated business, but as a hereditary performance tradition. Its significance lies in the continuity of theatrical magic, the transmission of routines and apparatus between generations, royal patronage, and the international careers of Okito and Fu Manchu.
History
The Bamberg family’s documented performance history began with Jasper Bamberg, who lived from 1698 to 1780. Jasper was associated with alchemy and necromancy and used early theatrical devices to create supernatural-looking effects. His methods included smoke screens, mirrors, and concealed magic lanterns that projected images into darkened spaces. Although he was not identified as a professional magician, these experiments provided an early foundation for the family’s later engagement with illusion. Eliaser Bamberg, born in Leyden in 1760, became the first professional magician in the family. During the wars following the French Revolution, he was drafted into the Dutch navy. A powder-keg explosion severely injured one of his legs, which was later amputated. He incorporated a hollow wooden replacement leg into his performances, using it to conceal objects. This distinctive technique contributed to his nickname, Le Diable boiteux. His repertoire included cups and balls, cards, coins, and the disappearance and reappearance of frogs and fish. He performed in public spaces and for private patrons and owned mechanical automata that remained connected with the family’s material tradition. Eliaser’s son David Leendert Bamberg, born in 1787, began assisting him at the age of nine. David developed a color-changing clay pipe trick and created a notable version of the egg-bag routine, producing numerous eggs and eventually a live hen. His career brought the family into the orbit of the Dutch court. In 1843, he became court mechanician to William II of the Netherlands and was also favored by Prince Frederick. David died in Amsterdam in 1869. His eldest son Tobias continued the profession. Tobias was a multilingual performer and scholar whose act included quick sleight of hand. His Boomerang Coins effect involved counting coins onto a tray, transferring them to a spectator, apparently vanishing selected coins, and causing them to return. Tobias and his son David Tobias performed for William II, and Tobias also received the court-mechanician honor. He died in 1870, shortly after his father. David Tobias Bamberg, later known as Papa Bamberg, was born in 1843. He initially worked as an actor, mimic, and public speaker. After witnessing Compars Herrmann perform, he committed himself to professional magic. His first performance was given in Rotterdam in 1866. He toured parts of Southeast and South Asia, including Java, Sumatra, and Ceylon, before returning to perform at the Dutch royal palace. In 1870 he received the court-mechanician designation. He continued touring and performing for royalty, including a tour with his son in 1907, until his death in 1914. Theo Bamberg, born Tobias Bamberg in 1875, became internationally known as Okito. He appeared at the Dutch royal palace with his father at the age of eleven for Princess Wilhelmina’s birthday. His childhood performance impressed the royal family, and he was described as the world’s smallest conjurer. He later adopted the stage name Okito, formed by rearranging the contemporary spelling of Tokio. Costume was central to his stage presentation: he first used a Japanese kimono and later Chinese-style robes, while retaining the established name. His touring repertoire included an improved bowl-of-water production, a floating ball, the Okito box, and the Sofa trick. He eventually retired in Chicago and manufactured props for magic dealer Joe Berg. He died in 1963. Theo’s son David Tobias Bamberg, born in 1904, performed as Fu Manchu. He first appeared as a child in Russia, where his father produced him from a cloth while he wore Chinese-style clothing. David later worked with the telepathist Julius Zancig, serving as an apparent blindfolded medium after Zancig’s wife and performing partner Agnes died. He studied in the United States and England before pursuing a career as a professional magician. In 1921 he returned to the United States, later developed a comedy shadowgraph act in Vienna, toured Europe, assisted the Great Raymond, and eventually established his own international illusion show under the Fu Manchu name. His son Robert did not enter professional magic, ending the family’s continuous professional line.
- 1974
Death of Fu Manchu
[1]David Tobias Bamberg, known professionally as Fu Manchu, died, leaving no professional magician in the next generation.
- 1963
Death of Okito
[1]Theo Bamberg, the internationally touring magician known as Okito, died in 1963.
- 1921
Fu Manchu returns to the United States
[1]David Tobias Bamberg returned to the United States and continued developing the career that later made him known internationally as Fu Manchu.
- 1907
Papa Bamberg tours with his son
[1]Papa Bamberg undertook a tour with his son, continuing the family’s multigenerational performance model.
- 1886
Okito performs for the Dutch royal family as a child
[1]Theo Bamberg appeared with his father at the royal palace for Princess Wilhelmina’s birthday when he was eleven.
- 1870
Papa Bamberg receives court appointment
[1]Papa Bamberg was named court mechanician after performing at the Dutch royal palace.
- 1866
Papa Bamberg gives his first performance
[1]David Tobias Bamberg, later called Papa Bamberg, performed professionally in Rotterdam for the first time.
- 1843
David Leendert becomes court mechanician
[1]David Leendert Bamberg received the court-mechanician appointment from William II of the Netherlands.
- 1812
Tobias Bamberg joins Freemasonry
[1]David Leendert Bamberg was initiated into Freemasonry at Arnhem and later rose within its ranks.
- 1793
Eliaser’s naval service and injury
[1]After being drafted into the Dutch navy, Eliaser lost a leg in a powder-keg explosion and later incorporated a wooden leg into his magic act.
Products and positioning
A hereditary European magic tradition centered on theatrical illusion, sleight of hand, royal entertainment, international touring, and the development of distinctive magic apparatus.
Magic apparatus
Okito box
A magic prop associated with Theo Bamberg’s stage identity, the Okito box formed part of his touring repertoire and became one of the best-known objects linked to the Bamberg name. The available reference identifies the apparatus but does not provide a full technical description of its mechanism.
Stage illusion
Fu Manchu illusion show
David Tobias Bamberg’s international illusion production performed under the Fu Manchu name. The show developed after his earlier work in European shadowgraphy and assisting other performers, and represented the culmination of the family’s touring stage tradition.
Visual performance
Comedy shadowgraph act
An original act developed by David Tobias Bamberg in Vienna. It used shadow-based visual comedy and became part of his European touring work before he established his larger illusion show.
Close-up and stage magic
Egg-bag routine
David Leendert Bamberg developed his own presentation of the egg-bag effect, producing a succession of eggs and ultimately a live hen. His version became one of the documented signature routines of the nineteenth-century Bamberg repertoire.
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