Dr. Saram R. Ellison scrapbooks

1832-1918

Dr. Saram R. Ellison (1852-1918) was a medical doctor and avid collector of magic and related materials, particularly published materials and ephemera. He also maintained friendships and correspondence with most of the major and minor magicians practicing during his lifetime. In 1902 he co-founded, along with W. Golden Mortimer and Francis Martinka, the Society of American Magicians, which was headquartered in New York City. Includes manuscript correspondence, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, original photographs, ephemera, illustrations, and other documents relating to the founding and early years of the Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.), and the subjects of magic, hypnotism, spiritualism, legerdemain, ventriloquism, and the conjuring arts. Ellison compiled this material into scrapbook volumes lettered B through X2. Loose correspondence, programs, and promotional materials are housed in Box 1.