Ellen E. Armstrong

Ellen E. Armstrong (January 27, 19141979) was an American stage magician. She was the only African American woman of the early- to mid-twentieth century to run an independent touring magic show. Armstrong followed in the steps of her father J. Hartford Armstrong, known as the "King of the Colored Conjurers," taking over his act when he died in 1939. She continued the act for an additional thirty years after his death, performing in venues such as churches and schools.

Early life and education

Ellen E. Armstrong was born January 27, 1914. Her parents were John Hartford Armstrong, an African American man, and Mabel White, a white woman who acted as the assistant in John's magic act. They also performed along the eastern seaboard of the United States, from Key West to Philadelphia, and newspaper ads claimed that they had toured in Cuba and Europe. As a young performer, she developed a number of her own tricks, including a mind-reading act where she would touch people's heads and describe what they were thinking about the person sitting next to them. She continued her father's tradition of incorporating African American cultural icons in her show, including an image of revered boxer Joe Louis in "The Sand Frame" illusion.

Personal life and death

Armstrong married a minister from North Carolina in the 1940s and they made their home in Spartanburg, South Carolina.