Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin (1805 - 1871)was a scientist, inventor, horologist and the most famous magician of his day. His work with electricity and its applications to horology were significant, having invented various timepieces, including an alarm-lighter clock, as well as mystery clocks. Despite his horological achievements, however, Robert-Houdin is probably best remembered as the founder of modern conjuring.Robert-Houdin's father, a watchmaker, Prosper Robert, wanted his son to enter the legal profession. It soon became clear, however, that Jean Eugene's passion for horology outweighed his interest in law. His father had already retired and handed the business to Jean Eugene's cousin, Jean Martin Robert, for whom he went to work. An excellent worker, within three years his cousin had deemed him ready to work on his own. In 1830, he married Josephe Cecile Eglatine Houdin, the daughter of Jacques- Frncois Houdin, an eminent horologist and pupil of Breguet. After the marriage, Jean Eugene Robert changed his name to Robert- Houdin.Around 1837 he invented an alarm-lighter clock, which sounded the alarm and lit a candle at the same time. It became very popular and his business soon prospered. Throughout his life he was constantly inventing new mechanisms and devices, which won for him great acclaim at numerous exhibitions. He won a gold medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1844, for example, for his horological mechanisms and automata. Among the marvels he displayed was his 'Writer-Drawer', which King Louis-Philippe greatlyadmired. In 1845, with the financial backing of a banker, Benjamin Dellessert, Robert-Houdin opened the first of his 'Soirees Fantastiques' at the Palais Royal, Paris, which was soon packed with the best of Paris society. The Theatre Robert-Houdin was a triumph for many years and continued after his death until 1920. In 1848, Robert-Houdin held performances at the St. James's Theatre, London and even took part in a charity show in Fulham in front of Queen Victoria, Napoleon III, and other illustious guests. The Queen was so impressed that she commanded a special performance at Buckingham Palace. In 1855, Robert-Houdin showed seven of his in-ventions at the Universal Exhibition.His fame as a performer and magician was such that in 1856 the French government asked him to visit Algeria to discredit the Marabouts, who were intent on dispelling French dominance in North Africa. The Marabouts often advised the Arab chiefs, claiming that they were inspired by God, and in order to strengthen their credibility, performed illusionary tricks. When Robert Houdin arrived, the country was on the point of revolt. Thanks to his work, however, the Marabout's credibility was destroyednd the uprising suppressed.An accomplished writer, Robert-Houdin contributed to the Grand Dictionnaire du XIX Siecle. A jack-of-all-trades, he even branched into the field of optics, winning a gold medal in the opthalmological section at the 1867 Universal Exhibition. Among his inventions was a mechanism designed to examine one's own retina. He also published several leading papers on ophthalmology. In 1858, he was elected a member of the Société des Sciences et Lettres de Loir et Cher, and in 1869 became a member of theociété des Gens de Lettres. Robert-Houdin was even crowned eleven times by the Academy of Sciences, who elected him a posthumous member.He inspired successive generations, not least the firm of Cartier, who took Robert-Houdin's mystery clocks one step further, combining the art of illusion with fantastic decoration. His own Mystery Clocks can be divided into seven basic types. The present one belongs to the second series, which was invented around 1837. When it was exhibited for the first time in 1838, the clock garnered tremendous interest and speculation among experienced horologists, who wondered how it was running. Interestigly, one of his letters mentions the three-glass idea, used many years later in Cartier clocks. In fact, the clock has a clever way of transmitting the power to the gear. His fame was such that the greatest American magician, Houdini (Erich Weiss), took his stage name after Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin.Bibliography: Mystery, Novelty and Fantasy Clocks by Derek Roberts, Atglen, 1999. Memories of Robert-Houdin, King of Conjurers, with introduction and notes by Milbourne Christopher, New York, 1964.