| The Public Paperfolding History Project
Last updated 25/1/2025 x |
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| The paperfolding of Alber / Alber-Graves / Le Prestidigitateur Alber | |||||||
| Jean
Jacques Edouard Graves was born in 1858 and died in 1941.
He was a magician who performed under the name of
Alber-Graves, Le Prestidigitateur Alber, or just Alber.
He wrote a number of books and articles on magic and
paperfolding. ********** 1899 - 1903 Various articles on paperfolding by Alber appeared in the French children's magazine 'Mon Journal' between 9th September 1899 and 6th June 1903. In several of these articles Alber states that the paperfolds he explains are of Japanese origin and attributes his knowledge of them to a Japanese friend variously named as Mlle Kawala, Mlle Kawada or Madame Kawada. This is somewhat odd if 'Mlle Kawala' etc was a real person. Clearly, however, he did have a source of (not always accurate) information about Japanese paperfolds. Article in Mon Journal of 9th September 1899 (the coin fold) Article in Mon Journal of 21st October 1899 (the turban / the pyramidal hat / medieval helmet) Article by Alber in Mon Journal of 18th November 1899 (the lotus) Article by Alber in Mon Journal of 10th February 1900 (the bellows) Article in Mon Journal of 7th April 1900 (le kiosque Japonais) Article by Alber in Mon Journal of 11th August 1900 (the inflatable frog) Article by Alber in Mon Journal of 8th December 1900 (the cut frog-base crab) Article by Alber in Mon Journal of 5th January 1901 (le bonnet carre / the kabuto) Article by Alber in Mon Journal of 4th May 1901 (the sedan chair) Article by Alber in Mon Journal of 27th July 1901 (the lily) Article in Mon Journal of 17th August 1901 (the mushikago / the dustpan) Article in Mon Journal of 8th March 1902 (how to climb through a playing card) Article in Mon Journal of 24th May 1902 (the buddha papers) Article by Alber in Mon Journal of 18th October 1902 (the paper crane and the flapping bird) Article by Alber in Mon Journal of 8th November 1902 (the japanese box) Article by Alber in Mon Journal of 21st February 1903 (the cocotte / the waterbomb) Article by Alber in Mon Journal of 6th June 1903 (the double boat / the portfolio / the junk box / the patisserie box) ********** 1908 The book 'Les Petits Secrets Amusants' by Alber-Graves was published by Librairie Hachette in Paris in 1908. This book contains a chapter on paperfolding per se and paperfolding based magical effects also appear elsewhere. ********** 1910 Article in La Poupee Modele, May 1910 (the flapping bird / the paper crane) ********** 1921 Article in La Vie en Patronage of 1st January 1921 (the lotus) ********** 1930 La Nature Issue 2847 of 15th December 1930 contained an article by Alber headed 'Pliages de papier' explaining how to fold 'La bonbonierre japonaise' (The Japanese Box). The article also mentions 'le chapeau de gendarme (presumably the Newspaper Hat) qui est l'ancestre de tous les pliages, puis la cocotte, le bateau double, etc.,' ********** 1931 La Nature Issue 2848 of 1st January 1931 contained an article by Alber headed 'Les pliages de papier' and subheaded 'Le crabe' which explained how to fold a crab from a frog base using cuts to double the number of available legs. ********** La Nature Issue 2853 of 15th March 1931 contained an article by Alber headed 'Pliages de papier' and subheaded 'L'echelle de bambou' explained how to make The Newspaper Ladder. The author states that this fold is of Chinese origin. Roughly, 'When I looked at the Library of the Guimet Museum for the true origin, not of the cut-out Chinese shadows, but of the shadows with my hands (La Nature du 29 Septembre 1894) I had the good fortune to discover a folding of paper that was unpublished. This Chinese folding can do well among the Japanese folds that I have undertaken to describe and it is time to make it known.' The final paragraph describes how to make a version of The Newspaper Sword, roughly, 'The rolled paper ... is also used in conjuring to produce a candle from a hat. It uses a strip of strong glossy white paper, ten to twelve centimetres wide and several meters long, which has been rolled up, not very tight, and fixed so as not to unwind. In the center of the roll, a five-minute candle match was fixed in a thin metal tube, protruding a little. It is a game, for a prestidigitateur to introduce without being seen this little roll in a hat. At the desired moment, passing a sandpaper over the match, it ignites it, and, drawing the paper through the center by means of the small tube (fig. 4) carrying the match, it lengthens the candle which reaches a length of two meters and seems to come lit from the hat.' ********** La Nature Issue 2855 of 15th April 1931 contained an article by Alber headed 'Pliages de papier' and subheaded 'Le sac a bonbons' which explained how to make The Star-Shaped Box. Albers comments, roughly translated, 'Several similar folds have been sent to me by different readers, MM, Larrier, a Marseille, E. J, a W etc,. Because they bear a great similarity to the box above I have not published these folds ...' ********** La Nature Issue 2866 of 1st October 1931 contained an article by Alber headed 'Pliage de papiers' and subheaded 'Le sachet a foulards' (The Bag for Scarves) which explained how to make The Chrysanthemum Box. ********** La Nature Issue 2870 of 1st December 1931 contained an article by Alber headed 'Pliage de papiers' and subheaded 'L'oiseau qui bat des ailes' which explained (again) how to fold explained how to fold 'l'oiseau japonais' (The Flapping Bird) ********** La Nature Issue 2871 of 15th December 1931 contained an article by Alber headed 'Pliage de papiers' and subheaded 'La theiere japonaise' (The Japanese Teapot) which explained how to make the a version of The Kettle with a hole cut in the top. ********** 1932 La Nature Issue 2872 of 1st January 1932 contained an article by Alber headed 'Dechirures et Dechiquetures de Papier' (Paper Tearing and Shredding?) which explained how to make Paper Doilies and and The Newspaper Pagoda design, described as, roughly, 'a curious combination, of the same genre, which is presented in the music halls'. ********** La Nature Issue 2878 of 1st April contained an article by Alber headed 'Pliage de papiers' and subheaded 'Le soufflet' which explained how to fold The Bellows. ********** La Nature Issue 2890 of 1st October 1932 contained an article by Alber headed 'Pliage de papiers' and subheaded 'La grenouille sauteuse' (The Jumping Frog) which explained how to fold The Inflatable Frog (although the author does not appear to know the design can be inflated). ********** La Nature Issue 2894 of 1st December 1932 contained an article by Alber headed 'Pliage de papiers' and subheaded 'Le kiosque japonais'. ********** 1934 La Nature Issue 2930 of 1st June 1934 contained an article by Alber headed 'Pliage de papiers' and subheaded 'La boite a air' which explains how to make a Waterbomb. ********** La Nature Issue 2940 of 1st November 1934 contained an article by Alber headed 'Pliage de papiers' and subheaded 'L'iris' which explains how to fold the Lily. ********** 1935 La Nature Issue 2944 of 1st January 1935 contained an article by Alber headed 'Dechirures et Dechiquetures de Papier' (Paper Tearing and Shredding?) which explained how to present the making of several versions of the Chain of Dolls and Paper Doilies as magical effects. ********** La Nature Issue 2966 of 1st December 1935 contained an article by Alber headed 'Pliage de papiers' and subheaded 'Vase ou lanterne' which explains how to make a simple fold and cut container. ********** |
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