Professor John T. Owens
"The Armless Musician"
This is Professor Owen's letterhead and photo from the scrapbook of Ed and Blanche Mhyre of Grand Meadow, Minnesota. Ed called himself "The Norse Magician" and his wife Blanche was a Contortionist. They kept a scrapbook of their career in Show Business that began in 1906 when Ed signed on as a trombone player with the Rice Bros. Circus and which lasted into the 1960's. Prof. Owens was someone the Mhyres knew in their early days.
The sidebar on the 1908 letterhead reads;
We furnish two hours of high class entertainment.
Prof. Owens plays the Violin, Banjo, Guitar and Autoharp, Writes, Threads Needles, Shaves, Whittles and is an expert Rifle Shot, doing all this work with his feet !
Moving Pictures.
We carry an Edison Exhibition Model 1907 Projecting Machine with 3,000 feet of high class film. With 25 views of the San Francisco disaster. Beautiful Illustrated Songs.
This Entertainment is Instructive and Educational as well as Amusing. Endorsed by the Press, Pulpit and Public.
This
is the type
This is the type of machine that Owens would have carried. The one on the left being earlier and the one on the right probably the "1907 Model" which used magazines for the film as was being required by fire codes.
Copyright 2000 George C. Hall