This caricature is of Chung Ling Soo, ‘The Original Chinese Conjurer’ or ‘The Marvellous Chinese Conjurer’. It was drawn while he was performing at the Grand Theatre of Varieties, Hanley, during the week of 27 March 1905. It is one of the many superb caricatures of Edwardian music hall performers that were drawn by the artist George Cooke when he was based at the Grand Theatre. He compiled them in a series of albums. This was Chung Ling Soo’s second visit to Hanley.

Chung Ling Soo was an American of Scottish descent. He was born William Elsworth Robinson in New York in 1861. Originally billed as Hop Ling Soo, Robinson’s stage name and many of his tricks were inspired by Ching Ling Foo, a real Chinese conjurer working in America. Robinson made London his home. The public there loved the mystical image he cultivated with the help of promotional items, posters and stationery featuring Chinese icons. He even used an interpreter for interviews. When Foo appeared at the Empire in January 1905, near the Hippodrome where Robinson was performing, Foo challenged him to a competition. Since Foo never turned up for the challenge, Anderson was declared the winner. Chung Ling Soo died in March 1918 at the Wood Green Empire. He was killed during his spectacular bullet-catching act, which he had performed successfully for 16 years. He had performed it at Hanley.