British photographer and magician, Alfred Silvester, is widely known for his connection to the history of ‘Pepper’s Ghost’, one of the most iconic stage illusions of the Nineteenth Century, and for his advancements in the performance of Robert-Houdin’s famous Suspension illusion, performed under the stage name, ‘The Fakir of Oolu’. Far less known is the fact that Silvester, who came to Australia in 1874 and eventually settled here, had multiple generations of descendants who were also magicians and theatrical performers, leaving a legacy of magic in Australia which extended until 1940 and beyond. We unravel the long and complex history of the Silvesters, and publish a trove of photographs from the 1800s which may not exist anywhere else.