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18/1/1898: The Fregoligraph
Italian mimic and magician Leopoldo Fregoli was accorded a rare privilege by the Lumieres, when they allowed the performer, of whom they were fans, to rename their CInématographe. After purchasing the camera/projector in 1898 after a visit to Lyon, Fregoli, with admirable modesty, renamed it the Fregoligraph, and used it to film his stage act. He screened his first films in Naples on 18th January 1898 at the Gran Circo delle Varieta. Fregoli was renowned as a quick-change artist who left his audience dumbstruck by his rapid-fire change of characters - as many as 60 changes in one show - and used his films to show this ability to great effect. Examples of his work include Maestri di Musica, in which he impersonated a variety of composers, Pere Cotte, Danza Serpentina, and Fregoli Illusionista.
Interestingly, Fregoli has a mental disorder named after him. Fregoli Syndrome is the delusion that a person's mind can be inhabited by that of another person. [ADD]
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