This advertisement from ventriloquist John Rannie is from a 1808 issue of the COLUMBIAN SENTINEL ,BOSTON MA. It is unknown what the exact date is. John Rannie began performing in the United States in 1801. He also used a small ventriloquist doll named Tommy that looked like a man but was the size of a small child. Rannie had come to American with his brother James and a young dark skinned servant, Richard Potter (the first American born magic star) around 1802. The brothers toured together and at times separately in the Northeast. James, after a year, returned to England, leaving John as the major force in magic in America until his retirement in 1811. Rannie performed from Maine to the West Indies, and as far west as New Orleans. John Rannie was was also an accomplished rope dancer, balancer, actor and producer, becoming major force in early American theater.
Ten Year Tour of John Rannie: Magician-Ventriloquist in Early America by Charlse J. Pecor.
Ventriloquist Entertainers - in the 18th and 19th Centuries
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