Sophie Lloyd performed her greatest trick before the Magic Circle – she disappeared. It wasn’t to a roar of applause, however. Instead, it was in a cloud of recrimination and ignominy. Her sin? To adopt the guise of a man and perform a magic show good enough to be accepted into the esteemed club – and break down its barriers.

Sophie Lloyd disguised herself as a man to trick her way into Britain's Magic Circle, then a men-only organization. When it finally began admitting women, she admitted her ruse and was expelled at the same meeting in which other female magicians were first admitted.