12/15

Close the door and mute your phone because when you start to look at this scrapbook, you will be in collector’s heaven. It is one of nine scrapbooks formerly owned by Harry Houdini that are now in the collection of the Harry Ransom Center for the Humanities at the University of Texas, and which have been digitized! http://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/search/collection/p15878coll22#nav_top

While they are all worth looking at, my favorite one, as you scroll down, is the fourth one, simply titled “magicians scrapbook.” Starting with a page that has a portion of a Houdini King of Cards poster, it pretty much covers the top conjurers of the mid to late 19th century, with wonderful pieces from Anderson, Heller, Robin, Compars Herrmann, Alexander Herrmann, and on and on. This priceless scrapbook – probably compiled by Henry Evanion and later sold to Harry Houdini - is a wonderful sampling of some of the best engravings that you could hope to find that document the popularity of conjuring for that period. Here is how Harry Houdini, in his book, The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin, spoke of his first encounter with Evanion and his stunning collection; “With some hesitancy of speech but the loving touch of a collector he opened his parcel. "I have brought you, sir, only a few of my treasures, sir, but if you will call - " I heard no more. I remember only raising my hands before my eyes, as if I had been dazzled by a sudden shower of diamonds. In his trembling hands lay priceless treasures for which I had sought in vain … In the presence of his collection I lost all track of time.”

The Ransom Center apparently has organized things a bit since we last visited them in 2003 and wrote about it on this website. All I can say is, enjoy!

Eddie Dawes is one of the most pleasant, and knowledgeable magic historians/collectors who you will ever meet. I have long appreciated his erudite and entertaining lectures at magic collector conferences, and his monthly column on magic history that can be found in The Magic Circle's monthly magazine, The Circular, is extraordinary in its longevity and content. In late 2014 I was so pleased to host Eddie, his wife Amy and son Adrian for a visit when they passed through Washington on a family event. In the few hours we spent, looking at broadsides and posters, we did not get very far, because for each item, Eddie had an anecdote or insight about the performer or the actual poster, that made the visit fascinating for me. Just weeks later, I was saddened to learn of Amy's unexpected passing. I had not spent much time with her until that visit, although she often had accompanied Eddie to magic collector events that we had both attended. Amy Dawes was a lovely person, with a sweet nature and a clever wit. In her own right she was extremely knowledgeable and aware of magic arcana. My condolences to Eddie, Adrian and the rest of their family for their loss.

Suspension of Disbelief! I love the suspension illusion in all of its different variations, and in collecting, am always looking for broadsides and early posters that depict the suspension illusion. Here is a street performer that I happened upon this past summer when vacationing in Brussels. He attracted quite a crowd with his impersonation of a statue. Isn't this clever?

Finally joining the 21st century! Though I do not yet tweet (something keeps me from taking that step) and I barely look at Facebook, my sons encouraged me to occasionally post posters from my collection – particularly ones that I have not posted on this site, on Instagram. So if you are into that particular time waster clever technology, you can follow me, or simply view my postings at magic_posters. If you are not an Instagram aficionado, check out this link [http://websta.me/n/magic_posters]. I hope you enjoy some of the eye candy!

KT


5/12

In 1958  when I was in the throes of having been bitten by the magic bug, Milbourne Christopher was America's preeminent magician.  In addition to being a frequent fixture on stage and television, Mr. Christopher he would later share numerous highlights from his amazingly vast collection of magic in two wonderful books, Panorama of Magic and The Illustrated History of Magic. When you consider that every engraving, poster, photograph and piece of ephemera in both works came from one man's collection, it is astounding.

Milbourne Christopher and I briefly crossed paths only twice.  In 1963 or so, he came to  Holden's Magic Shop in downtown Boston, to  lecture for the local magicians.  He showed us much practical material, including a vanish of a card box that I still perform today. I was a teenager then and had a copy of his recently published Panorama of Magic, which he very graciously signed for me.

The second time I saw him was in 1981 in New York City, when he auctioned off  a small portion of his magic collection through Swann Galleries.  I went up to Manhattan for the day for this, my first real magic auction.  Although I ended up not purchasing anything, I loved seeing the posters and ephemera, as well as meeting some of the collectors. I think that Ricky Jay, Jay Marshall, Ray Goulet and many others were in attendance. I will never forget Mr. Christopher, standing in the back of the room, smiling, clearly relishing every minute of the sale. 

On April 20, 2011, almost thirty years after the first Christopher auction, I was in New York for another Christopher sale.  This one was organized by my good friend David Haversat, who assisted Mr. Christopher's widow, Maurine, in selling a number of choice pieces from her late husband's collection.  While the bidding was unpredictable, and many one of a kind items fetched sky-high bids, some bargains were to be had that day.  I went there hoping to snag an amazing half sheet poster of Robert Heller that is reproduced in Panorama.  I am pleased to say that it now hangs in my study-family room, and I do not expect to tire of looking at it any time soon.

Thank you, Mrs. Christopher for carrying on your husband's tradition of sharing the fruits of his magic passion with other collectors.  Reading and rereading Panorama  decades ago, ignited my interest in magic history and fascination with magic posters.  That some of the items now in my collection were once part of his collection, and  that a few even appear in Panorama or Illustrated History  is tremendously special to me. In that tangible way,  Milbourne Christopher's love of magic and his collecting spirit live on in my collection and in the collections of many others.  It is exciting news that a comprehensive biography of Christopher, authored by magic history stalwart Bill Rauscher, will be published later this year.

An invitation to speak at the 2011 European Congress of Magic History  gave me a perfect  excuse to fly to London this past August. Held at the Magic Circle's Stephenson Lane headquarters, as well as at other selected venues for dinners and selected events, it was a whirlwind three days. I was pleased to give a talk at the Circle about my collection. Despite my efforts at humor -  I could hear the sound of crickets chirping when I attempted some one-liners that would have likely fared better  back home – everyone was most gracious. Notwithstanding my aforesaid culture shock, I found my British hosts to be warm and welcoming. Definite high points were visits to the homes of collector friends, Peter Lane and Dean Arnold. I hope to get back across the pond in the not too distant future, because as Dr. Johnson observed "he who tires of London tires of life." At right a photo of Peter Lane before one of his many amazing artifacts of magic's past.

To those who regularly visit this site, your patience has hopefully been rewarded, as I have recently added a number of Chung Ling Soo and other posters, as well as a number of scarce engravings. As to the latter, just visit the abracagraphics section, by clicking here [http://www.magicposters.com/abracagraphics/index.html] to find that elusive cups and balls print or some other highlights. I have also added a few new sites to the links page! Until next time…..

KT

4/11

Viva la Magia! My wife and I recently returned from a two week vacation in Argentina, visiting our youngest, who wisely decided to defer grad school and post-college employment by traveling, teaching English in Buenos Aires then working on a farm. We had a super time in Buenos Aires, with side trips to Patagonia and Iguazu Falls. Of course, yours truly was always on the prowl for magic. While I did not acquire anything for my collection, I saw a very unusual street performer in the San Telmo street market, who creates an illusion of an invisible man. Quite clever.

Martin Pacheco, is probably one of the preeminent magic collectors in all of South America. In anticipation of our recent trip, I wrote Martin – whom I had only previously met via email - that my wife and I would be visiting his city. He graciously responded with an invitation to see his collection and to have dinner. When he asked me if we ate meat, I knew that we would be in for a memorable Argentinean evening, and it was. Martin is the proprietor of Bazar de Magia, an impressive retail operation in Buenos Aires. As a collector, one of his interests is the great Fu Manchu, whose memorabilia and posters are beautifully displayed alongside other wonderful magical imagery, in the Pachecos’ lovely Buenos Aires apartment. Martin’s impressive collection was featured in a major Argentinean museum a couple of years ago. Here he is posing with a fantastic poster of a shadowgraphy act.

As you will see, I continue to add posters, prints and ephemera to the site. I hope that you find something of interest, and I would be pleased to answer any questions that you might have about any of the items Of course, should you have anything to sell or trade, I am all ears. KT

10/10

Harry Houdini continues to capture the public imagination, even though he passed away over 85 years ago. If you find yourself in New York City between October

of this year and March 27, 2011, I urge you to pay a visit to the Jewish Museum, whose upcoming exhibit, "Houdini; Art and Magic", promises to be a blockbuster. In addition to numerous artifacts of original Houdini memorabilia from a number of collections across the country (including items on loan from yours truly) the museum will also be exhibiting contemporary art that has been inspired by Houdini's life. Given the amount of items that are supposed to be on display, it sounds like the exhibit will include much material not ordinarily available for viewing, and so should be well worth the visit. The exhibit, by the way, will subsequently travel to the Skirball Museum in LA, and other museums thereafter.

The Bambergs, Alexander Herrmann, The Great Lafayette and Horace Goldin had something in common with Harry Houdini other than their vocation as magicians; they were all Jewish. So it stands to reason that given the high number of Jewish magicians in the history of magic, that the Skirball Museum, in conjunction with its hosting the Houdini exhibit, will also mount an exhibit on "Jews in Magic" starting in March, 2011. In talks with one of the curators I learned that the museum has been wanting to explore this heretofore not widely celebrated topic, and for those interested in magic history, it will be a special treat.


KT

10/09

The magic collecting world will never be the same. I remember that in 1976 or so, when I first laid eyes on Charlie and Regina Reynolds wonderful 100 Years of Magic posters. I had that same feeling of excitement - the anticipation of knowing that I was about to see some wonderful imagery for the first time. That's exactly how I felt when I learned that the soon to be published book entitled, MAGIC, 1400's - 1950's , can now be viewed on-line. I envy you as you click on the book to the right.

Go to the right side of the page where it says"leaf through", turn off your cel phone, sit back and enjoy your exploration of it. While only 122 pages of the entire book are now available for a sneak preview, it will give you a taste of what is to come.

Earlier this year, two photographers spent two days in my home, to eventually produce some 40 or so �images of the over 1200 (!) that you will see in this wonderful book. While I am thrilled to have some pieces from my collection in this historic book, I was even more thrilled to recieve my copies in the mail this week. Having obtained a copy of the wonderful CIRCUS book that preceded MAGIC , I knew full well that Taschen's production values and editor Noel Daniels' knowledgeable eye are such that the on-line sampling would not even come close to the experience of the paper version, and boy they have surpassed themselves with the Magic book. After you have pored over the sample pages, you can order the book here at the pre-publication price. Kudos to the indefatigable Noel Daniel, who criss-crossed the world, hunting down the wonderful images in this book; and to Jim Steinmeyer, Mike Caveney and Ricky Jay respected magic collectors and historians all - who authored together the text that make this book as entertainingly readable as it is simply a beauty to browse through.

Is that your final answer? To celebrate TASCHEN's soon to be published MAGIC, I invite all those kindred spirits who share a love (okay, perhaps an obsession) for literally the"Art" of magic (posters and ephemera) to participate in an appropriate competition. Your assignment is to determine how many of the images - be they posters or ephemera or some other image - appear in both this website and the "leaf through" sampling of the Taschen book. So, you will have to look at all of the pages on this website , magicposters.com, as well as leaf through the 122 sample pages of Taschen book. The first person to email me with the correct answer will win several original items that I have personally selected from our ephemera page. We will not be responsible for eye strain, myopia, double vision or any bodily manifestations lasting more than four hours for which you should consult a physician.

Even if you do not bother to participate in this little contest, I invite you to still explore the Posters, Abracagraphics and Ephemera pages. As you will see, I have added a bunch of new items for sale to all of those pages. Happy hunting!

1/2009

Big site update. Wow, I can't believe that it has been over a year since we last updated the website! I Have added a number of posters for sell and trade, as well as some prints that were not previously listed. You will please note a deal on Carter window cards which, by the way, are in extraordinarily great condition Nicola ephemera, some newly listed posters and some wonderful engravings.

But it has been quite a year, hasn't it. I am pleased that on little notice, a bunch of D.C. area based magicians came together to put on an evening of close up magic in my home to raise money for the man who will be our next president. Our evening of A-Barack-Cadabra raised over $21,000.00. Kudos to Alain Nu for putting the stellar array of talent together. You can see some photos of the event here. Read a few more details about it here.

Home sweet home. It was great fun to recently return to Massachusetts for the 2008 meeting of the New England Magic Collectors, which meets every two years. Having begun my magic hobby as a member of the Presto Club, a Newton, Massachusetts junior high school magic club that flourished in the 1960's, it felt like I had gone full circle in attending the convention not far from where I grew up and presenting a lecture on collecting magic ephemera. In fact, here is a great piece of magic ephemera, a 19th century English print known as The Juggler at the Chateau D'eau. Click on it to see a lesser-known version of this print. It is the seldom seen, "Juggler at the Chateau d'OH"!

It's not magic but... While many magic lovers, understandably, have an interest in circuses and side-shows as well, even those with no prior interest in this allied area will enjoy seeing a new, huge opus of a book simply entitled Circus, that was recently published by Taschen Books. Of special interest to visitors to this site is that Taschen is currently putting together a similar book on the history of magic. As it is likely to be as image driven as the circus book, which boasts numerous circus posters and photographs, the upcoming magic book will assuredly be a visual feast. I have a copy of the Circus volume, which I highly recommend. You can explore it here.

9/2007

KT

5/2006
MCA in DC is now a fading memory! Over this past April Fool's Day weekend, we had a memorable time. Highlights for me were the unforgettable Library of Congress magic exhibit followed by a tour of the amazing building, Bob Sheets interview with Washington magic legend Al Cohen, the surprise eight minute manipulation act of Arthur Trace, Roxy on waters spouters, Charles Greene III on his dauntless Ionia research, Bill Kalush on his groundbreaking Houdini research, Michael Claxton's well done talk on minorities in magic, Dick Hatch on Jews in magic followed by Werner Reich's riveting presentation about his Holocaust experiences Mark Mitton, Dean Arnold, Arthur Moses, Gabe Fajuri and more. Thanks to all those who made it a successful conference. The Library of Congress folks, especially, were stellar in every way. Next year in Chicago!

10/2005