$5,000
Ionia (Clementine De Vere). Ionia. L’Enchantresse. Birmingham: Moody Brothers, ca. 1910. Magnificent full-length portrait poster of this illusionist standing on a marble slab with a smoldering volcano in the background, her name set in a mosaic-style above her outstretched hand. 19 3/4 x 30". Old notations in upper right, small section of right border restored; A-. Uncommon. De Vere (1883 – 1973) was the daughter of Charles De Vere, the well-known English magician and magic trick manufacturer, who operated a shop and factory in Paris. Her mother, Julia Ferret De Vere, performed as Okita, a Chinese magicienne (see lot 193). Ionia's career on stage was short-lived, lasting just three years. Even so, she presented a spectacular routine of stage-filling illusions that was heavily advertised with what many collectors now consider some of the most artistic posters of magic’s “golden age.” Of the 22 known posters for Ionia produced by Moody Brothers of Birmingham, approximately nine have survived to the present day.
Auctioneer:
Potter & Potter
Date:
2016-06-25
