$9,500
Thurston, Howard. Thurston the Great Magician. Levitation – The Greatest Illusion in the World. Cincinnati and New York: Strobridge Litho., ca. 1909. A direct and powerful representation of Thurston’s levitation illusion, billed as the “Levitation of Princess Karnak.” Five imps watch the magician and the lady floating above his head in an Egyptian setting. 30 x 40". Thinned patches primarily in borders restored, old folds and tears expertly over-colored. A-. Rare. The levitation depicted in this poster was one of the few illusions Thurston purchased from Kellar in 1908 and continued performing in the years that followed. In contrast to Kellar, Thurston regularly brought a boy from the audience on stage to examine the floating lady as she “slept” in mid-air. While this revealed the secret of the illusion to the young audience member, Thurston felt it was a convincing touch to his version of the feat.
Auctioneer:
Potter & Potter
Date:
2016-06-25
