$95,000
London: Dangerfield, 1912. Houdini's most famous invention, the fabled Water Torture Cell, fills the center of the poster, the "master mystifier" himself locked inside upside down, a look of terror across his face. 40 x 88". Old folds and chips restored, scattered minor restoration to abrasions and chips in image, wear at intersection of sheets; B+. One of three examples known. Houdini commonly referred to the Water Torture Cell as the "Upside Down." The wooden, metal, and glass structure was, in contrast to the striking image depicted on this and other posters advertising it, surprisingly compact. After all, Houdini was short of stature, standing some 5'2" high. Even so, the drama of the escape was never lost on his audiences, and the danger of drowning was never too far from the mind of anyone witnessing the stunt. The only known recording of Houdini's voice, made on an Edison wax cylinder on October 29, 1914, documented his introductory patter for the famous water tank escape. Houdini's dramatic preamble played upon the fears of the audience and the danger involved in making his escape: "Ladies and gentlemen! Introducing my original invention, the Water Torture Cell. Although there is nothing supernatural about it, I am willing to forfeit the sum of one thousand dollars to anyone who can prove that it is possible to obtain air inside of the torture cell when I am locked up in it in the regulation manner after it has been filled with water. Should anything go wro Read more…
Auctioneer:
Potter & Potter
Date:
2017-02-04
