$3,800
Spirit Painting. Los Angeles: F.G. Thayer, ca. 1930. An eerie and visible materialization of a picture on a blank canvas set in a handsome gessoed and wooden frame on turned walnut legs. Includes six painted canvases (Thayer sold forty different paintings in all), frame and legs, electrical cord, bulb, and letter of provenance. Paintings 15 x 19 ,” outfit stands 63” high. Minor paint flaking on light reflector at rear, else very good. An outstanding and uncommon example of Thayer’s master craftsmanship. When magic props and illusions were featured in early full-length Hollywood films, producers called Thayer. Peter Godfrey was one such producer, and was also a magician. It’s not known whether Godfrey used this illusion in a movie, though he did perform it on stage. In the 1940s, he sold it to Virgil Mulkey who used it for years in his touring illusion show. Included is a letter of provenance from John Daniel, former co-owner of Owen Magic Supreme, who acquired the Virgil show following Julie’s death.
Auctioneer:
Potter & Potter
Date:
2016-04-09
