$4,400
Dante (Harry August Jansen). Thurston Presents Danté Europe's Magician. Cleveland, Otis Litho., ca. 1922. Half-sheet (20 x 27") color lithograph bust portrait of Dante with devils on his shoulders. Small portraits of Kellar and Thurston grace the upper corners of the image. Some fold lines apparent, but overall good condition. Linen backed. Uncommon. Danish-born Harry Jansen grew up in Chicago, where his interest in magic flourished. In addition to becoming a vaudeville performer, he operated a magic shop with partner I.F. Halton. The business, Halton & Jansen, later took on a third partner, the Belgian wizard Servais LeRoy. The trio sold novelties, pocket tricks, parlor magic effects, and made a specialty of building custom stage illusions. This proved to be good training for Jansen, who went on to manage the workshops of Howard Thurston, for whom he helped developed many a reputation-making illusion. It was Thurston who re-christened Jansen with the stage name Dante and sent him on tour in 1922. Despite a shaky start, Dante's world tour was a great success. When Dante returned to America and played Broadway with his Sim-Sala-Bim revue in 1940, Thurston had been gone for nearly four years. Dante's show was hailed by the public and press alike as an artistic triumph.
Auctioneer:
Potter & Potter
Date:
2011-03-26
