$8,500
Lafayette (Sigmund Neuberger). The Great Lafayette. British [?], ca. 1908. Color lithographed window card (4 ½ x 10 7/8”) bearing a full-length portrait of the great protean artist and magician in evening dress and smoking a cigarette, his dog Beauty resting at his feet. One of fewer than six examples known. Light toning to image; A. One of the highest paid variety entertainers of his day, Lafayette built a reputation on stage-filling spectacles that featured quick changes and magical effects. He was best known for his Lion’s Bride drama, in which a lady transformed into a lion. His dog, Beauty, was given to him by fellow magician Houdini. Upon Lafayette’s tragic death in a theatre fire in 1911, the urn containing his ashes was laid to rest in the paws of his beloved dog, who had predeceased the magician by just four days.
Auctioneer:
Potter & Potter
Date:
2014-02-08
