$850
18. Blackstone, Harry. Harry Blackstone, Sr.’s Vanishing Bird and Cage. Peter Bouton, ca. 1950. A small birdcage trimmed with red ribbon visibly vanishes from between the magician’s hands. 5 ½ x 4 ¾ x 4 ¾”. Accompanied by a TLS from Joe Berg to Bill King explaining the provenance of the cage. Canary poor; cage very good. One of the three most popular and loved tricks in Blackstone’s storied career, the Vanishing Bird and Cage was a mystery made all the more impossible by breaking one of the cardinal rules of magic – never repeat a trick. Blackstone broke this rule brilliantly. After the cage vanished from between his hands the first time – it happened so quickly as to be a surprise – he performed the trick for a second time, but with one significant difference: he invited children from the audience up to the stage to each place a hand on the cage. Surrounded by ten or twenty children, the cage vanished all the same. This is one of those vanishing birdcages.
Auctioneer:
Potter & Potter
Date:
2013-10-26
