Houdini, Harry (Erik Weisz) | The most famous, dangerous, and dramatic of all of Houdini's escapes

Houdini, Harry (Erik Weisz)

Houdini Upside Down in the Water Torture Cell. London: The Dangerfield Printing Co., ca. 1913–1915

Color lithograph poster (29 x 19 5/8 in.; 739 x 498 mm). Fold creases, the horizontal crease more pronounced and slightly abraded. Framed and glazed with Plexiglas.

A beautiful and very rare poster, effectively conveying Houdini's expression of concern. "Magicians' posters are usually guilty of exaggeration. But here Houdini used a stark image to emphasize the simple drama of his famous Water Torture Cell. Instead of picturing the tank of water, the locks and hasps, Houdini's face told the entire story. Each performance was a life-or-death melodrama" (Magic). This image is considered one "of the most impressive Houdini posters in the Allan Slaight Collection" (Illusions, p. 47).

REFERENCE:

Exemplars, p. 48; Illusions 38; Magic, p. 398; TTW 14