This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/25/2023
KELLAR, Harry (Heinrich Keller, 1849 – 1922). Kellar the Great Magician. Cincinnati: Strobridge Litho, 1894. Half-sheet color stone lithograph of the iconic “imps portrait,” being a left-facing bust image of the famed American illusionist with two red devils perched on either of his shoulders, one whispering into his ear. Framed and matted to 31 ¼ x 21 ½”. Not examined out of frame. Kellar and the lithographers at Strobridge started an craze with the issuance of this poster in 1894, as it is reportedly the first known image of a magician to feature the “whispering imps.” It was a theme that would be copied and modified for more than a century by Kellar’s successor, Howard Thurston, and thousands of other illusionists. Most notably, the design was modified and updated for Ricky Jay’s critically acclaimed show Ricky Jay & His 52 Assistants, which debuted in New York in 1994. See Lot 205.