This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/8/2023
Lester Lake Extended Blade Guillotine. Alhambra: Owen Magic Supreme, 1950s. Heavy and imposing low wooden stock with matching metal blade. A head of cabbage or carrots are chopped with the blade, then a spectator’s neck and head are secured in the apparatus. The blade is pushed down through the device and the assistant’s neck; no harm comes to the individual, but the carrot placed in a slot is cut cleanly in two. Height 37”. Mechanism in need of repair or readjustment. Finished in classic Owen red, black, and gold, and formerly owned, used, and constructed by John Daniel (with Carl Owen). One of the first guillotines of this type manufactured in the Owen workshops in Alhambra, this is the very device pictured for years in the Owen catalog – with the leg of Irene Larsen held fast in the stock. The prop was used by John Daniel and Irene for years, and was a feature attraction in Daniel’s show. These props, as manufactured by Owen Magic Supreme, were among the company’s most popular and most often performed small illusions.