This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/8/2023
HOUDINI, Harry (Erik Weisz, 1874 – 1926). Harry Houdini. King of Cards. Chicago: National Printing and Engraving, ca. 1898. Half-sheet color lithographed poster used by Houdini as a young circus and dime museum performer, with a bust portrait of the young magician at the center, and vignettes depicting his facility with a deck of cards above and below. 24 ¾ x 19 7/8”. Old folds, moderate toning, B+. Linen backed. With a letter of provenance stating that the lithography was purchased by Al Flosso, owner of Martinka & Co., from the Houdini home at 278 W. 113th Street, New York City. An iconic image from early in Houdini’s career, this is one of the first lithographs produced to advertise the magician just before he attained true fame, this poster was occasionally overprinted for his appearances in dime museums and circuses, at a time when his act – presented with the assistance of his wife, Beatrice – was made up of the card tricks and flourishes the poster depicts, along with handcuff escapes and his famed Metamorphosis trunk trick.