This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/17/2023
[HOUDINI, Harry (Erich Weisz, 1874-1926)]. Harry Houdini. Cincinnati & New York: The Strobridge Litho. Co., 1911. Large three-sheet lithographed poster of Houdini with folded arms, from the waist-up (sometimes referred to as “Houdini for President”). His name appears below the likeness in block capital letters. Linen backed. Approximately 82 x 40”. Seams and sheet breaks visible, some creasing, professional restoration, and color overpainting. B. SCARCE. Arguably the most recognizable portrait of Houdini, this poster has been dubbed “Houdini for President” by the collecting community thanks to similarities in its design to political advertising of the era. The poster is evidence of the worldwide fame and instant recognition Houdini had earned at the peak of his powers. The poster advertises only who he is, not what he did for a living. He was so well-known by the time Strobridge produced the image that the public knew he was the world’s most famous magician. Houdini still is, and in 2002, the United States Post Office selected this image for use on a commemorative stamp.