Advertising Poster, "Thurston The Great Magician," circa 1930
Add to SetSummary
In the 1920s, a friendly rivalry existed between two magicians: Howard Thurston and Harry Houdini. While Houdini distrusted and publically debunked seance mediums, Thurston was a "healthy skeptic." He acknowledged trickery among Spiritualists, yet he was cautiously open to the potential of life after death communication. Thurston's stage illusions often referenced popular supernatural phenomena of the late-19th and early-20th centuries.
In the 1920s, a friendly rivalry existed between two magicians: Howard Thurston and Harry Houdini. While Houdini distrusted and publically debunked seance mediums, Thurston was a "healthy skeptic." He acknowledged trickery among Spiritualists, yet he was cautiously open to the potential of life after death communication. Thurston's stage illusions often referenced popular supernatural phenomena of the late-19th and early-20th centuries.
Artifact
Poster
Date Made
circa 1930
Keywords
Collection Title
On Exhibit
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
93.0.53.1
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Technique
Lithography
Color
Multicolored
Dimensions
Height: 41 in
Width: 27.813 in
Inscriptions
on front, lower half: DO THE SPIRITS COME BACK? / THURSTON / THE GREAT / MAGICIAN / THE WONDER SHOW OF THE UNIVERSE front, lower left corner: THE / OTIS / LITHOGRAPH CO. / CLEVELAND, O. / MADE IN U.S.A. / 0.656
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