When did Houdini and his mother go to Budapest?

This week seems to be all about Budapest, so let's finish on theme and head down an early Easter rabbit hole.

In my upcoming book, Handcuff King: The Conquests of Harry Houdini, 1900-1909, I'm hoping to provide the most complete and accurate chronology of Houdini's life during his peak "Handcuff King" days. I'm pretty confident my facts are confirmed and correct. But there's still one thing driving me crazy!

When exactly did Houdini and his mother travel to Hungary and have the "Queen for a day" reception at the Grand Hotel Royal in Budapest?

Every biography that includes this event puts it between Houdini's engagement at the Hansa-Theater in Hamburg and his opening at the Colosseum in Essen. That places it at the very end of April 1901.

However, this timing is problematic, if not impossible. Houdini closed at the Hansa on April 30 and opened at the Colosseum the next day, May 1 (after doing a police station test). So there's no time for a two-day excursion to Budapest.

I think it's more likely that it happened at the end of August 1901. Houdini himself said that at the end of the Budapest trip, he escorted his mother "en route to America." I take this to mean that he took her to her ship. And according to a letter Houdini wrote to Fredrick Roterberg (brother of Gus), his mother sailed for home on August 22.

Where does the April date come from? As far as I can find, the primary source for the entire Budapest story is Harold Kellock's Houdini: His Life Story. Kellock writes that it happened "at the close of his engagement" (implying Hamburg, but not saying that explicitly). What was Kellock's source? A clue can be found in this sentence:

"After listening patiently to his remonstrances," Houdini wrote in an autobiographical fragment, "I revealed to him my plot to crown my little mother and allow her to be Queen Victoria for a few fleeting hours."

I trust Kellock really did have an account of this written by Houdini, likely an unpublished document. However, I don't know where that document is today, and I don't believe any other biographers saw it. This is likely why Ken Silverman omitted the story entirely from his own book, Houdini!!! The Career of Ehrich Weiss, but I think that's going too far. I believe it happened.

Milbourne Christopher in Houdini: The Untold Story goes with the April date, even adding the specific detail that Houdini closed on a Saturday. But Houdini's Hamburg engagement ended on a Tuesday. Christopher also says his mother returned to America before the end of Houdini's engagement in Essen in May. That's not correct either. So Christopher was working from a flawed chronology.

If I'm going to revise Houdini history and challenge the likes of Milbourne Christopher, I'd better have proof! Otherwise, I feel like I have to stick with the conventional placement of the trip at the end of April and add a caveat that it may have happened later. But, man, I'd sure like to know for sure!

My book is still a few months away from going to the printer, so my hope is that someone out there might have the Kellock document or anything that provides evidence for exactly when Houdini and his mother took their famous two-day trip to Budapest. April or August 1901? Or maybe some other time entirely???

If you have anything to share, feel free to comment below or shoot me an email.

Thanks to Dr. Steffen Taut for helping me nail down Houdini's German performance dates. Top image from the McCord Stewart Museum.

Related:

• Fred Pittella follows Harry and Mama to Budapest
• Potter & Potter photo reveals Mama (still) in Europe
• OFFICIAL POLICE NEWS!

LINK: The Torrence Collection

Mega collector Jon Torrence is sharing rarities from his amazing Houdini collection on his website, The Torrence Collection. Somehow, I wasn't aware of Jon or his collection, but I sure am now! Some real gems here. Click the headline or the image below to dive in.

A program pictured on page 6 has me especially intrigued. This appears to reveal a 1901 engagement in Mainz, Germany, and an encounter with a rival that is entirely new to me. Or it could be hokum on Houdini's part. Either way, it's a prime example of the Germany problem.

Jon also has a YouTube channel and Facebook showcasing his collections. Thank you, Jon!

Related:

• Arthur Moses on Extreme Collectors
• Dr. Randall Bell is about to wow us
• Hear Dunninger inventory his Houdini collection

Another German gem

Here's a new find from the April 1, 1901 Altonaer-Nachrichten when Houdini was appearing at the Hansa Theater in Hamburg. A couple photos I've not seen before. Das ist gut!

Related:

• Houdini's neueste Sensation!
• The Germany problem
• Houdini in 1901

Early illustrations reveal Houdini's "ghost house"

Here are some early illustrations from Houdini's prime "Handcuff King" days. What I really like about these is they give us a good look at his "Ghost House." This is the small tent-like enclosure where Houdini would do his handcuff escapes surrounded by a committee from the audience. These drawings give us a good idea of its scale. Newspapers reported that it was red.

Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, February 9, 1901.

Dramatic News, April 9, 1904.

The name "ghost house" can be seen as a nod to a medium's spirit cabinet, which shows how Houdini's handcuff act had roots in spiritualism. The only photo of the ghost house that I'm aware of is the famous shot of Houdini being locked in the Mirror Handcuffs on stage at the London Hippodrome in 1904. It's a little hidden among the committee. In fact, I bet some have never even noticed it!

I wonder what ever happened to Houdini's ghost house? How extraordinary would it be to see this piece of Houdini history today. Alas, the ghost house seems to have vanished...like a ghost!

If you enjoy Houdini artwork like this, check out my Facebook page Houdini Illustrated where I share images that don't always make it to the blog.

Related:

• "For a minute the air was full of flying bracelets"
• Mystifying man in St. Louis
• First public image of Houdini's Milk Can?

Fred Pittella follows Harry and Mama to Budapest

On a recent business trip to Germany, our great friend and Houdini collector Fred Pittella followed in the footsteps of Houdini and his mother by taking a side trip to Budapest, Hungary. Not only did Fred visit David Merlini's House of Houdini museum and the 7th district where Ehrich Weiss was born, he also stopped in at the still standing Royal Hotel (today the Corinthia Hotel). It was here in 1901 that Houdini famously rented the hotel's Palm Garden salon to hold a reception with relatives for his mother who came gowned in a dress made for Queen Victoria.

Fred sends us some photos and says, "You could just imagine Houdini walking down these stairs with his mother on his arm, all puffy chest a proud son."

"How my heart warmed to see the various friends and relatives kneel and pay homage to my mother, every inch a queen, as she sat enthroned in her heavily carved and gilded chair." - Houdini

While no photos of this famous reception survive (to my knowledge), it has been depicted in two Houdini biopics, The Great Houdinis (1976) and the Houdini Miniseries (2014).

Here's an image from Fred's collection capturing the real Harry, Mama, and Bess at this very time.

Thanks Fred!

Related:

• Houdini in 1901
• Potter & Potter photo reveals Mama (still) in Europe
• Guest Blog: Houdini Vacation

Houdini portrait signed in German fetches $7,200

A beautiful 1900 portrait photo of Houdini signed in German to his friend and Chicago-based magic dealer August Roterberg sold today in Potter and Potter's "Magic Collection of Rudiger Deutsch: Part 1" auction for $7,200.00 (including buyers premium).

What might be most surprising about this is how unsurprising that price is. Even though it blew away the auction estimate of $2,500 - $3,500, we seem to be moving into a time when even unsigned photos are touching $3000.

What makes this one extra special is the inscription in German. You don't see this too often. I also love that it's dated April 6, 1901, his 27th birthday, which was not mentioned in the auction description. Houdini signed this while he was playing the Hansa Theater in Hamburg, Germany.

Related:

• The family language
• Houdini in cuffs photo unlocks $7,371
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LINK: RARE METAMORPHOSIS PIX

Here's one from yesterday that wasn't an April Fools Day joke. David Saltman shared on his blog The Houdini File four remarkable images of Houdini and Bess performing Metamorphosis. These appeared in the January 5, 1901 issue of the British magazine The Golden Penny. Smaller versions appear in Bruce MacNab's The Metamorphosis: The Apprenticeship of Harry Houdini, but here we get a much better look at Harry and Bess in action.

Click the headline to see these amazing photos at The Houdini File. And, yes, that is the sub trunk once owned by Patrick Culliton (I've been in that box!).

Related:

• Metamorphosis
• Boxed Bess
• This is Houdini's original sub trunk

Potter & Potter photo reveals Mama (still) in Europe

The catalog for Potter & Potter's Spring Magic Auction is now available as a free PDF or printed copy for purchase from their website.

As promised, the auction contains a fair amount of Houdini material, including this original unpublished photo of Houdini, Mama and Bess taken in "Berlin Germany June 1901." This image challenges the long accepted belief that Cecelia Weiss's first trip to Europe was from April to May 1901. Either Houdini has this wrong or we do!

One of the reasons this matters is that biographers struggle to pinpoint the date of the famous "queen for a day" reception at the Royal Hotel in Budapest, which reportedly took place during Mama's first visit. Most have relied on the not very reliable Kellock biography and wedge it between Houdini's closing in Hamburg (end of April) and his opening in Essen Ruhr (beginning of May). But if this photo is accurate and Mama was still around after Houdini's Essen Ruhr engagement, it opens up new possibilties for the Budapest trip. Unfortunelty, the Royal Hotel, which still exists today, has no record of Houdini's visit.

Potter's & Potter's Spring Magic Auction takes place at 10:00 am on Saturday, April 8th at their Chicago gallery and online via LiveAuctioneers. As previously reported, the auction will also include Bess Houdini's famous "Royal Crown Brooch" (link below).

Related:

• Houdini in 1901
• Cecilia Steiner Weiss
• Bess Houdini's Royal Crown Brooch headed to auction

Houdini in 1901

When England's Queen Victoria died on January 22, 1901, the 26-year-old Houdini was performing his second record breaking engagement at the Alhambra Theater in London. The Queen's death brought an end to the 64 year "Victorian Era" that had transformed England into a great empire. If Houdini had any reaction to this historic moment, it has gone unrecorded by biographers. But he did buy a dress said to have been designed for the Queen before her death. He thought it would look good on his mother.

This post is now retired. But you will be able to enjoy the story of Houdini in 1901 in my upcoming book. 

Exposing The Wizard Exposed

"The Wizard Exposed" by H.L. Adam first appeared in the July 1901 issue of The Royal Magazine in the UK. The five-page article featured Houdini exposing "some of his simpler" magic tricks. The pages are reproduced in Walter Gibson's The Original Houdini Scrapbook (1976), but mega collector Arthur Moses shares with us scans of the original article from his collection (the largest collection of Houdini periodicals in the world). I love these early images of Houdini performing straight magic.

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"Mr. Houdini is now well known as the "Handcuff King," but before he went into handcuffs he was a skilful [sic] conjurer in America, and the explanations here given may be relied as being thoroughly genuine."

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"A very effective, but much simpler trick is that where water is turned to wine, and back again to water. This, Mr. Houdini informed me, was one of his favourite tricks in America, and one which never failed to elicit plenty of enthusiastic applause."

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"And now I wonder how many Maskelynes, Devaneys, Le Roys, and Houdinis will result from the publication of this article. I desire to express thanks to Messrs. C. Ornum & Co., Duke Street, Charing Cross, for their kindness in lending apparatus for the illustration of this article."

Houdini once said that exposing tricks is "taking bread and butter from honest hard working ambitious magicians." But Houdini freely exposed select tricks throughout his career. I can't help but wonder how "The Wizard Exposed" was received by magicians of the day. Even though this article is written as if by an outsider, there's little doubt that Houdini was behind the entire piece, and may have even written it himself.

Arthur also recently discovered this same article in the French magazine La Petite Gironde Dans la Famille, February 25, 1902, with translated title "Tous Magiciens" (All Magicians). This time there is no byline. This was published following Houdini's first appearance in France.

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Thank you Arthur.

Related:

• Houdini, the Magician's Code, and the Talking Tea Kettle scandal
• Houdini's secrets brought to you by Camel cigarettes
• Harry Houdini, card cheat

Did the Houdinis secretly marry in 1901?

Today is the 122nd wedding anniversary of Harry and Bess Houdini. The couple married on June 22, 1894. Or did they? In recent years, historians have pointed out that there's something fishy about the official story of the Houdinis marriage. While there is no doubt Harry and Bess lived and traveled together from that June day, some have questioned whether they were ever actually legally married at all.

As the story goes, Harry and Bess met in Coney Island where they were both performers, and after knowing each other for only a week, they married. The famous Coney Island boss John Y. McKane performed the civil ceremony. They later repeated their vows in two more ceremonies, one with a Rabbi (for Harry's family) and again with a Roman Catholic Priest (for Bess's family). This led to Bess saying, "I’m the most married person I know, three times and to the same man."

But the late great Houdini historian Manny Weltman found problems with this story. In his book, Houdini: Escape into Legend: The Early Years (1993), Weltman revealed that John Y. McKane could not have married Harry and Bess as he was in Sing Sing prison at the time. There were also plenty of rackets on the Bowery in those days, and it's possible whatever marriage license the young couple purchased (for $2.00 -- Bess paid) might not have been legit. In Houdini His Life Story, Bess admits: "How people went about getting married was a mystery to both of us."

As to the later ceremonies, Weltman (and later William Rauscher) argued that no Rabbi or Catholic priest would have performed a mixed faith marriage in 1894 as it was prohibited by both faiths at that time. Houdini said they were married by Rabbi Tintner of Mt. Zion Temple -- "The man who married me to the woman I have never ceased to love." Trouble is, Rabbi Tintner would have only been 14-years-old in 1894. The Priest who did the Catholic ceremony was said to be Rev. G.S. Loui of Brooklyn. But Weltman could find no priest by the name of Loui (or Louis) in the records of the New York Roman Catholic Archdiocese, nor in the 1894 phone book. To top it all off, no record of the Houdinis marriage certificate has ever been found.

So this is what leads some to question whether Harry and Bess Houdini were ever legally married. Another possibility is that they got legally married later in life in secret ceremony. That's the theory that comes to my mind when I look at the photo below from Houdini His Legend and His Magic by Doug Henning. Is this the smoking gun evidence that has been hiding in plain sight all these years?

This photo comes from Bess Houdini's own scrapbook, and was among several other "anniversary" pictures. (The Houdini's took an anniversary photo every year, in Coney Island if they were in town.) On the photo is written: "Houdini and wife, married 7 years." So at first sight, this appears to be their 7th anniversary photo. But look at what's written at an earlier time in ink that is fading: "1901 Wedding day." That could be just another way of referring to an anniversary. Or it could literally mean their Wedding DAY. It also happens to be the first such photo in the album.

Is it possible this photo was actually taken on their legal Wedding Day in 1901? They are certainly dressed for it. Rabbi Tintner would have been old enough to conduct the ceremony, and the secret of the missing wedding certificate might be a simple as no one has looked for it in the year 1901. It's also possible the marriage took place in Europe, which is where the Houdinis spent much of that year.

Later, when this annotated "wedding day" photo was added to the album, it was re-annotated as an anniversary photo along with the other pictures, as by that time Houdini was establishing his official biography and mythology. Recall that the Houdinis also created a romantic fiction about how they first met.

Anyway, this photo and the "Wedding Day" annotation has always given me pause, so I thought today was a good day to throw it into the stew of speculation about the Houdinis mysterious marriage.

Related:

• When Harry met Bessie
• Coney Island: Where Harry met Bessie
• William Lindsay Gresham on the Houdinis marriage
• Happy Anniversary Harry and Bess

Rarities from Houdini's early career sweep eBay

This was an exciting week on eBay. A small treasure trove of never-before-seen rarities from Houdini's first European tour appeared from a seller who recently sold a rare German Houdini item. These were sent by Houdini to magician C.C. Dunbar in Boston and appear to have been taken from a scrapbook. These items have never before been offered for sale and are stunners! Here's a rundown:

GERMANY 1902 early HOUDINI POSTCARD RARE

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The highest priced item was this postcard Houdini sent from Germany to "Herr C.C. Dunbar" in 1902. I knew this one was going to be a battle royal, and I wasn't wrong. It sold for $4,520.00 with 64 bids.

RPPC PHOTO POSTCARD Harry Bessie HOUDINI

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This German postcard card might have been my favorite item of the batch. "Well Hallo" from "Harry and Bessic Houdini" with a rarely seen image of the Houdinis. It sold for $2,276.56 with 37 bids.

1900 HOUDINI HANDCUFF KING theater news

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A terrific press release on a postcard with "Theatrical News From Germany, 1900." The back is addressed to Dunbar by Houdini. Sold for $1,875.00 with 28 bids.

HOUDINI FRAUD slander case Cologne GERMANY

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Another rarity from Germany, this postcard details Houdini's famous slander trail in Cologne. One would assume that Houdini printed hundreds of these and sent them far and wide. However, this is the only one I've ever seen. This was the "deal" of the bunch at $578.00 with 13 bids.

Rare 1901 HOUDINI People's Palace BRADFORD UK

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A 1901 program for the "People's Palace" in Bradford, England with two pages highlighting Houdini's $5000 challenge to any rival to duplicate his feats. Sold for $1,256.00 with 10 bids.

Exciting to see so many unknown Houdini rarities appear on eBay. It's a shame that many of them appear to have suffered damage while being removed from the scrapbook.

Related posts:

• German Houdini piece sells for $3,049
• Houdini's "Cologne Papers" at auction

German Houdini piece sells for $3,049

An original broadside for an early appearance of Houdini in Germany sold yesterday on eBay for an impressive $3,049. The auction received 21 bids.

The 25x11 inch ad shows Houdini at the Frankfurt Orpheum, March 16-31, 1901. According to the seller, it was sent to magician C. Charles Dunbar by Houdini and was stored in a scrapbook. This may be the first time this piece has ever appeared on the market. Even the great collector Kevin Connolly commented on his blog, Houdini Himself, that this was something he'd never seen.

Material from Houdini's first European tour is always desirable. The color on this is also very nice. And despite one edge having been chewed off by mice, it's still in pretty good condition. All reasons for the high sale price, I expect.

Congratulations to the winner.