Houdini began his final tour 100 years ago today

It was 100 years ago today, on September 2, 1926, that Houdini began his 1926-27 "Coast to Coast" tour of 3 Shows in One at the Lyceum Theater in Paterson, New Jersey. The show featured some new illusions during the Magic section. In fact, advertisements emphasized the magic, stating: "As a MAGICIAN Houdini Starts where others leave off." 

Papers also noted that this was Houdini's first appearance in Paterson in 30 years. They were right. Houdini had last played Paterson with the "American Gaiety Girls" in December 1895. 

Here's a review of opening night from The Morning Call.

Houdini played the Lyceum for three days before moving on to Majestic Theater in Boston for a three-week run. The lasting legacy of this short run is the famous poster (above), which survives today in the Library of Congress.

The Lyceum was located at 123 Van Houten Street. A fire destroyed the theater on March 22, 1931. Below is the only image of the Lyceum I could find online.

Want more? I've uploaded a dozen advertisements and reviews of the Houdini Lyceum show to my Patreon.

Related:

• Houdini's grand finale: 3 Shows In One
• Houdini's "3 Shows in One" turns 100
• American Museum of Magic shares collection online

More "Mystery & Wonder" NYPL events in June

These events at the New York Public Library keep sneaking up on me! Below are two more events coming up in early June. These are part of the NYPL's ongoing Mystery & Wonder: a Legacy of Golden Age Magicians exhibition. Click the headline links to get tickets and more information.

The Art of the Illusion: Collecting and Conserving Magic Posters at NYPL

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts -Bruno Walter Auditorium
Tuesday, June 2 • 6:30 PM - 8 PM

Magic poster experts and conservators discuss the art of the illusion.

For more than 100 years, the New York Public Library has been building an extraordinary collection of rare color lithograph posters that promote the great magicians and illusions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Forty-eight of these striking posters are currently on view in the exhibition Mystery & Wonder: A Legacy of Golden Age Magicians in New York City. These posters illustrate magicians reimagining old tricks and inventing new ones, shaping each performer’s unique identity within a new visual language of magic as audiences became more international.

Esteemed magic historian and poster collector Charles Greene III will speak about the rise and importance of posters in promoting the Golden Age of Magic and the thrill of collecting these historic works of art today. NYPL paper conservators Denise Stockman and Juliana Cordero will share their stories about the fascinating process of restoring the posters included in the exhibition. Exhibition curator Annemarie van Roessel will lead a discussion and Q&A from the audience. 

The History of Society of American Magicians

Harvey Fierstein Theatre Lab
Thursday, June 4 • 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Lecture presentation about The Society of American Magicians and Harry Houdini. The Society of American Magicians today is an outgrowth of what had initially been a Saturday night social tradition inaugurated in New York City in the 1890’s. Richard Cohn, magician, historian, author, consultant and Associate of the Inner Magic Circle will speak of the origins of the club. He will also talk of the role of Dr. Saram Ellison in the founding and establishment of the S.A.M.

Thomas Ewing, S.A.M. National Historian will focus on Harry Houdini and his efforts to transform what was originally a New York group into an international organization. This metamorphosis not only brought clubs located in other cities into the fold but hobbyists and amateurs as well as professionals in other regions into the fabric of what is today an international organization.

To keep up with all the events, keep watching the "Mystery & Wonder: a Legacy of Golden Age Magicians" program page.

Related:

• Mystery and Wonder: A Legacy of Golden Age Magicians in New York City

Houdini's curious request

When Houdini died on Halloween 1926, his brother Theo Hardeen inherited his show and came out of retirement. Dash had a healthy career as a "Handcuff King" from 1900 to 1917. He then hung up the handcuffs to help run Houdini's ill-fated film factory. But now he was headed back to the stage. As far as I know, this poster was the first touting Hardeen as Houdini's successor. This appears in Ken Trombly's new book The Art of Magic.

Ken Trombly Collection

However, Hardeen's inheritance was not unconditional. Houdini's Will contained a curious stipulation that I rarely see discussed. Hardeen could only inherit the show if his sons were confirmed in the Jewish faith within three months. I recently came across an article in which Hardeen himself explained the reasons behind this.

The Herald Statesman, Nov 16, 1926.

Hardeen appears to have adhered to his late brother's wish, and he began his tour on January 17, 1927, in Bridgeport, CT. He continued to perform as "Houdini Legal Successor" until his own death in 1945.

While none of Hardeen's children or their offspring went into magic, we are fortunate today to have his grandson, George Hardeen, son of Harry Hardeen, looking after the legacy of Houdini and his grandfather. 

Related:

• Theo Hardeen
• Hardeen's new job
• NPR unlocks the secret of Houdini's bloodline

The auction that launched a thousand blog posts

It was 20 years ago today that a rare Terror Island poster sold for $12,650 during Swann Galleries' auction of The Christian Fechner Collection of American & English Magic, Part I. Why am I reporting on such old news? It's because this auction ad started this website. 

2005

I had never seen this poster. Very few people had. So when I saw this ad in a Swann newsletter, I thought, "Wouldn't it be great if there were someplace that tracked all Houdini activity like this?" Instead of waiting for that to happen, I started doing it myself. First, a small electronic newsletter (2 issues), then a website www.houdini-lives.com, which ran for 5 years, and then WILD ABOUT HARRY, which will turn 15 on November 10th.

Today, this poster hangs in David Copperfield's incredible International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts in Las Vegas. Ironically, I'm able to be in the same room with it precisely because it inspired me to start a blog. So whenever I see it there, a part of me remembers that day in 2005.

Related:

• Rare 'Terror Island' poster at auction
• Houdini Lives will die on June 30
• Welcome to Wild About Harry

The Art of Magic by Ken Trombly

Ken Trombly's lavish new book The Art of Magic -- A Lifetime of Collecting has just been released by Vanishing Inc. While not among the preview pics, know that the book contains not one but two chapters of Houdini treasures, including several items never before published. Here's a taste of what's inside.

Step inside one of the world’s most astonishing private collections of magic posters—now revealed for the first time. The Art of Magic chronicles one of the world’s finest collections of magic posters. The oversized book is, itself, a work of art. It is a collection dedicated entirely to the art and artistry of magic history.

Author Ken Trombly is one of the industry’s most fervent collectors of magic art: lithographs, posters, etchings–if it depicts a magician in history, Ken probably owns a copy in mint condition. His house is a wonderland from the golden age of magic. But few of us will ever get to see his collection in person. So…The Art of Magic brings that collection right to your fingertips.

You’ll learn about the heroes you know–Kellar, Chung Ling Soo, Thurston, Houdini–but you’ll see images here that you won’t find anywhere else. You’ll learn about John Henry Anderson and Robert-Houdin, who preceded the golden age of magic, and what’s particularly fascinating here is that you can see, literally, as the technology and art evolve, from broadsides of almost all types, to some wood etchings, to bursts of color in the stone lithographs we all know and love.

Ken Trombly provides the commentary for each image. He tells brief histories of each performer, how he acquired the piece, and often why the piece speaks to him as a collector. It’s a deeply personal accounting of one collector’s journey in our craft.

The Art of Magic -- A Lifetime of Collecting is being released as a Regular and Deluxe Edition. You can purchase it now at Vanishing Inc.

Related:

• Houdini and the Spiritualists with Ken Trombly
• Houdini hanging out in Houston

Houdini treasures at NYPL exhibition preview

Our good friend Charles Greene III attended an exclusive preview of an upcoming magic exhibition at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Billy Rose Theatre Division. As you can see, there were some Houdini treasures on display.

Click here to view photos on Charles' Facebook page

"Mystery and Wonder: A Legacy of Golden Age Magicians in New York City" opens February 12, 2026, and will run until July 11, 2026.

Want more? Charles, one of our fellow patrons, provided photos of an early Houdini letter he discovered in an NYPL scrapbook. You can check that treasure out on my Patreon below.

Thank you, Charles!

Related:

• NYPL reveals unseen Houdini poster
• "America's Sensation!" on display at the NYPL
• NYPL Digital Gallery invites us into Houdini's backyard

"Guess who's back?"

This post from the Winchester Mystery House Instagram speaks for itself. That happens to be an original Houdini poster!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Winchester Mystery House (@winchestermysteryhouse)

This beautiful lithograph was displayed at the Winchester Mystery House's museum in the 1950s-60's. It was their way of honoring Houdini's famous 1924 visit and the fact that Houdini himself suggested the name "Mystery House." But at some point, it slipped into storage and was forgotten. It was rediscovered several years ago and put back on display in their cafe. But Covid closed the cafe, and the poster was once again out of public view. But now he's back! Worth the price of admission alone.

An annotated newspaper clipping that Houdini mailed to the House after his visit is currently not on display. That is kept in their archives.

I got a nice look at both these rarities when I visited the Winchester House to shoot my Ghost Adventures interview last year. I've shared photos on my Patreon below.

Related:

• Houdini found at the Winchester Mystery House
• A Winchester Mystery House mystery...solved?
• The Houdini way to San Jose

Going ape over Houdini

Here's a fun clipping from the May 7, 1977, The Observer, about the growing popularity of magic. This was during the second year of my Houdini obsession, so I can attest to its accuracy. I even got one of those cool King of Cards posters! (Still have it.)

The Observer (La Grande, Oregon), May 7, 1977.

May 1977... What else happened that month to make kids go ape? Probably nothing.

In what era did you go "ape" for Houdini or magic? Let us know in the comments below.

Related:

• Everyone's first Houdini poster
• My first look at the real Houdini
• The Man From Beyond haunts Hollywood in 1971

Mastery Mystery Episode 10 poster sells for 31K

A one-sheet lithograph for The Master Mystery Episode 10 sold on Friday for $31,000 at Poster Store Auction. This does not include the steep 31% buyers premium. It's unclear if this was the same poster that was sold by Haversat & Ewing in 2020.

The auction listing touted this as "only copy of this fabulous poster known to have survived," but this is not the case. There are at least two others in private hands. But it's a beauty and I think this might be a new record for a Master Mystery poster at auction.

Related:

• Master Mystery episode 10 poster sells for $24,570
• Mystifier, Second Quarter 1998
• The Master Mystery posters

Take a Sweet Escape at the Magic Castle

The world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood has created a specialty cocktail in honor of Houdini's birthday this month. It's called Houdini's Sweet Escape.

The souvenir Houdini mini poster is his famous "Europe's Eclipsing Sensation" lithograph. Certainly one of the most beautiful Houdini posters. Only two originals are said to exist. One is in David Copperfield's International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts in Las Vegas and the other is in private hands. You can buy a stunning reproduction at Nielsen Magic.

Thanks to Mark Willoughby for the tip and Lupe Nielsen for the poster info.

Related:

• Who needs a drink?
• Escape your troubles with a cold Houdini
• The Magic Castle conjures The Houdini Box

Dixie Dooley's remarkable visit to 278

Dixie Dooley, magician, escapist, and author of Houdini--Question Reality (a wild book I really enjoy), has graciously allowed me to share a recording he made about his visit to 278 on November 16, 1985. Dixie was one of the only Houdini fans to enter the house in those days, and he came away with some amazing artifacts. It's a story you have to hear to believe, so click below and take the journey at my Patreon. 

Thank you, Dixie.

Related:

• New Houdini book by Dixie Dooley
• The haunting of Houdini's 278
• Inside Houdini's 278

American Museum of Magic restores Houdini display

The American Museum of Magic in Marshall, Michigan, has restored its iconic central Houdini display to its once-former glory. The museum had erected a small stage for children's magic shows on the spot and placed Houdini behind that. But now the Handcuff King is back in his proper place, greeting visitors as they enter the museum just as in Bob Lund's day.

The museum shared the above photo on their social media along with this message:

Houdini has returned to the American Museum of Magic! The Museum thanks both Lewey's Shoe Repair for his assistance in making this possible and the Board Members who assisted in this endeavor. Now our Houdini banner has a secret that only museum goers will be able to see!

Speaking of Houdini at the American Museum of Magic, the great William Kalush will be the feature of their next Speaker Series in October. Kalush talking Houdini can't be missed!

For more information and hours, visit the American Museum of Magic's website or Facebook.

Bob Lund in the original Houdini display.

Related:

• American Museum of Magic receives bequest
• American Museum of Magic shares collection online
• REPORT: The Midwest Magic History Weekend 2015

Restoring Hardeen

This magnificent Hardeen poster is currently undergoing restoration at the Harry Ransom Center. Eric Colleary, our friend and Cline Curator of Theatre & Performing Arts, posted this image to the Magic Collectors Corner Facebook group along with this plea:

We're working on a major conservation treatment of this Hardeen poster, a variant of a similar Houdini poster that also includes various cuffs and similar hand positions. Does anyone else happen to have a print of this Hardeen poster? And if so, would you be able to share an image for reference? Many thanks in advance!

If you can help Eric, reach out to him via the Harry Ransom Center website or on Facebook.

I've never seen this poster myself, but the image of Hardeen appears to have been drawn from a photo that can be seen in Milbourne Christopher's Houdini's The Untold Story.

Related:

• Treasures of the Harry Ransom Center
• More treasures of the Harry Ransom Center
• Leap Day Dash

Leap Day Dash

While we know Hardeen was born on March 4, 1876, in Budapest, like his famous brother, he later claimed Appleton as his birthplace and changed his birthdate. The date Dash chose was February 29 (Leap Day), showing he had a sense of humor about all this. As it only happens once every four years, let's celebrate Hardeen's "birthday" today with some dashing posters.

Below is one of my all-time favorite posters for either brother. If Houdini ever created a poster depicting a bridge jump, I've not seen it. But it would be tough to do better than this one. This appeared on the back of the July 1945 Conjurers Magazine "Hardeen Memorial Issue." How I would love to see this in color.

Here's another Hardeen poster that features a bridge jump as a key image. This is a blow-up from a photo of an Oakland billboard when the brothers were both performing there in 1915. Again, how I'd love to see this in color.

Here's another beauty. This appears on the back of Hardeen's pitchbook.

While the above posters will be familiar to some, I'm sharing a Hardeen poster on my Patreon today that I bet you've never seen because I sure hadn't! And, yes, this one is in color. This comes from Eric Colleary and our friends at the Harry Ransom Center. Enjoy.

Happy Leap Day Birthday, Dash!

Related:

• Hardeen's Tacoma bridge jump
• Houdini vs. Hardeen in Oakland
• Hardeen: The Man Who Walked Through Walls

Houdini (and friend) in paper mache

Here's a work of paper mache art by Vittorio Marino that recreates Houdini's 1916 Water Torture Cell poster. I really love that he includes the big blue monster holding Houdini inside the cell. That's a first, as far as I know.

Statue inspired by a poster of the famous American magician of Hungarian origins, Harry Houdini, by the Contemporary Primitive Artist Vittorio Marino. It is realized in Paper Mache and coloured with acrylics, paint marker and pastel. The chest is in plywood with transparent plastic and polystyrene inserts.

In case you're not familiar with the original poster...

You can purchase Vittorio Marino's Houdini paper mache creation at ArtParks.

Related:

• Arturo Balseiro's Houdini bust is breathtaking
• Life-like Houdini figure by Casey Wong haunts Monsterpalooza
• Barcelona's Museum of Chocolate holds Houdini

Milk Can poster sets new auction record at $180,000

Let's kick off 2024 with the big news that happened during my holiday break. 

An original Houdini Milk Can poster sold at Potter & Potter's "Select Secrets" magic auction on December 9th for $180,000 (including buyer's premium). That is a new record for a magic poster. The auction description says this poster originally came from 278 and is one of only five known to exist.

This is easily one of my favorite Houdini posters. It just perfectly captures the drama of this famous escape. In Houdini: A Mind in Chains, Bernard Meyer suggests the imagery is womb-like. Sure, I see that. What I also see are Houdini's brothers doing the locking. The man in the goatee and glasses certainly appears to be Leopold Weiss. I'm betting the other men are Nathan and Bill. Has anyone else ever noticed this?

Another auction lot of note was a copy of The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin inscribed to Terror Island director James Cruze during the production of the film. That went for a not unreasonable $3000.

Want more? You can watch video of the historic sale of this poster as a member of my Patreon below.

Related:

• When failure meant a drowning death
• The greatest Houdini auction ever
• Houdini Water Torture Cell poster makes history at Potter & Potter auction

Banner day for Houdini at auction

A large banner poster (42¼ × 108¾") advertising Houdini's "3 Shows in One" sold yesterday at Potter & Potter's Ricky Jay Collection Part II auction for $14,400 (with buyers premium). A reasonable price for a Houdini poster. I've always loved this artwork as the Halloween imagery makes it eerily prescient.

Another standout was a 4-page flyer from early 1900 advertising Houdini "Assisted by Mme. Beatrice Houdini," which sold for $9,600 (with buyers premium). The auction notes it as "the first example we have encountered." 

Congrats to the winners!

Related:

• The last Houdini poster
• Houdini's grand finale: 3 Shows In One
• Martin Beck and the nine Houdini "knockers"

Houdini sighting in The Sentinel

Over the weekend I spotted two Houdini posters in the 1977 movie The Sentinel. This was made during the "Houdini Renaissance" of the 1970s, and the same year we got Houdini posters in Looking for Mr. Goodbar. I love this kind of thing.

I caught this while watching my favorite Mystery Danakia Theater on Twitch.

You can see more "Hidden Houdinis" from the 1970s below.

Related:

• Houdini living on the air in Cincinnati
• Phantasm Mama
• Looking for Mr. Houdini

Houdini '53 at 70: Premiere day

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the release of the Paramount's classic biopic HOUDINI starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Seeing this move at age 10 is what ignited my interest in Houdini, and I know I'm not alone in this. It's a magical movie that inspired more than one generation. I still love it. That's why I'm going to devote this entire week to Houdini '53.

Today I'm sending you back to the beginning, the premiere at the Des Moines Theater in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 25, 1953. Just click the image below to see the show!

I've got my poster out and will be watching it tonight. How about you?

Related:

• HOUDINI (1953)
• November 16, 1975
• When Houdini (1953) came to TV

There's a Houdiniesque David Copperfield poster out there (update)

On my last visit to the Magic Castle, I was excited to see a new addition to their dining room. Framed on the wall is a huge new David Copperfield poster styled after Houdini's famous 1911 Strobridge lithograph, sometimes called the "Houdini for President" poster. Yes, it's David Copperfield by way of Houdini and that's pretty wild!

I don't know when this poster was created, but this was my third sighting. I first saw it inside David's own International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts in Las Vegas and again at Bruce Averbook's Magic Art Museum and Library in Cleveland. But I've only seen it inside these three temples of magic where no photos are allowed. So all I can do is share news that it exists and that it works beautifully as a tribute to two masters of magic.

Have you seen the "Copperfield for President" poster? Let us know in the comments below.

UPDATE: Thanks to Ray Anderson and our friends at Esther's Follies in Austin, we can see the poster!

Related:

• My incredible week inside the Copperfield collection
• ALL the Houdini wax cylinder audio has been saved!
• Copperfield finds