The Ricky Jay Collection

The Ricky Jay Collection

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 528. (Robert-Houdin, Jean-Eugène) | A charming souvenir fan given out at the Theatre Robert-Houdin.

(Robert-Houdin, Jean-Eugène) | A charming souvenir fan given out at the Theatre Robert-Houdin

Auction Closed

October 28, 08:54 PM GMT

Estimate

8,000 - 12,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

(Robert-Houdin, Jean-Eugène)

Theatre Robert-Houdin Souvenir Fan. [Paris]: Guiraudet et Jouaust, [ca. 1854]


Pictorial paper folding fan (open: 420 x 230 mm) over wooden ribs; scattered browning and wear, some folds just splitting, one rib broken off at base.


"One of the more unusual sources of conjuring iconography was this fan, one of many magically produced from an empty cornucopia on the stage of the Theatre Robert-Houdin. The fans and other sundries were distributed as souvenirs to women in the audience" (Magic). 


The central vignette on the recto of this fan shows crowds thronging the entrance of the Theatre Robert-Houdin, with a barker holding signs that say "Séance de Robert Houdin" and "Programme des Soirées Fantastiques." The verso features vignettes of Robert-Houdin’s most famous tricks (including the orange tree, inexhaustible bottle, and light and heavy chest) alongside French verses describing them. 


REFERENCE:

Exemplars, p. 27; Magic, p. 33  

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