Scheuffler, Rich | The greatest attraction of the twentieth century

Scheuffler, Rich

Die grösste Attraktion des XX. Jahrhunderts. Neu für die ganze Welt. Die Centrifugalkugel. Todesschleuderung dreier Damen. Hamburg: Lith. Adolph Friedländer, ca. 1913 (no. 6011)

Color lithograph poster (37 3/8 x 28 1/8 in.; 950 x 714 mm). Fold creases with some abrasion, some marginal chips, tears, and soiling. Laid down on linen.

A very rare poster for an intriguing, if now obscure, circus stunt. The centrifugal ball act, managed by Rich Scheuffler, was promoted by this dramatic Friedländer lithograph that depicts three women, each holding the flags of two nations, standing on a huge gyroscope seemingly suspended in space and facing "Todesschleuderung" (hurling death). The failure of such a sensational act—and the corresponding rarity of its promotional poster—can only be due to Scheuffler's inability to produce on stage anything approaching the drama and spectacle of this poster.