Semon, Zera | An ornate broadside advertising "2 of the World's Greatest Combinations in One"

Semon, Zera

The Event of the Season! ... Zera Semon ... Together with Bell's Original Royal Marionettes ... and the Comical Pantomime Humpty Dumpty. Philadelphia: Ledger Show Print, [ca. 1880]

Printed playbill (1010 x 353 mm). Printed in black and red, 10 engraved illustrations, including portraits of Semon, Gus Bell, and Humpty Dumpty, along with depictions of magicians' tools and performances; short closed tears to head, foot, and right margin not affecting print, chip to upper left corner. Matted, framed and glazed with Plexiglas.

"2 of the World's Greatest Combinations in One"

An ornate broadside advertising "a night in wonderland, the king of curiosities" Zera Semon, "together with Bell's Original Royal Marionette's Direct from Crystal Palace, London, Eng., in their Marvelous Representations ... and the Comical Pantomime Humpty Dumpty." The broadside features engraved portraits of Semon and Bell, images of Humpty Dumpty beating police officers and holding a dead goose, common stock depictions of magical performances, and other decorative vignettes. At the foot, a note states that there would be a "Grand Presentation, at each Performance, of | 100 Costly & Elegant Presents | Given Away to those Purchasing Tickets."

In addition to his conjuring, Semon was particularly famous for a canopy act he performed with his wife, Irene, and for this "full stage set of life-size marionettes in a complete minstrel scene, the Bell's Royal Marionettes. They were named for Gus Bell, business manager of the Semon-Maironette combination, and proved to be a hit in the U.S., as Zera was the only one to offer an act like this" (Sassen).

REFERENCE:

Sassen, Claudia, Larry Semon, Daredevil Comedian of the Silent Screen, p. 17