The Golden Age of Magic Posters

In 2015, the McCord Stewart Museum announced the acquisition of a remarkable collection of magic posters and numerous archival items documenting the career of Harry Houdini (1874–1926), the most famous magician of the modern age.

One of the extraordinary features of the Allan Slaight Collection is its magnificent, unique posters. A combination of art and advertising, these illustrations employ phantasmagorical imagery to depict acts beyond the understanding of the average person. Created primarily during the Golden Age of Magic, from the 1880s to the 1930s, these works fired the public imagination even as they fulfilled their marketing goals.

Click here to discover the posters from this collection.