New Houdini Family Photos Discovered

I never know what exciting things the day is going to bring. Today was an exceptional surprise. This morning I received an email from one of my readers about a discovery he made of some Houdini Glass Plate Negatives. He had one of Houdini smiling which is pictured above. He purchased these about a year ago at a flea-market!

But it's the second image that is the incredible one. He believes that the image below is of Cecilia Weiss. Jeff from JB Auction House, who is the finder of the plates, pointed out that the photos we have of Cecelia are mostly from 1900-1908. However, Cecilia died five years later, so it's possible this is her. (SEE UPDATES BELOW)

The Mystery Photo

I'm also posting this image of Cecilia with some of her known photos so you can compare for yourselves. Now, if it is NOT Cecilia, then my best guess is it is Hannah Steiner, Cecilia's mother, who was Houdini's Grandmother and is buried in the Houdini plot in NY. This yellowish photo (at the very bottom) shows Hannah on the far left, Rose Steiner and a young Cecilia Steiner.

A big thank you to Jeff for allowing me to post these images. Now folks, PLEASE comment below. Let us know if you think this picture is indeed an older Cecilia or perhaps Hannah.

UPDATE: Leave it to John Cox. He pointed out that there was a photo taken after 1908, this one was 1913 as Houdini was leaving for Europe. The last known photo of Cecilia Weiss and it is not the woman pictured above. However, I still believe this is a relative, probably Hannah. Your thoughts?
UPDATE 2: It looks like folks are leaning towards Hannah Steiner, which to me is still incredible.

 

Hannah, Rose and Cecilia Steiner

1913 image of Cecilia Weiss

FuManchu Floating Ball

I love museums, I love collections of historical items and frankly anything to do with history. Though I have a small collection of my own made up of posters, programs, magic props and one large illusion owned by Harry Blackstone Jr., it's not enough to satisfy my craving for history.

So I seek out other collectors and have been fortunate enough to view a number of really wonderful collections. Every collection is impressive to me. I remember years ago Richard Kaufman showed me his collection of magic sets. It was just so cool to see so many wonderful examples of magic sets from all over the world. Ken Trombly invited me over to see his poster collection a couple years ago and that was truly amazing.

But the one collection that has really stood out above all others for it's magnitude of incredible pieces has been Ken Klosterman's collection. He calls the area he displays the collection the Salon De Magie.
It's awesome beyond words. But I'm not sure how many folks know that there is a second location, kind of an annex with some equally cool items.

There is one item in that collection that really caught my eye. It's a prop that was once owned by David Bamberg. The item is the Fu Manchu Floating Ball. I am sure the ball itself was made by David's father Theo Bamberg. The ball is inside of a plexiglass box which was used during the presentation of the illusion.

The plexiglass box is designed to have the lid open on it's own, as if by magic. The floating ball is often attributed to Okito (Theo Bamberg) but apparently, Theo learned the effect from David Abbott. Today, Teller presents a version of the Abbott Ball effect in the Penn and Teller show in Las Vegas.

By the way, Ken Klosterman is now writing a monthly column in MUM Magazine which features a different item from his collection each month. I'm sure he'll also share with the readers the way he obtained the various items and from whom.

Le Grand David: All Done By Kindness

There is a famous David Devant Poster which has the words 'All Done By Kindness' written across the bottom. I'm almost certain that my friends at LeGrand David had one poster with those words written across it. I know however, that they mainly used the slogan 'always a wonder to remember'.

I guess for me, 'All Done By Kindness' really sums them up the best. Upon everyone of my visits they have all been the kindest folks. And one day in 2004, I received something in the mail from them that I have cherished ever since. Now, before I say what it is, let me tell you that I collect LGD stuff. Posters, magazine articles, programs, books, you name it, and I collect it. I've got a huge collection of their newspapers that I've acquired of the years, and I've hunted quite a long time for some of the more rare early posters and programs from their show. I still don't have a copy of every poster they've done, but I have most. I've also seen a couple of their props in different collections and one day perhaps if luck shines upon me and those collectors decide to sell, I'll be able to add a prop to my collection.

But greater than any prop or poster or frankly, greater than any piece from any magician I have in my magic history collection, is a hand-made card that they sent to me. Inside the card reads "Thank you Dean, Your Magic Words Have Touched Our Hearts" and then it is signed by every member of the LGD cast. That cards sums up the 'All Done By Kindness' that they express in all they do. They are all wonderful and generous people who I'm proud to call my friends.