$3,200
LeRoy, Servais (Jean Henri Servais LeRoy). LeRoy, Talma & Bosco. Faust and Marguerite, A Modern Miracle. Chicago: National Printing and Engraving, ca. 1908. Mephistopheles whisks a cloth from a frame on four tall legs revealing a comely woman at a spinning wheel. 27 x 20". Remargined; A-. Rare. This poster may depict LeRoy’s version of the famous Bridal Chamber illusion, in which a complete bedroom – with two women, a bed, dresser, and all the accoutrements – appeared in a gigantic cabinet in the blink of an eye. Belgian-born Jean Henri Servais LeRoy was universally regarded as an inventive magician who devised many of the twentieth century’s great stage illusions. But he was much more than an “idea man.” LeRoy was also a skilled sleight-of-hand artist, a businessman who operated his own magic shop, and a formidable performer who mounted his own touring illusion show, “The Comedians de Mephisto Co.” which crisscrossed the globe for years. He worked along side his wife, Talma (Mary Ann Ford), who was, in her own right, a highly skilled manipulator; and Bosco, a role played by some nine different actors and magicians over the lifespan of the show, including the famous card manipulator Dr. James William Elliott.
Auctioneer:
Potter & Potter
Date:
2016-06-25
