$2,000
New York: H. C. Miner Litho, ca. 1895. Attractive three-quarter length portrait of the hypnotist, self-proclaimed doctor and inventor of "medical" devices, with ethereal figures including women and devils surrounding him. The dapper gentleman holds a top hat in his hand and a cool expression on his face, even though one wraith points a dagger at him. 42 x 56". Likely lacks top sheet; old folds and margins restored. B. Sold as-is. This poster was most likely produced to advertise Macaura's performances as a stage hypnotist. After a brief career on stage, he gave up performing for a career far more lucrative: as a quack doctor. Combining his talent for showmanship with supposed medical advances made the Irish-born Macaura a wealthy man. The good "doctor" offered mysterious remedies and cures for virtually all ailments, and patented and marketed a blood circulator called "Macaura's Pulsocon," which he prescribed (and sold through the ever-popular Sears catalog) to both men and women to help "loosen their joints and increase the circulation of blood." This "movement cure apparatus," as it was sometimes known, was partially responsible for Macaura's fortune, but also in part for his downfall. In 1914, he was sentenced to three years in prison and a fine of $600 on a charge of fraud for selling a "vibratory massage instrument," - the Pulsocon itself.
Auctioneer:
Potter & Potter
Date:
2017-02-04
