Erie, Pennsylvania: Erie Litho. Co., ca. 1917. Iconic color lithograph depicts a striking portrait of the Chicago-born magician in his earliest days as Blackstone. Red and green imps whisper to him against a spooky background of bats and ghosts. 27 x 41". Prominent fold lines; B+. Rare. Though he rose to fame as America’s foremost magician, Harry Blackstone was born on the south side of Chicago as Henry Boughton, and performed in small-time vaudeville shows under a host of other names. His first taste of success came while using the moniker of Frederik the Great, but after anti-German sentiment swelled during WWI, he adopted the name of Blackstone, and it stuck. Though he never strayed far from his Midwestern home, Blackstone traversed the country for decades with a show frequently billed as being staffed by a “Company of 30,” including “mostly” gorgeous girls. His production, in its heyday, required a box car full of illusions, animals, and props, and featured a vanishing horse (called Doc Bill, thanks to the veterinary costs associated with his care), escapes, and rapid-fired exchange illusions. Despite the stage-filling spectacle, it was Blackstone’s personality that made his reputation, along with his presentation of “in one” effects in front of the theatre curtain, and with audience volunteers. His Floating Light Bulb and Vanishing Bird Cage were trademark tour-de-force tricks that showcased his everyman appeal, amazed theater patrons and children alike, and cemented Blackstone’s reputation as the “world’s master magician.”