Potter & Potter Auctions
Live Auction

The Ricky Jay Collection

Sat, Feb 25, 2023 12:00PM EST
Lot 293

[ESCAPE ARTIST] RITHLOW, Fred. Sensationel Fred Rithlow L’E...

Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$30 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $200
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$20,000 $2,000
$50,000 $5,000
$100,000 $10,000
[ESCAPE ARTIST] RITHLOW, Fred. Sensationel Fred Rithlow L?Evad? Perp?tuel. Hamburg: Adolph Friedlander, 1910. One-sheet color lithograph of this unusual escape feat presented as a playlet in the American West, performed by the magician while being dragged behind a fast-moving steed. Framed to 29 ? x 39 ??. Old folds visible, but not examined out of frame. See Learned Pigs & Fireproof Women, color plates. A bizarre combination of equestrian exhibition and escape artistry, the somewhat Americanized text below the image describes Rithlow?s act as follows: ?In his original scene / from the American lynchjustice / The punichement [sic] of a horse thief and how he escapes.? Rithlow was chained and fettered by cowboys, and tied in a sack, which was then roped to the saddle of a horse. While being dragged along behind the galloping animal, he made his miraculous escape. Vignettes in the poster show him before, during, and after the performance.