GOLDIN, Horace (Hyman Goldstein, 1873 ? 1939). Portrait of Horace Goldin. New York: Feinberg, ca. 1900. Full-length photograph of the Polish-Jewish illusionist at the outset of his career, posed in the photographer's studio with a silk hanging at the end of a rifle supported by his outstretched hand. Cabinet card format on photographer's mount. 6 ? x 4 ?". Near fine condition. RARE. Goldin was, by some accounts, either the inventor of the silk-vanishing rifle shown in this photo or the first performer to use the prop. It was one of the many effects presented at the opening of his shows, as part of a ?whirlwind" of effects shown by Goldin in a rapid-fire style. Some dealers would later refer to the prop (of any make) as the ?Goldin Silk Rifle."