Potter & Potter Auctions
Live Auction

The Ricky Jay Collection

Sat, Feb 25, 2023 12:00PM EST
Lot 307

SCOTT, Samuel C. (1813 – 1841). Samuel C. Scott the Celebra...

Estimate: $500 - $1,000

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
SCOTT, Samuel C. (1813 ? 1841). Samuel C. Scott the Celebrated American Diver. Lambeth [London]: J.W. Peel, ca. 1840. Broadside for Scott?s challenge dive at the Rose and Bell, Bankside, the bill suggesting a wager: that Scott will offer 100 Guineas to ?dive with any man.? 15 x 9 ??. Right edge ragged, partially mounted to an album page. Fragile. See Learned Pigs & Fireproof Women, Chapter 10. As this bill makes clear, Scott was a well-known diver and made a name for himself by jumping over Niagara Falls, although the distance he fell has been disputed. Regardless, he made a career of high dives of great distances, often swinging from ropes by his feet and neck before plunging into the water as a sort-of warmup performance. Sadly, during one of these pre-dive swings, the noose around Scott?s neck tightened and by the time he was freed from it ? the audience thought that his struggles were part of the show ? it was too late. Scott died on January 11, 1841, an unwitting victim of his own lack of preparation.