Summer Magic Auction
Sat, Jun 19, 2021 12:00PM EDT
Lot 149
Swann, Russell. Inscribed and Signed Portrait of Comedy Mag...
Estimate: $150 - $300
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 |
Swann, Russell. Inscribed and Signed Portrait of Comedy Magician Russell Swann. Circa 1930. Three-quarter length sepia tone portrait of the pioneering comedy magician with an Asian assistant at his side and a rabbit held between his hands. 10 x 8?. Inscribed and signed, ?To Willard Smith / May your success / multiply like / rabbits / Russell Swann.? Sold with four vintage magic magazines featuring Swann on their covers.Swann got his start on Coney Island, and later learned how to be a comedy magician by studying the act of Bill Williston. He developed a popular style of one-liners accompanied by both silly and amazing tricks that was perhaps one of the first popular comedy magic acts. His jokes and tricks took him around the world, entertaining in prominent nightspots, hotels, theaters, and for celebrities and politicians, including one appearance at the White House for Franklin D. Roosevelt.
