Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Houdini's hat floats in the 23rd Street subway

If you frequent the 23rd Street subway station in New York City you may have walked right past Houdini without noticing it. Since 2002, the N/Q/R stop has been home to Keith Godard's "Memories of 23rd Street," a collection of 120 mosaic hats worn by famous people who passed through the area in the 1880s to 1920s. Among them is, yes, Houdini!


Houdini did sport a straw hat in the late teens and twenties, so it's a good choice of headgear for the Handcuff King. But I'm not sure what that's supposed to be wrapped in the band. A pack of playing cards maybe? And would it have killed them to have a rabbit peaking out?


The photo of Houdini's hat comes from the travel blog travellina by Eva Kisgyorgy, a New Yorker who hails from Hungary.

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2 comments:

  1. Tom and JohanJanuary 28, 2020 at 7:28 PM

    I'm so grateful for this post, John. I LOVE the hat mosaics in that subway station, they're mini-masterpieces, but I had NO IDEA Harry's hat was among them! Can't wait till I'm down there again so I can see it in person!

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    1. John CoxJanuary 28, 2020 at 7:42 PM

      I was wondering if you knew about these, Tom. :)

      I think there might be more than one. I found photos online in which the straw hat is upside down. But this one has his name beside it, which is cool.

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