Along with the unpublished images, what I really love here are the notes on the boxes explaining their contents. I have seen one other box like this in the Copperfield collection. These were labeled and annotated by Houdini himself.
Where did these come from? Our good friend Charles Greene III, author of the acclaimed Ionia and the newly released A Complete History of Friedländer Lithography, broke the news of this sale and shared images on his Magic Poster Gallery Facebook page (which is how I learned about it). Charles offered some additional information not found in the auction listing:
Original Houdini glass negatives were sold today at auction in Ohio. F. Kukol name is on original container. On 13 September 2024, after 100 years, these slides escaped the darkness of their bounds in a safety deposit box and reappeared for all the world to see. The images were taken at different times and at various locations, including Australia, Germany, and United States. Condition varied on each slide, but overall they are in excellent condition considering their fragility. Of the images, some are familiar and can be seen in print. Some of the images have never been seen in print. Are these security deposit box negatives from Houdini's long lost "secret vault" as mentioned by Joe Notaro? Enquiring minds will want to know.
Where they will go after today's sale remains a mystery. But, for how long? After today, depending on who buys them, they may disappear again to rarely be seen. Enjoy these images. After today, they may disappear forev...
I reached out to Apple Tree Auction Center for more details but have yet to hear back.
To my eye, this appears to have been a liquidation sale. I don't think the auction house fully understood what it had here. The lots started at $5! It was a 4-day auction without fanfare that was easy to miss. While the combined price of $20,500 is perfectly respectable, I think these could have gone for more, considering the historical significance of this find. And some of the images are stunners!
Want more? If you'd like to see some of the rarer slides as positives, I've converted a selection of 15 images from the original auction listings and have shared them on my Patreon below.
Thanks to Charles Greene III.
Related:
I wonder if David Haversat was the buyer. He's continually on the trail of Houdini items like a bloodhound.
ReplyDeleteThe winner doesn't appear to be anyone I know.
DeleteYou would think that the consignor would have gone with a well known auction house. I would have chosen Potter & Potter or Live Auctioneers to get DCs attention.
DeleteIt was on Live Auctioneers. It was just short. A few days.
DeleteAnybody who types "Houdini" in the Live Auctioneers search box would have caught this auction. Live Auctioneers will show upcoming auctions containing that search word. I don't hunt for Houdini memorabilia and don't bother searching in Live Auctioneers, but this would have been the way to go.
DeleteHarry had an outieeeee hehe 😉
ReplyDeleteLet’s see the pictures
ReplyDeleteJohn posted the positives on his Patreon account. They're amazing!
DeleteOk I’m sold…
ReplyDelete