Houdini and Edwin Booth's hair

Our friend Eric Colleary, who is currently organizing an exhibit and penning a book devoted to Houdini's Library, alerted me to this post by The Player's Foundation on Facebook. I never knew about this! Eric pointed out that the Harry Ransom Center has the receipt for this donation, an image of which is shared in the comments. The only mistake here is the year is 1917, not 1911.

Collecting someone's hair? What a weirdo. Oh, wait...

Thank you, Eric!

UPDATE: Chuck Romano of My Magic Uncle sent over a clipping from the March 1920 issue of Photoplay with the following quote from Houdini:

 

   "I would not think of carrying a lock of hair," he said. "To me that is the true sign of the hardest of hard luck. Once I bought a collection. In it was a letter written by the Duke of Wellington to an artist who had painted his portrait. In the letter was a lock of the Duke's here. All the time I had it hard luck pursued me.

   Finally I tossed the thing into the fire. The very next day bad luck and Houdini parted company.

   I once had a lock of Edwin Booth's hair that I bought in another collection. Hard luck seems to creep upon me again. I gave that away–and once more, hard luck left me."

Thank you, Chuck!

UPDATE: This story keeps developing. Joe Notaro reminds me of a post he did last year on his blog about Houdini's Duke of Wellington hair lock. He even has a pic. Check that out HERE.

Thank you, Joe!

Related:

• Find of the century?
• Houdini’s Library coming to the HRC in Fall 2026
• Houdini’s Library will also be a book!