Preserving items that were intended to be ephemeral, like posters, can pose a challenge. Movie posters and advertisements were sometimes adhered to a wall, torn, and left with adhesive remnants on their backing when removed. The inks and papers used in traditional posters can be glossy, and they are often… read more
posters
The Golden Age of Magic Posters
The turn of the twentieth century was a period of innovation, when advances in printing and color lithography coincided with a new golden age in the performance of magic and illusion. This convergence resulted in the most stunning, color-saturated advertisements in the history of magic.
Houdini: Illusionist and collector
![Unidentified photographer, [Harry Houdini in chains and ball weights with police], ca. 1900. Gelatin silver print, 14 x 9.5 cm.](https://sites.utexas.edu/ransomcentermagazine/files/2016/09/Houdini2-768x1115.jpg)
This Halloween marks the ninetieth anniversary of the death of the great illusionist Harry Houdini. Born Ehrich Weisz in Budapest in 1874, he got his start as a trapeze artist before turning his attention to magic. He took the name Houdini after the popular French magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin. When Houdini… read more