The poster was created to advertise the 9th EMHC meeting in Ghent, Belgium from 24 August to 27 August 2023.
Posters & Showcards
The majority of posters in the collection are theatre posters. These are either letterpress posters for variety theatres, or pictorial posters for a single magician or show.
A small number of other posters advertise books, exhibitions or events such as conferences.
To search for a specific date use the format 10 October 1924.
The Maskelynes produced their last Christmas Season shows in London for the season 1934-1935. Sadly, the business went into receivership in 1935. Chris Charlton decided to have a go at creating a new Theatre of Magic at the Royalty Theatre for the Christmas Season 1935-1936. Chris Charlton topped the bill which also included Fred Culpitt. This poster is full of press opinions.
The Maskelynes produced their last Christmas Season shows in London for the season 1934-1935. Sadly, the business went into receivership in 1935. Chris Charlton decided to have a go at creating a new Theatre of Magic at the Royalty Theatre for the Christmas Season 1935-1936. Charlton topped the bill which also included Fred Culpitt.
The Maskelynes produced their last Christmas Season shows in London for the season 1934-1935. Sadly, the business went into receivership in 1935. Chris Charlton decided to have a go at creating a new Theatre of Magic at the Royalty Theatre for the Christmas Season 1935-1936. Charlton topped the bill which also included Fred Culpitt.
This was one of the venues for Devant’s touring cinevariety show. See Devant and early cinema for similar items.
The show played various dates around the UK in 2021 and 2022. The show featured four magicians from The Magic Circle: Megan Swann, Danny Lee Grew, Dean Leavy and either Scott Penrose or Lance Corporal Richard Jones. Scott had recently located and renovated an early copy of Psycho and this was featured in his act. John Davenport caught the show when it appeared at The Commemoration Hall in Huntingdon on 23 October 2021.
The poster advertises the appearance of the circus in Ayr, Scotland, from Monday to Wednesday 29-31 July 2019.
This poster was first introduced at the August 2021 Magic Collectors’ Expo held in Las Vegas. Produced by Bill Smith, one hundred of the posters were also signed. This is #16/100. Unfortunately John Davenport was not able to attend the Expo, which included a visit to the museum and library, because of Covid restrictions.
According to page 193 of Kent Blackmore’s book on Levante, at the time of Levante’s tour of New Zealand in 1964, Levante’s wife Gladys took on a new stage name, becoming ‘Harlequin, the Lady of Shadows’.
Arthur Sketchley (real name George Rose) was a journalist and a very popular Victorian entertainer with his humour and impersonations. Mrs. Brown’s exploits were very popular at the Egyptian Hall and also spawned a range of books covering topics from her views on Cleopatra’s Needle to her travels around the world. This is one of the items contained in a wooden box of 19th century ephemera, mainly relating to the Egyptian Hall. To view all the items from the box, click on View Details and then the Key Phrase ‘Wooden box items’.
The three items pasted onto the sheet of paper are a poster and a newspaper clip for the Egyptian Hall, and a programme for the Spa Concert Room, Harrogate. Miss Grace Egerton (Mrs. George Case) entertains as an actress, singer and danseuse. Her husband adds to the entertainment. This is one of the items contained in a wooden box of 19th century ephemera, mainly relating to the Egyptian Hall. To view all the items from the box, click on View Details and then the Key Phrase ‘Wooden box items’.
This was painted by magician and family friend Bryan Baggs in 2020. It is No. 2 of 30. It is based on a poster design for the stage act of Lewis and Julia Davenport, although no copy of the poster has ever been found. The image was also used for a postcard: see Ref. no. N450. Their act was silent, hence the billing ‘No Time to Talk’. Lewis and Julia performed from 1904-1909, so the date of the postcard is circa 1906.