Harry Ransom Center at UT Austin Launches Free Houdini and Magic Digital Collections

By Tom Interval

Houdini scrapbook pages as seen in Page Flip View (Image: Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin)

The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin has launched a new website featuring several free digital collections, including two that will interest Houdini buffs, magic fans, historians, and researchers: The Harry Houdini Scrapbook Collection and the Magic Posters and Playbills Collection. Prior to this launch, both of these outstanding collections were available only through the Victorian Popular Culture Portal for a fee (or free if you happened to be a student or faculty member at a university that subscribed to the Portal).

I’ve included brief descriptions of both of these collections below, with direct links to each subcategory or individual image so you can quickly dig in to the material yourself using the Ransom Center’s online viewer, which includes useful tools such as zoom in/zoom out, full-screen view options, page rotation, and “Page Flip View” to view images as if you’re turning the pages of a scrapbook or photo album. There is a combined total of 1,180 images in both collections, and individual images are downloadable (small sizes only).

Keep in mind that these digital collections do not represent all the material housed in the Ransom Center. Researchers are welcome to visit Austin to peruse the stacks and even take pictures in the reading room at no charge (for personal use only). To obtain a more detailed working inventory of either collection (in Word format), contact the Center’s Performing Arts staff or email me a request and I’ll forward the documents to you.

Harry Houdini Scrapbook Collection

(Descriptions from the Ransom Center website)

In the circle. The medium at work. (Image: Confessions of a Medium, by Griffith and Farran)

Description: The Harry Houdini Scrapbook Collection contains ten scrapbooks owned by the legendary escape artist Harry Houdini (1874-1926), whose vast collection of memorabilia pertaining to the history of magic was obtained by the University of Texas in 1958. The scrapbooks contain playbills, theater programs, clippings, photographs, prints, correspondence, and other materials dating ca. 1820s to the 1920s. Most of the content falls into two categories: notices and reviews of performances by magicians, and articles about magic and spiritualism. Nearly every scrapbook contains elements of both categories. Read more »

Total number of pages/images: 1,101

Links to individual sections:

• Disbound scrapbook: Pages of a disbound scrapbook featuring newspaper clippings on spiritualism and magic tricks. Circa 1922–1924 (73 pages)
  http://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15878coll22/id/3076

• Disbound spiritualism scrapbook: Scrapbook of newspaper clippings centered around spiritualism and its practices. Includes a number of exposé articles that detail the professional tricks behind mediums and seances. Circa 1881–1907 (81 pages)
  http://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15878coll22/id/4157

• Dr. Merlin magic scrapbook: Scrapbook with images, programs of performances, and newspaper clippings of various magicians and illusionists. Given to Houdini by Dr. Merlin’s sister. Circa 1867–1896 (90 pages)
  http://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15878coll22/id/3251

• Herr Jansen scrapbook titled “Magician’s Doings”: Scrapbook of newspaper clippings, programs, and images of Harry August Jansen (later known as Dante the Magician) as well as other magicians and illusionists. Circa 1854–1905 (33 pages)
  http://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15878coll22/id/3411

• Magicians scrapbook: A scrapbook of newspaper clippings, playbills, advertisements, and other assorted material for a number of different magicians and performers including Robert-Houdin, John Henry Anderson (The Great Wizard of the North), Robert Heller, and Henry Evans (Evanion). Circa 1821–1939 (251 pages)
  http://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15878coll22/id/3664

• Professeur Em. De Verli scrapbook: Scrapbook of newspaper clippings advertising performances and appearances by magician and prestidigitator Professor Em. De Verli. Circa 1876–1904 (43 pages)
  http://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15878coll22/id/2988

• Professor Harry Helms scrapbook titled “Magic Illusions: Spooks No. 1”: Scrapbook of clippings detailing the workings of various magic tricks. Circa 1904–1910 (123 pages)
  http://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15878coll22/id/3376

• Professor S.S. and Kittie Balwdin, Somnambuncists, Fourth Tour Around the Globe: Scrapbook contains clippings from appearances of S.S. Baldwin, programs and playbills of performances, and photographs of countries visited on his fourth global tour. Also included is a typed preliminary inventory of the scrapbook’s contents. Circa 1847–1924 (242 pages)
  http://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15878coll22/id/4401

• Scrapbook about snake charmers and other conjurers: A scrapbook of newspaper clippings, other printed material and images detailing the secrets behind snake charmers, conjurers, and illusionists. Circa 1832–1914 (93 pages)
  http://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15878coll22/id/3759

• Spiritualism scrapbook: A set of loose pages that include material from The Illustrated American and Picture Magazine, various images, and a collection of newspaper clippings on spiritualism and mediums. Circa 1829–1923 (72 pages)
  http://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15878coll22/id/3833

Magic Posters and Playbills Collection

(Description from the Ransom Center website)

Balabrega, the Swedish Wonder (Image: Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin)

Description: The Magic Posters and Playbills Collection contains selected visual images from the Ransom Center’s Harry Houdini collection and Magicians collection pertaining to magicians and the history of magic from 1750 to 1920. Approximately 3,000 magicians are represented in the full collection. This digital collection includes selected posters, playbills, prints, and other ephemera documenting the careers of Harry Houdini, Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, Harry Kellar, Henry Evanion, and others. Read more »

Total number of images: 79

Links to individual images:

• A. Poletti, 1859; Professor Norris, ca. 1869; Professor Oliver, 1874; Professor G. Melville, 1876 (4 images)
• Adolfo Gilbert/Magique Ilusion (1 image)
• Aimée Désirée/La Prestidigitateuse Parisienne (1 image)
• Alfred Burnett at Grand Concert Hall (1 image)
• Balabrega/The Swedish Wonder (1 image)
• Bosco at the Assembly Rooms, Broadstairs, undated playbill (“Bosco in Broadstairs”) (1 image)
• Bosco at the Assembly Rooms, the Parade, Broadstairs (“Bosco is Coming”) (1 image)
• Burmain’s Wondrous Indian Feat/Lecture Hall, Carter Street, Walworth (1 image)
• Cardini/A Deft Manipulator/IBM Convention (1 image)
• Challenge/Will He Get Out/Mr. Harry Houdini
• Chevalier Blondin/The Hero of Niagara/Crystal Palace (1 image)
• Circus Busch/Houdini’s Neueste Sensation (1 image)
• Col. Dyke at the Public Room, Newport Pagnell (1 image)
• Como at Temperance Hall, Mytongate (1 image)
• De Vere at the Operetta House, Waterloo, Edinburgh (1 image)
• Delprade/Chevalier Mystére/Grande and Nouvelle Illusion (1 image)
• Delprade/Chevalier Mystére/Illusions Magie Imitations (1 image)
• Dr. Cavendish/The Flying Cage and Canaries (1 image)
• Dr. Cramer’s Illusions/Berner’s Hall, Agricultural Hall (1 image)
• Dr. Cramer’s Illusions Tonight!!/Berner’s Hall (1 image)
• Dr. Redmondi at the Great American Circus and Grand Palace of Varieties (1 image)
• Duval/The Biggest Draw on Earth (1 image)
• Ernest Patrizio at Beethoven Hall (1 image)
• Eva Kellar (1 image)
• Evanion’s Royal Entertainment (1 image)
• Frederick Bancroft/Prince of Magicians/Act II (1 image)
• Frederick Bancroft/Prince of Magicians/The Magician’s Palace (1 image)
• Great Original Troupe of Chinese/Arr Hee and Troupe (1 image)
• Harry Houdini/Mysteriarch (1 image)
• Hartz/The Celebrated Wizard and Illusionist (1 image)
• Heller at Heller’s Wonder Theatre (1 image)
• Hercat’s New and Startling Illusion (1 image)
• Herr and Jansen at the Crystal Theatre (1 image)
• Herr Dobler at Colston Hall, Bristol (1 image)
• Herr Dobler at Colston Hall, Bristol (1 image)
• Herr Dobler at unidentified venue (“Eastern Wonders”) (1 image)
• Herr Jansen Co./Lyric/Vaudeville (1 image)
• Herrmann the Great/Art of Palming (1 image)
• Houdini at the Cardiff Empire (“Water Torture Cell”) (1 image)
• Houdini at the Hippodrome Theatre of Varieties, Brighton (1 image)
• Houdini at the Leeds Empire, Briggate (1 image)
• Houdini at the Opera House, Melbourne (1 image)
• Houdini at unidentified venue (“Spiritualistic Entertainment”) (1 image)
• Houdini Wins/Exciting Scene/Daily Mirror (1 image)
• Hugo Rapazzini at Lecture Hall, Carter Street, Walworth (1 image)
• Imperial Japanese Jugglers at unidentified venue (1 image)
• Kar-Mi Swallows a Loaded Gun Barrel (1 image)
• Kellar/Levitation (1 image)
• Kellar/The Great Magician (with devils) (1 image)
• Kellar in His Latest Mystery/Self Decapitation (1 image)
• Knox’s Grand Combination Entertainment at unidentified venue (1 image)
• La Petite Edith/Clapham Hall (1 image)
• Liverpool City Police Office/Mr. Harry Houdini (1 image)
• M. Evanion/Town Hall/Petworth Institute (1 image)
• Macallister at the Bowery Theatre (1 image)
• Madame G. Card/Wizard Queen and Mesmerist (1 image)
• Madame G. Card at the Corn Exchange, Cheltenham (1 image)
• Maskelyne and Cooke/Egyptian Hall (1 image)
• Miss Nella Davenport/Public Hall, Colchester (1 image)
• Mr. Coglan at the Grand Saloon, 98, Pall Mall (“Mnemonics”) (1 image)
• Mr. Washington Irving Bishop/A Mental Assassination Revealed (1 image)
• Nabob/The New Mystery (1 image)
• Police Certificates/Houdini/The Man from Beyond (1 image)
• Professor Anderson at the Old Theatre Royal, Bristol (1 image)
• Professor Duprez at Public Rooms, Jarratt Street, Hull (1 image)
• Professor Halliday at unidentified venue (1 image)
• Professor Palmer at unidentified venue (1 image)
• Robert-Houdin’s Incredible Magic (1 image)
• Rubini/Prestidigitateur (1 image)
• Salle de M. Robin at unidentified venue (“Soirées Fantastiques”) (1 image)
• Signor Blitz at the Meionaon (1 image)
• The Entranced Fakir/Egyptian Hall (1 image)
• The Ethescope/Holborn Amphitheatre (1 image)
• The Great Krieger (1 image)
• The Incomparable Albini (1 image)
• The Jansen Herald, no. 400, Australian edition (1 image)