Original 1943 "Blackstone" Offset Lithograph Poster

This is an original 1943 Blackstone offset lithograph poster from my private collection of Magic posters. Baffling! World's Greatest Magician and his Show of 1001 Wonders advertised the Harry Blackstone Sr. magic show at the Orpheum Theatre in Wichita, KS that began on Friday December 31st, 1943 for 1 week. This poster was a working piece of advertising history, it is a rare poster and even more scarce to find one with the bill at the top! This poster is a 1-sheet measuring approximately 28" x 41" and is in excellent condition.

Harry Blackstone was born Harry Boughton, of Jewish parents and was raised in Chicago, IL. He began his career as a magician in his teens and was popular through World War II as a USO entertainer. He was often billed as The Great Blackstone. His son Harry Blackstone, Jr. also became a magician.

Blackstone was in the mode of courtly elegant predecessor magicians like Howard Thurston and Harry Kellar. He often wore white tie and tails when performing, and he traveled with large illusions and a sizable cast of uniformed male and female assistants. For a number of years he toured in the Midwest, often performing throughout the day between film showings.

Blackstone spent the last years of his life performing at The Magic Castle, in Hollywood, California. He died at the age of 80 and was interred close to his former home in Colon, Michigan where the main street was renamed Blackstone Avenue in his honor.