Cold Cast Bronze Sculpture

Harry Houdini

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£74.99

Unique bronze bust of the famous magician and escapologist Harry Houdini. A must for any Houdini collector. Cast by hand in the artists own workshop in the highest quality cold-cast bronze.

Free postage and packing within the UK.

Artist's comment

The world's most famous magician and escapologist Harry Houdini real name Ehrich Weisz was born in Budapest, Hungary on March 24 1874.

His father took him to see Dr. Lynn, a travelling magician, Houdini's interest in performing soon consumed him. When he was 16 years old his father died giving him the freedom to become a full time entertainer, he performed in dime museums and sideshows mainly focusing on card tricks but soon began experimenting with escape acts.

In 1893, while performing with his brother as "The Brothers Houdini," Harry met and married fellow performer Wilhelmina Beatrice (Bess) Rahner. Bess replaced Dash in the act, which became known as "The Houdinis." For the rest of Houdini's performing career, Bess would work as his stage assistant.

His big break came in 1899 when he met his manager who advised him to concentrate on escape acts Within months, he was performing at the top vaudeville houses in the country and In 1900, Houdini toured Europe where he was a sensation.

In 1912, Houdini introduced perhaps his most famous act, the Chinese Water Torture Cell, in which he was suspended upside-down in a locked glass-and-steel cabinet full to overflowing with water. The act required that Houdini hold his breath for more than three minutes. Houdini performed the escape for the rest of his career. Despite two Hollywood movies depicting Houdini dying in the Torture Cell, the escape had nothing to do with his demise.

Houdini died of a ruptured appendix caused by multiple blows to his abdomen from J. Gordon Whitehead, in Montreal on October 22. Houdini was reclining on his couch after his performance, having an art student sketch him. When Whitehead came in and asked if it was true that Houdini could take any blow to the stomach, Houdini replied in the affirmative. In this instance, he was hit three times, before Houdini protested. Whitehead reportedly continued hitting Houdini several times afterwards, and Houdini acted as though he were in some pain. it was recounted that Houdini stated that if he had had time to prepare himself properly, he would have been in a better position to take the blows.

When Houdini arrived at the Garrick Theatre in Detroit, Michigan, on October 24, 1926, for what would be his last performance, he had a fever of 104 degrees F (40°C). Despite a diagnosis of acute appendicitis, Houdini took the stage. Afterwards, he was hospitalized at Detroit's Grace Hospital. Houdini died of peritonitis from a ruptured appendix at 1:26 p.m. in Room 401 on October 31 (Halloween), 1926, at the age of 52.

Height 10in/26cm

Weight 3kg

£74.99

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