An artifact from the final years of Harry Houdini’s legendary career: the burned and partially salvaged prop sheet from his performance at the Victory Theatre in San Jose, California, on October 29, 1924.
The artifact consists of the charred remnants of a heavy paper or card stock placard, measuring approximately 5.5 by 6 inches. Its edges are deeply burned and irregular, with the surface displaying dramatic craquelure and alligatoring from the controlled fire that was part of Houdini’s act. The fragment’s survival suggests it was deliberately retrieved from the ashes as a unique souvenir.
Historical Context & Provenance: This artifact originates from Houdini’s 1924-25 tour, a period just two years before his untimely death in 1926. The “burned and restored” or “ashes” effect was a staple of his full evening show, often involving a borrowed object or message. This prop sheet would have been a central visual element in one of these illusions, ostensibly destroyed by fire only to be miraculously revealed elsewhere. Its specific association with the Victory Theatre on October 29, 1924, provides a precise and verifiable historical moment in the magician’s performance history.