These photos were all taken by Campbell and Grey, Cheapside and they might have been taken at the same session. If this is true, the photos below suggest they were taken sometime in 1903.
However the photo below suggests it was taken March 1904 during his engagement at the London Hippodrome.
The famous photo of Houdini on stage at the London Hippodrome was also taken by Campbell and Grey, Cheapside the day of the Mirror challenge. If this is true, then it was taken on March 17, 1904.
What about the photo with Houdini sitting in a chair with the Mirror Cuffs now in David Copperfield’s collection.
When was it taken? The photo in David’s museum has 1904 written on it.
Is that the same suit in the photo where he is sitting as the photos where he is standing? Possibly!
Is that the same haircut in the photo where he is sitting as the photos where he is standing? Not so sure!
When was this sitting photo published, first? I would love to know. There is evidence, he gave out signed copies with this image, as well has had handbills with the image advertising upcoming shows. All the ones that I could find have dates from 1909 to 1914. Anyone know of any earlier?
1909
1913 Engagement Cancelled due to death of Houdini’s Mother
1914 Signed
If you have any additional thoughts or other information on possible dates for these, please share.
Source:
- The Boston American April 26, 1904
- The Original Houdini Scrapbook
- Houdini The Career of Ehrich Weiss
- The Illustrated Research Diary
- The Secret Life of Houdini Laid Bare
- Houdini His Legend and His Magic
- Handcuffs.Org
The pictorial credits in “Notes to Houdini!!!” by Ken Silverman state that even though Houdini’s handwritten note on the above print in the Morris Young collection says 1903, the identical photo in the Carrandi collection was dated, “by Houdini or Bess,” at 1900.
Thanks David! We can now add 1900 to the mix. I really would like to date that photo to either 1903 or 1904. And we know how good Houdini is with dates; can’t speak to Bess. We know for sure that that photo has appeared in 1904, but that doesn’t tell us when it was taken. I really would like to know, when the photo of him sitting was taken and when it first appeared. There is also a nice undated photo in Silverman Notes on page 46, with Houdini standing in suit and white bow tie wearing the French Letter Lock Cuffs. Is it possible, it is from the same photo session; when did it first appear?
I think we can rule out 1900 for the standing image. I found images of him standing in a suit and white bow tie with Handcuffs in the Royal Magazine from September 1900 that are similar but taken at a different time; The photographs were taken by Frank Foulsham. I could see where Bess could confuse these 1900 images with the one from 1903/4, but they are definitely from a different session and time IMO.
Don’t forget to look at Houdini’s pitchbooks.
Great suggestion! When I checked the covers of the Houdini pitchbooks in the John Bushey collection, the standing image appears on the cover of a number of them starting with 1908. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to the contents. It would be nice to take a look inside the ones (i.e., America’s Sensational Perplexer) from 1903 and 1904. I did notice that he is sitting in a chair (not sure if it is the same chair as the photo with mirror cuff) with suit and white bow tie on the cover of 1904. Do you have these pitchbooks? What is the earliest you have seen of the standing image and also the sitting image with mirror cuff in print? So far, 1904 is what I found for the standing image and 1909 for the sitting image. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I thinking for once Houdini got the date right and this was taken in March 1904. That really does look like his same hair in suit as in the Mirror shot, which means it would have to have been taken in ’04. This also helps us date the Europe’s Eclipsing Sensation poster, which I’ve always thought was made for his return to the U.S.
As Frank Koval said, “Houdini’s annotation of this photograph establishes exactly where and when it was taken”, which would be March 1904 during his engagement at the London Hippodrome. So are you saying The Europe’s Eclipsing Sensation poster should be dated 1904 as opposed to 1906? I definitely believe all of the photos for the poster were taken by March 1904 at the latest.
We may be able to rule out 1903 for the standing image; I found some Campbell and Gray images that appeared in The Tatler No. 138, February 17, 1903 that are similar, but they are definitely from a different session and time IMO.
Pingback: Pick a Date | harryhoudinicircumstantialevidence.com
Pingback: Is this flipped photo really from 1904? | harryhoudinicircumstantialevidence.com