top of page
The Levitation of Princess Karnac by Harry Kellar

The Levitation of Princess Karnac by Harry Kellar

ABOUT THIS ARTWORK 

 

Known as the "Dean of American Magicians," Harry Kellar (1849-1922) toured the world from the 1870s until the early 1920s with spectacular stage shows that were promoted with lithograph posters in the city after city. Tens of thousands of his different posters were printed over the years, but few have survived. We offer three “Kellar” posters that demonstrate the magician’s flair for self-promotion. Working with the Strobridge Lithographing Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, Kellar insisted on mystery and exoticism to fill theaters. His career had an enormous influence on the next generation of American magicians, including Harry Houdini. 

 

ARTWORK DETAILS

  • Artwork title: The Levitation of Princess Karnac
  • Edition: Limited edition of 1000
  • Proof of Ownership: Certification on the Ethereum blockchain under the ERC1155 protocol. Each artwork is delivered privately and directly to collectors as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that guarantee proof of ownership.
  • Format: Pieces consist of PNG files sized 2160x3840 pixels - 150 dpi.
  • Medium: Colored lithography

  • Artwork Materials: Paper

  • Contract Address: 0x495f947276749ce646f68ac8c248420045cb7b5e
  • ID: 2749212597480566...

 

ABOUT THE ARTIST

As a master of stage imagery, Kellar wanted striking posters and the Strobridge Lithographing Company produced just that, featuring outstanding artistry and design. These are the most stunning, color-saturated advertisements in the history of magic, thanks to advances in printing and color lithography that coincided with a golden age in the performance of magic and illusion, led by Kellar. No credit is given to an individual artist, which is typically the case for lithography companies in the late 19th century. Rather than risk the possibility that one artist could control the final product and demand too much money, they used multiple artists. In this image from one of his posters, Kellar is toasting with the devil, as if to suggest that his “magical powers” were obtained in collaboration with dark forces.

 

COLLECTION CREDITS

  • Historical curatorship: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
  • Artwork: Harry Kellar & Strobridge & Co. Lith.
  • Year of original publication: 1899
  • Post-production: HARI - Historical Art Research Institute (HARI Editions)
  • Digital art supervisor: Marie-Lou Desmeules
  • Editorial: Braden Phillips
  • Historical research: Evangelos Rosios, Braden Phillips
  • Executive production: Victor Zabrockis

 

RIGHTS OVERVIEW

  • Source of artwork: Library of Congress
  • Underlying work rights: CC0
  • Digital copyrights: CC0

    You might also like

    Can you support us?  Let us know. 

    HARI's team of researchers is small but we will contact you within 24 hours in order to find out how you can support us in the quest to immortalise historical art