Just think- you can own a piece of magical history-
something that was handled by the great Harry Houdini in his daily life!
This is a one-of-a-kind collectible, perfect for framing.
What a great gift!
About this envelope:
This is one of the envelopes found in Harry Houdini's personal desk.
The postmark is June 24, 1922.
The return address is "Down To the Sea In Ships", Elmer Clifton Production, 222 Union St., New Bedford, Mass.
This letter was sent to Houdini at his Houdini Pictures Corp. office in New York.
"Down to the Sea in Ships" is a 1922 American silent romantic drama film about a 19th-century Massachusetts whaling family.
Directed by Elmer Clifton, the film stars William Walcott, Marguerite Courtot, and Clara Bow.
The authenticity of the whaling scenes are noted in the opening screen credits, which praise the bravery of both A.G. Penrod and Paul H. Allen, the cameramen, "who, in small boats, stood by their cameras at the risk of their lives to photograph the fighting whales."
Houdini's film, "Grim Game" released in 1919, also suffered an accident with a biplane because of dangerous filming conditions.
Perhaps this correspondence was a discussion of the perils of early live action filmmaking.
See a larger version of the front of the envelope here.
The story behind the Houdini Envelopes:
In the late 1980's, magician Peter Monticup (owner of MagicTricks.com), purchased Harry Houdini's ornate personal desk.
The desk had been in storage in Houdini's former NYC home from 1926 until it was sold in 1980.
Peter purchased the desk from this buyer, along with some other personal items from the Houdini home.
The desk had a number of secret compartments and hidden drawers.
Inside one of the drawers was a stack of envelopes from correspondence Houdini had received.
The envelopes were from all different sources- his lawyers, his fans, fellow magicians, etc.
He even wrote notes on some of the envelopes, either noting the importance of the contents, or just scribbling on them as scrap paper.
In researching each of the envelopes, we've found an important connection to an event or person in Houdini's life.
Of all the thousands upon thousands of letters he received each year, he saved each of these envelopes for a reason.
Houdini was a notorious "saver".
These envelopes were used as his personal Rolodex (address directory).
