Thursday, January 22, 2009

Abracadabra *updated*

I love vintage magic posters to a fault. I only have one, "Dreamland," which features Chevalier Earnest Thorn. I love how it seduces with the promise of evil and sin. So much better than a naked or some stupid thing. Now go here and blow a few minutes. Which one would you buy?

*I added the photo after a little bird down under reminded me of this post. Click to enlarge.

13 comments:

Jen said...

oh, i'd want "bunny", for sure. besides the giant rabbit, there's a company "30 mostly girls."

"ask alexander" is a close 2nd. super creepy.

"decapitation" is also lovely and odd.

i really want some of these!

Zen Wizard said...

Geez, what's up with you chicks, and magicians?

The moment a dude can make pigeons come out of his ass, he gets laid at the Playboy mansion.

I mean, it's not like he just performed an appendectomy or something. (I "get" the doctor obsession...I'm not sayin' I approve of it; just that I "get" it...)

Erin O'Brien said...

I love mine so much! Even after all theses years, it never fails to fascinate me. I want another.

I have the 30" by 40" printed on canvas. It rocks!

Erin O'Brien said...

Zen, you are killing me.

Ha!

For the record, you can have that Cris Angel guy and that in-the-box-for-a-month guy as well.

But those vintage posters! Yay!

Anonymous said...

"Ask Alexander." It's only natural.

Anonymous said...

I was goin for Alexander too (doesnt he look like a middle aged woman?) until I saw Thurston and his devils. Love his makeup job!
joanne

Kirk said...

Jeez, Erin, give a guy warning when you have two posts on the same day! I almost passed this one by!

Man, I love Dreamland! I buy it off you! I'll pay anything! I'll sell a kidney if I have to!

I also liked Ask Alexander (look at that expression on his face. For a man who knows all, he nonetheless looks stunned), Ghosts (look at those milequetoast demons in the lower left hand corner. Hell's accountants), and Decapitation (sex and violence were never more ethereal.)

I wish we knew who the artists were. They're probably long forgotten. They would have been considered "illustrators", not true artists, no matter how imaginitive their product.

One last observation: I think you can see where the rock album cover artists of the '60s and '70s got some of their insperation.

Anonymous said...

As a bellydancer I'm immediately drawn to "Blackstone - Oriental Nights" and "Ionia - Portrait". All those beautiful ladies in the "Blackstone" dancing while the camel levitates and little devils stoke the fire make me giggle. "Ionia"'s hair and costume are wonderful, and the ladies in the volcano smoke are very intriguing. Damn, but I wish I had a few extra hundred dollars laying around *pout*.

Kirk said...

One last thing. I wish they'd vive the years those posters were made. I'm guessing the 1890 up into the 1920s, although one did say "1934"

Anonymous said...

Erin, why do you find the promise of evil and sin so attractive? Naughty minx!

Anonymous said...

I speak only for myself, but the promise of evil and sin sounds like a lot of fun.

Anonymous said...

In the short term, Rory. In the short term!

Anonymous said...

Getting a hundred bucks outa me for a poster, now that would be magic.

I am being hypocritical, if it was a vintage steam tractor ad, I'd shell out.