231. THURSTON, HOWARD. Kellar’s Successor. Thurston. Cincinnati & New York: The Strobridge Litho. Co., 1908. A magnificent representation of perhaps the most famous illusion from the Kellar show, the Levitation. Gesturing upward, Thurston looks upon the lady who floats high above his head. Snickering devils stand behind the magician on one side, while two more look upward at a burning brazier. Smoke from the conflagration curls up behind the floating lady. 40 x 83 ½". Over-coloring to old folds throughout, several closed tears; A-/B+. Rare. 20,000/30,000 For years, Fernanda Myra served as the chief assistant on the Thurston show and played the role of the princess in Thurston’s unforgettable Levitation of Princess Karnac. After hypnotizing the lovely princess, Thurston laid her on a couch in the center of the stage. As he uttered his script in the most serious of tones, Fernanda began floating upward slowly, steadily, and surely. According to Arthur LeRoy, the scene and story proceeded as follows: “Rise, Fernanda, I command you to rise! Rise as you rose in the Temple of Krishna one thousand years ago!” The orchestra filled the quiet of the dusk as it played the Meditation from Thais. Two figures attired as Hindu holy men knelt, and Fernanda rose slowly, like a dream creature into space. “There she lies, asleep in space, suspended by nothing but the power of thought. There she can remain in peace for two hours, two weeks, two years. The slightest sound, the slightest whisper can disturb her sleep.” The audience was hushed, over-awed, as it watches as so many audiences had been by the beauty and grace of the perfect mystery – Karnac.”
126 • The Golden Age of Magic Posters - The Nielsen Collection Part II