Houdini Card Showing Him Wrapped in a Christmas Stocking

Harry Houdini (1874-1926). Printed advertisement picturing Houdini inside a hanging Christmas stocking, 1p, 4" x 4.75", New York, no date. Two file holes at left. Minimal wear. In very fine condition. Part of a recent foreign find; not on the market for over fifty years.

This advertisement was undoubtedly included with books purchased as holiday gifts. It is an amazing and unique promotional item for we have not seen another. It reads, in full: “Gentle friend it may be shocking, But I’m in your Christmas stocking, In your service I am tied, Couldn’t get out if I tried, Houdini / 278 W. 113th St NYC, USA”.

From a foreign collection. Graf Klinckowstroem (1884-1969) was a well-known and influential figure in the history of paranormal research. Born in Germany, he developed an early interest in spiritualism. An amateur photographer, he used his skills to expose mediums and psychics who were fraudulently claiming to have supernatural powers. He was a staunch advocate of scientific investigation of the paranormal and was one of the first to call for scientifically controlled experiments to test the claims of psychics and mediums. Klinckowstroem worked with leading scientists and researchers, including Nobel Prize Laureate Dr. Charles Richet (1850-1935), to establish the International Institute for Psychical Research, which was dedicated to investigating supernatural phenomena. He expressed his skepticism of mediumship in many of his writings and speeches, believing that psychics and mediums were exploiting people by taking advantage of their ignorance and gullibility. He was particularly critical of fraudulent mediums who claimed to be able to communicate with the dead. He argued that the claims of psychics and mediums were based on superstition and deception, not on any scientific evidence. Klinckowstroem also exposed the methods of fraudulent mediums. He documented the use of tricks and deception by mediums to make it appear as though they had supernatural powers by showing how they used sleight of hand and props to create the illusion of paranormal phenomena. His work was highly influential in the paranormal research community, and his efforts to expose fraudulent mediums helped to discredit the field of mediumship and establish the need for scientific investigation of the paranormal. Klinckowstroem's work continues to be an important part of the history of paranormal research and is a testament to his commitment to the scientific investigation of the supernatural.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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