Don’t miss your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a rare piece of magic history at an affordable price, unlike anything the world of magic collecting has ever seen!
Vanishing Inc. has secured an extremely limited amount of remarkable relics from the Golden Age of Magic. You won’t find a better addition to your magic room or office than these breathtaking, nearly 100-year-old “Carter the Great Window Cards”.
Charles Carter, who performed as Carter the Great, was a larger-than-life character who circled the globe seven times with his illusion show. While he may not be a household name today like Houdini, his successes are nothing to scoff at. Throughout his illustrious travelling career, Carter the Great astounded audiences on five different continents, including the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.
Like most great illusionists of the 20th century, Carter the Great relied on colorful, creative advertisements to market his shows and fill seats. Known as “window cards”, these astounding pieces of magic history are the perfect example of the full-color stone lithography process that dominated magic advertising during this time period. Instead of being hung like a traditional poster, window cards are produced with a heavier stock so they can be quickly leaned against a surface like a store window (hence the name).
These “Carter the Great Window Cards” are NOT reprints. They are genuine originals produced by the Otis Lithography Company almost a century ago. This is the same Ohio-based printer that also supplied advertisements for a variety of other great magicians, like Howard Thurston, Danté and Nicola.
Unlike a Thurston or Houdini lithograph, though, you don’t need to take out a loan to add these “Carter Window Cards” to your collection. You’ll get to enjoy the same eye-popping imagery and milky deeply-saturated colors that personify these iconic posters, at a fraction of a price.
Don’t let that fool you into thinking they are lesser quality. Carter had an advertising background and his distinct iconography is some of the most impressive of the era. He had an uncanny knack for grabbing attention and starting conversations, and you’ll get to experience that for yourself as you hang your window card proudly.
All of our stock was taken directly from the collection of Ken Trombly, who dedicated years to acquiring and preserving them. No two are the same. While they’re all in fantastic condition, they also show the imperfections and minor dings/nicks that come with their age. However, it’s also important to note that many of them were either never used or only used for a short period of time, which means their colors haven’t been sun faded and offer a vibrancy you don’t often see in a relic from this time period.
Two versions are available (both of which measure approximately 14in x 22in).
Carter Beats the Devil Window Card
This whimsical image was actually the inspiration for the title of the book Glen Gold’s Carter Beats the Devil, which is one of the finest magic-themed novels you’ll ever find. The captivating duel between a magician and devil at the card table instantly sparks intrigue. As this window card was more popular, and made in larger quantities, it is the slightly more affordable of the two options.
The World’s Weird Wonderful Wizard
This rarer image is an exquisite example of stone color lithography at its finest. Avid magic enthusiasts may recognize that this design has typically been found as a gorgeous three-sheet poster. However, this rarer window card allows you to enjoy the stunningly unique imagery with significantly less demand for wall space or a framing budget. You’ll find it is priced slightly higher to reflect its rarity.
We must emphasize that both of these genuine artifacts of magic history will be in exceedingly high demand and quantities are extremely limited. They will sell out quickly and, once they do, will never be available again. Do not delay in adding one, or both, of these stunning “Carter Window Cards” to your collection today!
NOTE: These window cards are not framed. Each one is carefully wrapped in acid free tissue paper and then sandwiched between layers of foam board, before being secured in a custom cardboard box to ensure it arrives safely.
