Harry Houdini (born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts. He was also a skeptic who set out to expose frauds purporting to be supernatural phenomena.
His many performances included the most famous Chinese Water Torture Cell, in which he was suspended upside-down in a locked glass-and-steel cabinet full to overflowing with water. The act required that Houdini hold his breath for more than three minutes. Houdini performed the escape for the rest of his career. Other acts such as the Buried Alive stunt & The Suspended Straight Jacket Escape kept the audiences on edge.
*The Milk Can Escape* (which is used in this miniature illusion box) is his act own original act which he introduced in 1901. In this act, Houdini would be handcuffed and sealed inside an over-sized milk can filled with water and make his escape behind a curtain. As part of the effect, Houdini would invite members of the audience to hold their breath along with him while he was inside the can. Advertised with dramatic posters that proclaimed "Failure Means A Drowning Death", the escape proved to be a sensation. Houdini soon modified the escape to include the milk can being locked inside a wooden chest, being chained or padlocked, and even inside another milk can. Houdini only performed the milk can escape as a regular part of his act for four years, but it remains one of the acts most associated with the escape artist.
~Houdini's theater box was made with magic & illusion in mind.
~It measures 2 inches by 2 3/4 inches square and stands 3 1/2 inches tall on 3 wooden ball feet. The feet are placed so that the box will remain standing when opened for display.
~Items are permanently fixed in place.
The Faerywatcher, May 2011
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