Blackstone Magician - Blackstone Big Combination (One Sheet)

This Blackstone one-sheet circa 1925, includes caricatures from the time his show was billed as "Blackstone Big Combination," a program which featured not only magic but also vaudeville acts such as Inez Nourse (Blackstone), "The Little Banjo Fiend." The poster, printed by National Printing and Engraving, includes images of many of the effects that were associated with Blackstone for decades, including the Dancing Handkerchief, The Artist's Dream, Where Do the Ducks Go?, and "The Old Man and the Whiskers" transposition. Although most posters of this era are anonymous, this artwork was done by Frank Spangler, Sr. Known under the byline "Spang," he was an artist for the Montgomery (Alabama) Advertiser newspaper for 40 years. I suspect, but can't say for certain, that although Spang was known for political cartoons, this artwork probably appeared in the paper after the show played in Montgomery. Blackstone then had it recreated for this poster

Chris Berry
circusposters@gmail.com