Houdini's Fingerprints

[Kevin Connolly]

Does anyone have a lead on Houdini's fingerprints? I know he used them in his spritualism exposures from time to time. I was wondering if an image of the prints are still around.

Any info is appreciated.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Chris Aguilar]

I recall seeing pictures of plaster casts he had done of his hands. Perhaps some of those still exist and have preserved his prints.

[Kevin Connolly]

Thanks! I have those photos. They are wax/parafin casts. Somewhere, out here, they are sitting. IMHO.

[Richard Kaufman]

It's unlikely that something as fragile as wax casts of someone's hands would last 80 years.

[Kevin Connolly]

True, but there me photos of them. He may have accidently left some behind when in contact with ink, emulsion, etc. He did use fingerprints from time to time when exposing spiritualists.

[Chris Aguilar]

Perhaps some enterprising person (or Houdini himself) used the paraffin to create plaster versions. Perhaps questionable if fingerprints would survive such casting.

This guy explains how it all works.

http://www.asios.org/kluski_en.html

[Kevin Connolly]

Well, I have found out that they can at least last 40 years in some cases. Maybe fingerprints could last longer under the right conditions?

I have Houdini's laundry bag here. Maybe go the DNA route? :)

[Mark Williams]

Have you tried Gary Darwin in Las Vegas? I went over to see his Magic Collection just the other day. Darwin has quite a lot of Houdini memorabilia.


Best Magical Regards,

Mark Williams

[Kevin Connolly]

Thanks. No I haven't seen his collection. I'll keep that in mind.

[Baph]

isnt there a cast of Houdini's hands in tbe seance room at the Magic castle?

I may have a photo from my last visit, but don't remember whether there were fingerprints or not.

Jon

[Kevin Connolly]

I really don't know. My Magic Castle connection seems to have disappeared on me.

[Greg Edmonds]

I've never seen Mr. Darwin's collection, but I'd be hard pressed to believe it's larger or more impressive than Kevin's own.

As to the fingerprints, I know of no existing set for Houdini. Even the personal items and rare bits of apparatus he left behind have, no doubt, be polished or rubbed time and again, should it be possible for prints to last this long on a surface, unless preserved chemically.

I'm certainly no expert on plaster, but have put on more than a few casts (for broken bones) in my time, and unless the plaster was much, much, finer than the kind I worked with (before the medical community went to the non-plaster types), I'd be surprised if it would hold the fine image of a fingerprint.

Greg

[Kevin Connolly]

Greg,

Thanks for the kind words. I just like to have few things to make the Houdini boys twitch a little. :) As a matter of fact, you were there when the Houdini linen bag was given to me. ;)

As for the fingerprints, chemical was what I was thinking too. I picked up a signed Houdini photo recently and it had a fingerprint pressed into the image. That's what triggered this angle and this topic here. I know it's a stretch, but that's part of the game too.

Kevin

[Leonard Hevia]

Hi Kevin--have you recently learned anything about the new updated version of the Frank Koval Houdini Diaries? A set of the diaries recently sold on the Martinka Auction for $551.00. That's a lot of cash for lots of blank pages...

[Kevin Connolly]

I thought I heard years ago that Koval handed the new edition over to someone else to continue. I THINK it was Ron Cartlidge, but can't say 100% it was. I haven't heard anything about it and no one has contacted me for help, etc.. I'm pretty good staying in the loop when in comes to HH.

As for $551 for the set, that's pretty steep. When things get to this level, look for someone to be running to Staples to knock some out to cash in. I saw it a few years back when Prism was hot. It's similar in production to the Diaries. I would think it is very possible for it to happen again.

[Leonard Hevia]

That's interesting Kevin. I thought the original Koval Diaries already resembled Xeroxed pages. Given the cheap production of that project, it seemed to me that $20.00 was steep for each each diary.
The winner of that Martinka auction will also pay the %15 buyers fee in addition to the winning price. That comes to a hundred dollars per diary and there are six of them. That's a lot of cash for...blank...pages...?

[Kevin Connolly]

Well it's not really all blank pages. There is a lot of info in there. At least he made the first effort in that area. The first effort has to be tough to do. I'm sitting on a ton of info and can't even keep it order, much less to write about it.

Manny Weltman published a book, Houdini: A Definitive Bibliography. Although he mentions that it really isn't, he would welcome additions from anything he missed. At least he got the ball rolling.

If and when a new Diary is produced, the old Koval books will become much less desirable. IMHO. $600 for the set is absurd. So is the Culliton set for $3,000. I've seen these both sell in recent memory for about a thrid of those prices.

[JohnCox]

I really don't know. My Magic Castle connection seems to have disappeared on me.

You ever need to get into the Castle, Kevin, just give me a shout.

Yes, "Houdini's hands" are the Seance room, but they show no detail. They don't really look like casts, they are just smooth bronze hands.