Ankele's Wonders

Robert Ankeles was a little-known American magician performing during the last quarter of the 19th century. He was quick to include electricity into his magic performances at a time when electrical knowledge was still in its infancy. After his retirement from magic, Ankeles became known in the magic community for producing framed souvenir portraits of the fifty-eight most prominent magicians of the day, which he sold by ads in the magic trade journals.

The poster is an effective black and white design that features vignettes of standard magic tricks of the era as well as anti-spiritualist tricks, which were incorporated by some magicians into their performances.