circa mid-1920s
Thurston
An Original Audience Souvenir
Listen to the story
A Card Thrown to the Balcony
Narrated by Dominic
Small enough for a pocket, thrown hard enough for the balcony, and somehow still here a century later.
01
The artwork
This authentic throw-out card is much smaller than the posters around it, measuring only about two and eleven-sixteenths by three and eleven-sixteenths inches. It carries Howard Thurston’s portrait on one side and his daughter Jane on the other.
Its size and printing were practical. The card had to be seen in motion, survive a flight over an audience, and become an instant souvenir in someone’s hand. It is graphic design built for use rather than framed contemplation.
The throw-out card displayed at Poe’s Magic Theatre is an authentic original from the mid-1920s.
02
The performer
Thurston included card manipulation in his stage show and became celebrated for throwing individual cards extraordinary distances, reportedly reaching the rear of a theatre balcony. Cards like this were made for that part of the act and produced in several versions.
This one was not merely sold as a picture of performance. It was part of performance, passed from the stage into an audience and preserved after the applause ended.
“From the stage to the balcony”
Read the complete audio transcript
Welcome to the Magic Poster Tour at Poe’s Magic Theatre, inside the historic Lord Baltimore Hotel.
This stop features Howard Thurston Throw-Out Card, a circa mid-1920s piece billed as “An Original Audience Souvenir.”
This authentic throw-out card is much smaller than the posters around it, measuring only about two and eleven-sixteenths by three and eleven-sixteenths inches. It carries Howard Thurston’s portrait on one side and his daughter Jane on the other.
Its size and printing were practical. The card had to be seen in motion, survive a flight over an audience, and become an instant souvenir in someone’s hand. It is graphic design built for use rather than framed contemplation.
The throw-out card displayed at Poe’s Magic Theatre is an authentic original from the mid-1920s.
Thurston included card manipulation in his stage show and became celebrated for throwing individual cards extraordinary distances, reportedly reaching the rear of a theatre balcony. Cards like this were made for that part of the act and produced in several versions.
This one was not merely sold as a picture of performance. It was part of performance, passed from the stage into an audience and preserved after the applause ended.