Trick Gallery

His Masters Breath - Satire

His Master's Breath Satirical play on the dog/gramophone logo for His Master's Voice, substituting the music player for a whiskey jar and funnel. Artist Francis Barraud (1856-1924) painted his brother's dog Nipper listening to the horn of an early phonograph during the winter of 1898. Victor Talking Machine Company began using the symbol in 1900, and Nipper joined the RCA family in 1929. Date: 1907

© Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection

Hard lines on the hard court by George Studdy

Hard lines on the hard court -- the Bonzolines dig in their search for the ball, which Bonzo is holding in his mouth. George Ernest Studdy (1878-1948), was the creator of Bonzo, a small dog with saucer-like eyes and indiscriminate breeding who first appeared in the Sketch in 1922. The Bonzo craze swept the world resulting in postcards, annuals, toys and other merchandise. Credit should read: Estate of George Studdy/Gresham Marketing Ltd./ILN/Mary Evans Date: 16 May 1923

© Estate of George Studdy/Gresham Marketing Ltd./ILN/Mary Evans

Dreamland with Chevalier Ernest Thorn

Dreamland with Chevalier Ernest Thorn (22nd September 1853 -21st May 1928) was a touring magician and inventor from Austria. After first being an assistant to Bellachini, he made extensive tours of Europe, America and the Orient. He was assisted by his wife Julia. His act An Hour in Dreamland introduced a number of his creations. Among his innovations was the cremation illusion in which his assistant vanished in flames as she stood within an asbestos curtain. Another was "Noah's Ark" in which a model of the Ark, first shown empty, produced various animals, climaxing in the production of Noah's wife. The image shows a black and white photograph of Thorn asleep in a chair surrounded by an illustrative dreamlike scene. This features a woman floating behind him with a flowing dress and a white dove flying beside her. Date: 1800s, 1900s

© The Michael Diamond Collection / Mary Evans Picture Library