Memento

I came across this photo, in the New York Public Library Digital Gallery, of Houdini visiting the grave of Italian magician Bartolomeo Bosco. Bosco had been a renowned performer during the first half of the 19th century, but he died penniless and when Houdini visited his grave it was neglected and dilapidated. Houdini took it upon himself to care for the plot at his own expense, something he did not only for Bosco, but for other deceased magicians as well.

Halloween is, of course, the anniversary of Houdini's death, and as I viewed this photo it seemed an apt way to honor the memory of a man who did so much during his own life to preserve the memories and legacies of those magicians who came before him.