*SOLD*

Magic Show Handbill for Professor Norice de la Roche
Norris F. Roach, illustrated by F. Perry
New York City, 1946
 
A dynamic advertisement for a remarkable figure. Norice de la Roche was the stage name of Norris F. Roach, the founder and president of the Combination Business School, as well as the Roche Magic Studio. He was the only Black member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians in his day. Roach served with the British West Indies Regiment in WW1. In 1921, a penniless and alone 24 year old Roach immigrated to the U.S. through Ellis Island. He would go on to put himself through school and launch the Combination Business School in 1934, which he called a “school for working folks.” 
 
11” x 8.5” paper, tanned, some splitting on an old crease with a small chip to one edge, else Very Good. 
 
The recto features the "Magic in Harlem" show information and boasts that de la Roche "in front of your very eyes, without the aid of screens, curtains, or assistants will miraculously escape the jacket. A feat successfully performed only by the late Harry Houdini." A great illustration shows the Professor bound in a straitjacket, chains, and leg bindings. The verso features an illustration of the magician in white tie holding a magic wand, conjuring a snake and rabbits. The Feb. 16, 1946 issue of The New York Age contains this verso image.
 
A really cool piece of Harlem and American history!