Deception Collection (page 10)

SAMUEL J. TILDEN (1814-1886). Samuel Jones Tilden. American political leader. Cartoon drawn by Thomas Nast for the cover of Harpers Weekly, 11 November 1876

HOWARD THURSTON (1869-1936). American magician. Theatrical poster, c. 1920

LORETA JANETA VELAZQUEZ (1842-1897). Cuban-American woman who served as a soldier for the Confederate Army. In disguise as Lieutenant Henry T. Buford. Engraving, c1876

PERKIN WARBECK (c1474-1499). Flemish imposter; professed to be Richard, Duke of York, second of Edward IVs sons. Warbeck taking refuge in a church. Engraving, English, 19th century

GRACE & RACHEL MARTIN, 1780. Grace and Rachel Martin, disguised as rebel soldiers, ambush two English officers carrying documents to South Carolina during the American Revolution, 1780

ARTHUR ORTON (1834-1898). Also known as Thomas Castro. English butcher and imposter; the so-called Tichborne Claimant. Caricature lithograph, 1871, by Ape (Carlo Pellegrini)

TITUS OATES (1649-1705). English imposter and fabricator of the imaginary Popish Plot. Etching, English, 18th century

LOUISE DE LA VALLIERE (1644-1710). French noblewoman and mistress of Louis XIV from 1661-1667. Louise placing a wreath of flowers in the head of Louis XIV, disguised as a female

DAVID LAMAR (c1877-1934). American con man known as the Wolf of Wall Street. Photograph, 1913

HARRY KELLAR (1849-1922). American magician. A new aerial illusion exhibited by Kellar, 1889

SARAH EMMA EDMONDS (1841-1898). Canadian-American nurse, soldier, and spy. Disguised as a Union soldier during the Civil War. Engraving, c1865

HARRY HOUDINI (1874-1926). Nee Ehrich Weiss. American magician. Poster advertising an appearance at the Regent Theatre in Salford, England. Lithograph, c1904

ROBERT HOUDIN (1805-1871). French magician. Cover of an American edition of Houdins autobiography, c. 1880

HARRY HOUDINI (1874-1926). American magician. Houdini in a straitjacket suspended in midair over a subway excavation in New York City; photographed in 1916

THOMAS NELSON DOWNS (1867-1938). American magician, known as the King of Koins. Lithograph poster, Chicago, c1900

IRA DAVENPORT (1839-1911). American spiritualistic medium. Broadside published in Boston, 1868

GEORGE BIDWELL (c1837-1899). American con man. Ticket of leave granted Bidwell in 1887 after he had served nearly fourteen years in prison in England for forgery

AUSTIN BIRON BIDWELL (d. 1899). American con man

GEORGE BIDWELL (1837-1899). American con man

HOMER: THE ILIAD. Venus, disguised as the ancient maid, Groea, visits Helen as she walks on walls of Troy. On the right Trojan women look down onto the battlefield Line drawing by John Flaxman

FREE SILVER CARTOON, 1895. The Financial Fakir Fooling the Farmers. Cartoon depicting William H. Harvey as a con man attracting supporters for the Free Silver policy. Chromolithograph from Puck, 1895

ROME: QUACK DOCTOR, 1872. A quack doctor pulling teeth on a street in Rome. Wood engraving, English, 1872

AD: BEARD ELIXIR, 1879. American advertisement for Dykes Beard Elixir, 1879

PATENT MEDICINE, c1850. American advertisement for womens hair tonic. Lithograph, c1850

PATENT MEDICINE, c1889. American advertisement for Dr. D. Jaynes tonic vermifuge, a remedy for worms. Lithograph, c1889

PATENT MEDICINE, c1874. American advertisement for Dr. Pierces family medicines. Lithograph, c1874

PATENT MEDICINE, 1886. American advertisement for Dr. M. A. Simmons liver medicine
PATENT MEDICINE, 1886. American advertisement for Dr. M.A. Simmons liver medicine. Lithograph, 1886

DIME NOVEL, 1907. The Dare-Devil Crook, or Nick Carter Finds a Promising Clue : cover of a Street & Smith dime novel of 1907 in the Nick Carter series

VAUDEVILLE POSTER, 1901. An American theater poster for a traveling vaudeville show featuring Harry Houdini, 1901

LONDON: EGYPTIAN HALL. The Egyptian Hall, London, England, as it was when John Nevil Maskelyne and Cooke made it Englands House of Mystery. Drawing, 19th century

MAGICIAN, c1470. The conjurer and his audience (lower right) under lunar domination. Woodcut from Wirkungen der Planeten, c1470

MAGICIAN, 1560. The gypsy who washes his hands in molten lead. Woodcut from Histoire Merveilleuses of Pierre Boaistuau, 1560

BLAISE MANFRE. Maltese magician of the 17th century, known as the Maltese water spouter. Etching, English, 1794

WHITE ELEPHANT, c1884. Poster for Adam Forepaughs Circus promoting the Light of Asia a supposedly white elephant, c1884

MAGICIAN POSTER, c1895. Lithograph poster, c1895, advertising the magic act of Frederick Bancrofts Prince of Magicians

ENGLAND: MAGIC SHOW, c1829. An English broadside, c1829, announcing a performance by Chabert, the French Incombustible Phenomenon, at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, England

ROBERT HOUDIN (1805-1871). French magician. Poster for the appearance at the Tremont Temple in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1866 of Houdin, an imitator of the great French magican Robert Houdin

ELEPHANT BOY HOAX, 1887. Barnums big chance. The extraordinary freak of nature to which Mrs. Kretschner of Bridgeport, Connecticut, has just given birth

CHARLES PONZI (1878-1949). Italian-born American con man and swindler. Photograph, 1920

CARTOON: CIVIL WAR, 1865. Blessings in Disguise. Cartoon showing Confederate president Jefferson Davis surrounded by the fallen cities of Savannah, Charleston, Atlanta, Columbia, Richmond

CARTOON: SOCIALISM, 1879. British cartoon illustrating the fear that the visit of Henry George, author of Progress and Poverty, to England, would lead to Socialist confiscatory practices in England

AD: HAIR RESTORATIVE. American magazine advertisement for Packers Tar Soap, a hair restorative, late 19th century

Building construction barrier, Paris; France

Picture No. 10761861
Tree Agama - well camouflaged female at a tree trunk (Agama atricollis) Date:

Picture No. 10761860
Rock Monitor / White-throated Monitor - hunting in a tree (Varanus albigularis) Date:

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"Unveiling the Art of Deception: From Carbolic Smoke Ball to Orchid Mantis" In 1893, the infamous Carbolic Smoke Ball deceived countless individuals with its false promises. Meanwhile, the cunning Orchid Mantis showcased its camouflage skills on an unsuspecting orchid, blending seamlessly into its surroundings as a master of deception. The invention of the lie detector test brought forth a new era in uncovering deceitful intentions. No longer could one easily hide behind falsehoods; this device exposed hidden truths and shattered deceptive facades. Delving further back in time, we encounter the scandalous world of illicit affairs and cuckolds in 1840. The very notion of betrayal and deception became intertwined with human relationships, leaving hearts broken and trust shattered. Operation Mincemeat took deception to another level during World War II. A gravestone bearing Major Martin's name misled enemy forces while his naval ID card played a crucial role in deceiving them further. This audacious plan proved that truth could be manipulated for strategic advantage. Nature itself is not immune to trickery either. The cuckoo bird cunningly places its young within Reed Warbler nests, fooling these unsuspecting parents into raising their impostor offspring as their own – a remarkable example of nature's artistry in deception. Even kittens engage in playful deceitfulness on occasion, as captured beautifully by an oil painting depicting mischievous felines frolicking on a desk. Their innocent antics serve as a reminder that even our beloved pets can indulge in harmless trickery from time to time. Returning once more to Operation Mincemeat, we find ourselves at the site where Major Martin was supposedly buried – yet another layer added to this intricate web of lies and subterfuge. Picture No. 10854574 captures this pivotal moment when reality blurred with fiction amidst wartime chaos. Lastly, we come across an American advertisement for Clark Stanley's Snake Oil Liniment from c1895.