Houdini, Harry. Challenge to Houdini from U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officers. New York, Carey Show Print, 1916. Oversized (14 x 22”) pictorial challenge which reproduces a letter challenging Houdini to escape from handcuffs and manacles brought to the New York Hippodrome by US Naval officers. One corner chipped, closed tears in image. B+. A tried-and-true publicity getter for Houdini was the oft-used “challenge” issued to the great escape artist by various prisons, cabinet makers, and officers of the law. Most printed matter relating to these challenges are small handbills, making this example all the more desirable. Two years after this challenge was issued, Houdini appeared again at the famed Hippodrome, presenting one of his most famous illusions, the Vanishing Elephant. Builders of the Hippodrome – who also constructed Luna Park on Coney Island - called it the world’s largest theatre. It boasted a seating capacity of 5,300. The building was demolished in 1939.