Giant Dragon Silk. Wilmington Ohio, S.S. Henry, ca. 1930. Enormous hand-painted silk backdrop designed and painted by the Chautauqua and Lyceum magician Sheldon S. Henry. 104 x 72”. Hallmarked. Dampstaining; good condition overall. Henry lived most of his life in Ohio, but toured the United States and Canada constantly, primarily as a headliner on Chautauqua and Lyceum programs. Henry invented and built many of his own illusions, and thanks to his formal training as an artist and designer, occasionally crafted and painted items for fellow magicians. Many of Henry’s hand-painted silks were featured in the well-regarded show of McDonald Birch.