Houdini, Harry. Houdini Stanhope Lens Viewer. French, ca. 1911. Looking through this novelty lens reveals an image of Houdini making his historic flight at Digger’s Rest in Australia. Here, he is pictured both in mid-flight in his biplane, and a separate posed close-up shows Houdini behind the controls of the plane. The word “FRANCE” is embossed around the viewing end of the miniature brass telescope in which the lens is mounted. Uncommon. Houdini is generally acknowledged as the first man to fly a plane in Australia. He made the historic flight just north of Melbourne in 1910. The Stanhope offered here is one of two variants known and manufactured to commemorate the historic event.