#TBT: Esther's Follies magician Ray Anderson preserves rare magic poster art
Step into Ray Anderson’s living room and you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into a museum, but this is no ordinary exhibit.
Towering nearly 9 feet tall and stretching 20 feet wide, a massive poster of “George the Magician” dominates the space, a striking relic from the early 1900s.
Anderson, the longtime magician at Esther’s Follies , has spent more than three decades collecting rare, antique magic posters, some dating back to the 1800s.
“These were made to be disposable,” Anderson explained.
They were plastered on theater walls and barns to promote traveling shows. Once the performance was over, they were torn down and replaced. That’s why they’re so rare today.
He now owns close to 40 posters, all lovingly displayed throughout his Austin home.
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Many were printed using a now-lost technique known as stone lithography, a process involving giant granite blocks and multiple hand-applied layers of ink for each color.
“They used 400-pound stones to print just one color,” he said. “For a 5-color image, that’s over 100 stones for a single poster.”
While some collectors focus on rarity, Anderson is more drawn to the artistry.
“The artwork is what speaks to me,” he said.
Unfortunately, most of the artists are lost to history. They weren’t credited. They just worked for the printing companies.
His collection is not just decoration. It’s also inspiration.
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One of Anderson’s signature illusions at Esther’s Follies was sparked by that very poster of George, a magician who once toured the world but lived in Houdini’s shadow.
“I tell the audience about George being the world’s second-greatest magician,” Anderson said.
I wondered what it would feel like to constantly try and one-up Houdini. That’s how I created the illusion we use today.
Anderson’s fascination with magic started early.
“I actually asked for a doctor’s kit as a kid,” he laughed.
But my parents got me a magic set instead and it changed my life.
Now, decades later, Anderson continues to wow audiences on stage while quietly preserving a forgotten chapter of magical history off stage.
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“I don’t buy posters unless I have wall space for them,” he said. “They weren’t meant to last. But as long as I can display them, their stories will live on.”
You can catch Ray Anderson performing live every week at Esther’s Follies, located on Sixth Street in downtown Austin.
If you'd like to get more information about Esther’s Follies click here.
EDITOR NOTE: #TBT or Turning Back Time is an award-winning series of stories by CBS Austin This Morning Anchor John-Carlos Estrada . The series will focus on the history of Central Texas and its impact on the community. If you want to share a story idea with him – email him ( jcestrada@cbsaustin.com ) or message him on social media via Facebook , Twitter , TikTok , BlueSky , or Instagram .
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