Who painted Untitled?

Untitled was painted by Central Printing Co. (Chas Sowden) Ltd..

Where can I see Untitled?

Untitled is held by Victoria and Albert Museum.

Untitled by Central Printing Co. (Chas Sowden) Ltd.

About this work

This poster advertises a magic trick. The Great Levante was an Australian stage magician famous in the 20th century. The trick shown here is called the £1000 Steel Trunk Mystery.

The poster promises a locked trunk with no way out. Yet the magician switches places with his assistant inside it. This was part of Levante’s live shows around the world.

Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum next.

Overview

This poster promotes a stage illusion titled the “£1000 Steel Trunk Mystery,” performed by the Australian magician known as the Great Levante. The advertisement depicts a locked steel trunk in which the magician’s assistant is bound and placed inside a bag, while the audience is invited to inspect the seemingly impenetrable container before a surprising reversal occurs.

Subject & Meaning

The central narrative of the poster is the apparent impossibility of escape: an assistant confined within a sealed trunk, surrounded by locks that spectators may examine. The promised resolution, the magician emerging from the trunk in place of the assistant, plays on themes of deception, transformation, and the spectacle of impossible feats that defined Levante’s repertoire.

Technique & Style

Visually, the poster employs bold typography and stark imagery to convey tension and intrigue. The illustration of the steel trunk is rendered with strong lines and shading to suggest weight and solidity, while the text emphasizes the monetary value of the trick, heightening the drama and drawing the viewer’s eye to the promised astonishment.

History & Provenance

The Great Levove, born Leslie Cole (1892‑1978), toured internationally from the 1920s until his retirement in the 1970s, presenting the Steel Trunk Mystery as a highlight of his live shows. The physical steel trunk used in the illusion is now part of the Australian Performing Arts Collection at Arts Centre Melbourne, preserving a tangible link to his career.

Context

Levante’s performances occurred during a period when stage magic blended theatricality with emerging technologies, appealing to audiences seeking novel entertainment. The £1000 Steel Trunk Mystery exemplifies the era’s fascination with elaborate apparatuses and high‑stakes promises, situating the poster within broader trends of early‑mid‑20th‑century popular spectacle.

Tour poster advertising Lord George Sanger's Circus, Malvern Link, 1957, Hastings Printing Company Ltd.

Artist & collection

Artist

Central Printing Co. (Chas Sowden) Ltd.

Chas Sowden spent his days running Central Printing Co. in Sydney, where he turned everyday jobs into little experiments with type and ink. He once printed a leaflet so flimsy it doubled as a shopping list, still bright…