Ticket to hell (and back)

Apparently, this remarkable little coupon was offered up at auction, once upon a time.

This is a souvenir of a visit to a Coney Island Bowery amusement called Darkness and Dawn. It was a Cyclorama, and had been created for an exposition in Omaha, Nebraska in 1898. It was brought to the Coney Island Bowery at the turn of the century. The souvenir is card stock, in the shape of a coffin, and has a skull and crossbones illustration at top. It also has a quote from "The Devil." The same image and text is printed on both sides (shown). The attraction on the Bowery was destroyed by fire in 1903, and was rebuilt for Luna Park several years later.

Anonymous Works: "Darkness and Dawn" (via Morbid Anatomy)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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snagglepuss

Helloooo, new bookmark.
http://twitter.com/rvitelli Romeo Vitelli

How do you get a refund if they decide not to let you return?
Purplecat

But is it one way?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaaCOHmAbR0
http://twitter.com/digitalArtform Joseph Francis

Admission’s free. You pay to get out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptr9vCKpbrA
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=2249174 Jenna Hirschman

Does anyone have a picture of the original cyclorama that this ticket was for?
K-9

That is a badass bit of ephemera. I can’t help but think that no one would put that copy on an attraction today out of fear of the Helen Lovejoys of the world.