A Mysterious Portrait

Edison summary: The scene opens in an artist's studio. An apparently empty picture frame stands upon an easel. The conjuror enters, and by a move of his hand, a curtain rolls up in the back, representing a scene looking out over the beautiful river spanned by many bridges. The conjurer then places a white screen with cloud effects painted in, in the centre of the picture frame, and by waving his hand, his own image gradually comes into place upon the canvas and bows and smiles to the audience in exact imitation of his own movements. He then causes his own moving image to go through many comical gestures in exact imitation of his own gestures to the audience, after which he makes his own image step down and out of the picture frame and bow to the audience. The image then steps back into the picture frame, takes a seat and gradually fades away to close the picture.
       Selig summary: The interior of an artist's studio; a large frame on an easel in the center foreground. The illusionist steps behind and through the frame, showing that there is no connection with the back or floor. For effect he places a black cloth in the frame and while standing in front of the same causes it to evolve from an indistinct cloud into an absolute likeness of himself, full figure, in the frame, which apparation begins a very animated discussion with the original, after which it dissolves into nothingness in as mysterious a manner. This is an entirely new and startling trick, which is most successfully accomplished.
       Lubin summary: The picture opens showing a large easel on which is mounted a canvass. The Sketch Artist enters and taking up his brush and palette proceeds to mix his paints and proceeds to draw the picture of a man. Almost as soon as he has painted in the features, the head assumes life, like-wise each arm and leg after which, the Artist stepping back to admire his work, we find that he has drawn a facsimile of himself. The picture and the Artist hold a short conversation together after which the Artist takes his departure and his counterpart takes up the work and draws a beautiful landscape. When the work is almost completed he jumps in the air as though he were not tall enough to reach the top of the easel and when he lands again on the floor, the picture is complete. He turns and faces the audience and suddenly jumps backward into the picture destroying it totally and remains stuck in the top with his head protruding. Finally he withdraws and emerges from the rear of the canvass and bows himself out of the picture.