This would be interesting enough to watch as a piece of cinema history, if for no other reason. J. Stuart Blackton was known for his skills in drawing and sketching, and he would also soon become active in the new business of movie-making. This movie was part of a series of films featuring Blackton, but it is apparently the only one whose footage still survives.
In this feature, Blackton draws one of his 'lightning sketches', making an instant portrait of Thomas Edison, for Edison's own camera crew. Blackton is obviously skilled in addition to being fast, although in itself his technique and the portrait of Edison are not otherwise remarkable.
The popularity of this feature, simple though it was, is said to have motivated Blackton to give film-making a try himself. Although he and many of the other earliest movie makers are now largely forgotten, having remnants like this of his work keep him from being more than just a name.
