Neptune's Daughters | 1900 | Experimental, Fantasy

Title: Neptune's Daughters | 1900 | Experimental, Fantasy Director: F. S. Armitage. Studio: American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. Based on: Superimposed and re-edited footage from Biograph shorts including Ballet of the Ghosts , Wreck of the Schooner "Richmond" No. 1 , and Sad Sea Waves . Release Date: December 1900. Format: Silent, black-and-white, 35mm, 1.33:1; double-exposure and superimposition effects. Country: United States. Language: Silent Genres: Short, Experimental, Fantasy. --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Spectral figures over the surf 00:00:30 Emergence of the dancers 00:01:15 Shoreside ballet 00:02:00 Retreat into the waves --- Summary: An early trick film blending seascape actuality with superimposed figures, Neptune's Daughters presents four spectral dancers rising from rough surf, performing a brief ballet, and dissolving back into the sea. Through double exposure and compositing, the film creates a simple, dreamlike tableau that showcases turn‑of‑the‑century fascination with cinematic illusion. The result is a concise visual fantasy, more spectacle than story, that demonstrates how editing and layered imagery could transform everyday footage into otherworldly scenes. --- Background: Produced by the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company and commonly credited to cinematographer-director F. S. Armitage, the film repurposes earlier Biograph materials through superimposition, a hallmark of trick photography of the period. Issued in December 1900, it sat alongside similarly themed shorts such as Davy Jones' Locker, illustrating Biograph’s interest in maritime imagery and special-effects novelties. --- Trivia: Biograph catalogs described the effect of ghostly figures rising from the surf, casting off their draperies to dance briefly before returning to the waves. The title was sold in multiple lengths, including a 150‑foot version and a shorter 25‑foot release for different exhibition needs. Production and cinematography have been associated with William K. L. Dickson’s Biograph unit; the film is often credited to F. S. Armitage. A companion special‑effects short, Davy Jones' Locker , also used superimposed imagery aboard a ship. Surviving prints exist, and the work is listed as public domain in the United States. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: December 1900. Original Studio / Distributor: American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. Copyright Status: Public Domain . Renewal: Unknown --- Hashtags: NeptunesDaughters 1900sCinema SilentFilm Biograph PublicDomain EarlyCinema TrickFilm This video was sourced from Internet Archive. Originally uploaded by jake@archive.org. https://archive.org/details/silent-neptunes-daughters