This film HAS to be the first use of clay animation. While most people think this technique came later, in the fifties, with Art Clokey's "Gumbasia" and their Gumby cartoons, I think what is shown here can be considered clay animation. It's done very well for 1908 and still looks good today.
Julienne Mathieu, who starred in director Segundo de Chomon's other works, also appears in this one. She apparently plays a lady who puts on an art show. First, she presents a series of marble statues which come to life even though they're miniatures. Then some moving paintings. None of this is very gimmicky until the woman presents to us some blocks of clay that, unaided, mold and shape themselves into clay statues. Some of these clay renderings are an alligator, an eagle, mice on a shoe, etc. Later, she even brings one of them, a washerwoman, to life! Despite lack of plot, it's new and different from Georges Melies's work, who by the time it was made had changed paces and was trying to meet the needs of audiences by making comedies. And, while this is a trick film, it is a lot more up-to-date than Melies, with cutting to closeup shots to show the art.