The performer offers to teach his audience how to vanish an Elephant ! He displays a draped tray, a picture of an Elephant, and two boards to "cage" the elephant. He now turns his back to the audience, and performs the effect for an imaginary audience in front of him, while the real audience has a backstage view of the working.
 

The two boards are placed on the tray. The Elephant Card is displayed, and dropped between the two cards.

The Cards are then removed, and freely displayed on both sides, to show the Elephant has vanished. The real audience however, has seen how the effect is accomplished, because they have seen the Elephant Card drop through a slot in the tray into a ribbon harness under the tray. The Elephant is not visible from the front, being concealed by the drape.
 

After some remarks to the effect that when performed with a real Elephant one would require, a much larger trap on the stage than the slot in the tray, and a much stronger harness, the performer offers to repeat the effect, this time with the real audience to the front.

Backstage Elephant Vanish