The most significant difference between the episode and the source material is probably Robert Pickman’s true nature and his ultimate fate. In “Cabinet of Curiosities,” the tormented Thurber attempts to rid the world of Pickman and his paintings by burning the artworks and accidentally killing the man himself. As he nears death, Pickman reveals that he’s been painting real scenes of present and future, before a monstrous entity takes his mortal remains away. As for the paintings, they find themselves to Thurber’s museum unharmed, and wreak havoc on the minds of the people who view them.
In the short story, Pickman hasn’t been a vessel of grim forces per se, but an artist who simply paints what fascinates him. However, there’s a different unnerving twist that implies the guy’s true nature. The narrative drops numerous hints that Pickman isn’t quite human. Thurber doesn’t quite connect the dots himself, but one painting about a changeling baby that heavily resembles Pickman suggests that the artist might actually be a ghoul that passes for a human.
Though it’s not explicitly stated in the short story, Pickman also survives the events of the plot. While the artist has disappeared by the time the story is told, Thurber is too shaken for lengthy speculation about his ultimate fate. A later Lovecraft novella, “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath,” confirms that Pickman is indeed alive and well by having the artist make an appearance — this time, transformed to his full ghoulish glory.
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