Illustrators toying with perspective surprised and delighted people when they produced seemingly ordinary illustrations that revealed hidden images depending on how you look at them. Upside down heads, which date back to around the 1700s, were one of the most popular Victorian era optical illusions, featuring on playing cards, match boxes, puzzles and in newspapers, where peacocks morphed into bearded men and royalty turned into skeletons.
Related works
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Collection
Not in ACMI's collection
On display until
16 February 2031
ACMI: Gallery 1
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
Curatorial section
The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Pictures → MI-02. Play and Illusion → MI-02-C02