Afraid of nobody – Vintage Wall Art
![Afraid of nobody, Haymarket, [London] : Published by Thos. McLean, [1833] — antique lithograph](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/8d/8dcaf380665d-L.webp)
(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)
Description
This rare antique lithograph captures Afraid of nobody in remarkable detail. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.
Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. A conversation-starting piece for home, office, or as a meaningful gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Since 2001, Snapshots of the Past has shipped historic prints to tens of thousands of customers around the world.
Afraid of nobody
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Rather than a picture to hold still, this hand-colored lithograph is a spinning disc. At the center a bird appears to take off and settle again, while along the outer ring one man seems to run away from another. Thomas McLean published it in Haymarket, London, in 1833 as part of his optical toys, issued under the title *McLean's Optical Illusions; or Magic Panorama*. Such discs depended on persistence of vision, the brief lingering of an image on the eye, which let two static drawings read as motion. The ironic title, *Afraid of nobody*, sits oddly with the figure in flight and adds to the comic effect.
| Created / published | Haymarket, [London] : Published by Thos. McLean, [1833] |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 print on disc : lithograph, hand-colored ; 24 cm. |
| Genre | Optical toys English 1830-1840.Lithographs Hand-colored 1830-1840. |
| Notes | Optical illusion disc which is spun displaying the illusion of motion of a bird taking off and landing in a circle at the center of the disc and of a man running away from another man in a circle at the outer edge of the disc. Published in: McLean's optical illusions; or magic panorama. London, T. McLean, 1833. Exhibited: American Treasures of the Library of Congress. |
| Subjects | Locomotion--1830-1840. Optical illusions--1830-1840. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 4,697 × 3,761 px · prints to 16 × 13 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-221548 |
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