[Optical illusion disc with birds, butterflies, and a man jumping] – Historic Reproduction
![[Optical illusion disc with birds, butterflies, and a man jumping], Haymarket, [London] : Published by Thos. McLean, [1833] — antique lithograph](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/cd/cd435706ccd3-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
A window into the past: [Optical illusion disc with birds, butterflies, and a man jumping], preserved in this antique lithograph. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.
The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. Perfect for a home, office, library or classroom wall, and a gift with a story behind it. 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.
[Optical illusion disc with birds, butterflies, and a man jumping]
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Most pictures on this board show birds at rest or in flight, but this one is a thaumatrope-style spinning disc, the kind of Victorian-era parlor toy that relied on persistence of vision. Printed in Haymarket, London, in 1833 by Thomas McLean, a publisher known for optical toys and "magic panoramas," the hand-colored lithograph was meant to be spun so that a man leaping from a pole at the center and a ring of birds and butterflies at the edge appear to move. Worth noticing is how the designer paired the human figure with the wildlife on the same disc, turning a simple drawing into a small animated scene.
| 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 | The disc is spun displaying the illusion of motion of a man jumping from a pole in a circle at the center of the disc and of a birds and butterflies in flight 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. Birds--1830-1840. Optical illusions--1830-1840. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 4,716 × 3,771 px · prints to 16 × 13 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-221545 |
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