Summary
Hand drawn and coloured anamorphosis which shows a portrait of William Shakespeare.
Anamorphosis is a perspective technique whereby an image which appears distorted when viewed normally, appears normal and without distortion when viewed in a curved mirror (anamorphoscope), or perceived from a particular angle. The technique used to reconstitute the image depends on the type of distortion used to create the image. This particular image is a catoptric anamorphosis and requires a convex mirror to see the picture normally.
The word anamorphosis comes from the Greek 'to transform'. While the word was initially used in the 17th century, the technique itself derives from the study of perspective during the 14th and 15th centuries.
This image is part of the Francis Collection of pre-cinematic apparatus and ephemera, acquired by the Australian and Victorian Governments in 1975. David Francis was the curator of the National Film and Sound Archive of the British Film Institute as well as being a co-founder of the Museum of the Moving Image in London, which was operational between 1988 and 1999.
Description of Content
A wash painting of William Shakespeare.
Physical Description
Hand drawn and painted multi-coloured image on paper. The paper is pasted onto a backing board of card.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Loan & Subsequent Donation from Australian Film Institute (AFI), Mr David Francis, by Nov 1990
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Collector
Mr David Francis, London, Middlesex, England, Great Britain, 1990
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Format
Printed, paper base, Anamorphosis, Colour
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Overall Dimensions
282 mm (Width), 2 mm (Depth), 205 mm (Height)
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References
Encyclopaedia Britannica online [Link 1] Accessed 21 May 2010 The Internet Encyclopedia of Science [Link 2] Accessed 21 May 2010
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Keywords
Optical Illusion Devices, Optical Illusions, Optical Toys, Perspective Views
