Find the Sailor’s Cutlass

Hidden Objects 16 October 2014 1 Comment

Find the Sailor's Cutlass

This old collectible card from 1926 was produced by a company called Major Drapkin & Co.  We have previously featured a couple of optical illusion cards from the same company, The Rod Illusion and His Own Size?, but this one is from an entirely different series.  Instead of being a traditional optical illusion, this card […]

Vintage Forced Perspective Photographs

Forced Perspective 8 March 2013 1 Comment

Vintage Forced Perspective - Ladies on Beach

Anyone who owns a camera can create their own optical illusions using forced perspective.  In the photograph below, which looks to be from the 1940’s, a woman sitting on the beach holds two of her miniature friends in the palms of her hands.  She really seems to be enjoying herself, doesn’t she?  Who knew camera […]

Vintage Ambiguous Tunnels

Ambiguous 14 January 2013 2 Comments

Vintage Ambiguous Tunnels

In the late 19th and  early 20th centuries, it was a common practice for cigarette companies to include cards with their products to help advertise their brand.  Ogden’s Cigarettes, a branch of the Imperial Tobacco Co. (of Great Britain & Ireland) Ltd, released a series of 25 optical illusion cards in the 1920s.  Number 13 […]

Ambiguous Horse Optical Illusion

Ambiguous 8 November 2012 0 Comments

Ambiguous Horse Optical Illusion

Looking at the man on the horse below, can you tell whether he is riding away from you or toward you?  Does the dog walking along side of him give you any clues?  What do you think? This illusion is very similar to The Photographer that was featured previously.  It should be noted, however, that […]

Vintage Skull Afterimage Illusion

Afterimage,Skull 31 October 2012 0 Comments

Skull Afterimage Illusion

In honor of Halloween, an illusion involving something macabre seems appropriate today.  The following illusion is a skull afterimage illusion.  In order to get this illusion to work, stare at the X in the eye of the skull for thirty seconds.  Then look away from the image at a blank sheet of paper or wall […]

Length of Lines (View of Street)

Estimation 10 October 2012 0 Comments

Length of Lines (View of Street) - Estimation Illusion

This is an excellent example of the way in which our eyes deceive us.  In the street view shown below, the line AB looks to be much longer than line CD.  If you measure them, however, you will find that they are exactly the same length.

Death Car

Hidden Objects,Skull 7 September 2012 0 Comments

Death Car

A man, a woman and their dog are out for a Sunday drive in their small car.  Do you notice anything else present in this picture?  Perhaps something that appears somewhat sinister? This image was found at Museo Ilusionario’s Flickr Page.