Trompe L’Oeil: Paintings That Trick the Eye Boxed Notecards

For centuries, artists have taken pleasure in creating paintings so lifelike that the viewer’s eye is tricked into comprehending the images in three dimensions instead of two. This style of painting, called trompe l’oeil (French for “trick the eye”), has been around since Ancient Rome but blossomed after advances in optics and the portrayal of perspective allowed artists to render objects with near-photographic realism.

This notecard assortment features trompe l’oeil works by four great artists of the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. Edwart Collyer (Dutch, c. 1640–after 1708) painted many illusionist still lifes while living in London at the turn of the eighteenth century. William Michael Harnett (American, 1848–1892), a trompe l’oeil master from Philadelphia, awed the public with his paintings and influenced many other artists, including John Frederick Peto (American, 1854–1907). John Haberle (American, 1856–1933) had experience as an engraver and such great technical skill that when he took to painting pictures of paper currency, the government worried he might try counterfeiting.

All four images are from the vast collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts, founded in 1885, an international beacon of culture. Twenty assorted full-color 5 x 7" blank notecards (5 each of 4 styles) with white envelopes in a decorative box. ISBN 978-0-7649-4232-7.


Grandma’s Hearthstone Notecard John Haberle's Grandma’s Hearthstone, 1890, from the Detroit Institute of Arts. One full-color 5 x 7" blank notecard with white envelope. 5086$2.50		American Exchange Notecard William Michael Harnett's American Exchange, 1878, from the Detroit Institute of Arts. One full-color 5 x 7" blank notecard with white envelope. 5087$2.50


After Night’s Study Notecard John Frederick Peto's After Night’s Study, c. 1890/1900, from the Detroit Institute of Arts. One full-color 5 x 7" blank notecard with white envelope. 5088$2.50		Still Life: A Letter Rack Notecard Edwart Collyer's Still Life: A Letter Rack, 1692, from the Detroit Institute of Arts. One full-color 5 x 7" blank notecard with white envelope. 5089$2.50

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