French 19th Century Reversal Image, Which is My Portrait? elegant plate 3 3/4 inches tall

3 3/4 inches tall

This is a real beauty of an old stoneware crock

and 4 5/8" in diameter at base

)--took the trouble to drill holes through the wood in order to stitch through its little pink nose and those great button eyes

and also collaborative pieces with his wife

French 19th Century Reversal Image, Which is My Portrait? elegant plate 3 3/4 inches tallWhat a curiosity! I was pretty excited to find this little antique French reversal drawing, which I believe dates to the 1840s or so, when optical illusions because a big thing in France (check out the phnakisticopes published by Joseph Plateau) and reversal portraits were circulated. (I'm including one by Daumier in the photos) This one has a very contemporary feel to me, perhaps in part because the human face keeps reminding me of the late great