http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-2.xsd
art, illusion, and visual perception in early national America
xviii, 351 pages, 12 unnumbered pages of color plates : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm.
Investigates Americans' experiences with material forms of visual deception and argues that encounters with illusory art shaped their understanding of knowledge, representation and subjectivity between 1790 and 1825. Focusing on the work of the well-known Peale family and their Philadelphia Museum, as well as other Philadelphians, Bellion explores the range of illusions encountered in public spaces, from trompe l'oeil paintings and drawings at art exhibitions to ephemeral displays of phantasmagoria, 'Invisible Ladies' and other spectacles of deception.
Theaters of visuality -- The politics of discernment -- Sight and the city -- Imitations and originals -- Looking for the invisible lady -- Phantasmagoric Washington.
Outgrowth of the author's thesis (Northwestern University).
Includes bibliographical references and index.