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The Visual Illusions ClipArt gallery offers 16 illustrations of visual and optical illusions. Visual illusions are made to lead one to believe something other than the objective reality of the picture.

"A method of drawing which gives a distorted image of the object represented when it is viewed from directly or nearly so, but a natural image when it is viewed from a certain point, is reflected by a curved mirror, or is seen through a polyhedron."-Whitney, 1902

Anamorphosis

"A method of drawing which gives a distorted image of the object represented when it is viewed from…

Optical illusion.

Helmholtz's Squares

Optical illusion.

Optical Illusion

Illusion, Von Recklinghausen's Illusion

Optical Illusion

Illustration showing optical illusions. It is not always possible to trust the eye to be sure if the lengths of lines a and b are the same. You would need to measure to be sure of your conclusion.

Optical Illusions

Illustration showing optical illusions. It is not always possible to trust the eye to be sure if the…

Illustration showing optical illusions. It is not always possible to trust the eye to be sure if the lengths of lines a and b are the same. You would need to measure to be sure of your conclusion.

Optical Illusions

Illustration showing optical illusions. It is not always possible to trust the eye to be sure if the…

Illustration showing optical illusions. It is not always possible to trust the eye to be sure if the lengths of lines a and b are the same. You would need to measure to be sure of your conclusion.

Optical Illusions

Illustration showing optical illusions. It is not always possible to trust the eye to be sure if the…

Illustration showing optical illusions. It is not always possible to trust the eye to be sure if the lengths of lines a and b are the same. You would need to measure to be sure of your conclusion.

Optical Illusions

Illustration showing optical illusions. It is not always possible to trust the eye to be sure if the…

Illustration showing optical illusions. It is not always possible to trust the eye to be sure if the lines are the same distance apart. You may need to measure to be sure of your conclusion.

Optical Illusions

Illustration showing optical illusions. It is not always possible to trust the eye to be sure if the…

Illustration showing optical illusions. It is not always possible to trust the eye to be sure if the lines are the same distance apart. You may need to measure to be sure of your conclusion.

Optical Illusions

Illustration showing optical illusions. It is not always possible to trust the eye to be sure if the…

Illustration showing optical illusions. It is not always possible to trust the eye to be sure if the lines are prolongations of the other lines. You may need to measure to be sure of your conclusion.

Optical Illusions

Illustration showing optical illusions. It is not always possible to trust the eye to be sure if the…

Illustration showing optical illusions. It is not always possible to trust the eye to be sure if the lines are prolongations of the other lines. You may need to measure to be sure of your conclusion.

Optical Illusions

Illustration showing optical illusions. It is not always possible to trust the eye to be sure if the…

Print this figure on a sheet of paper and then give it a slight twirling motion as if you were swirling water around in a dish. The cog-wheels will appear to revolve slowly, while the other wheels turn rapidly in the opposite direction.

Visual Illusion

Print this figure on a sheet of paper and then give it a slight twirling motion as if you were swirling…

Which line is longer? The black line on the right appears longer than the line beside it, but both lines are exactly the same length.

Visual Illusion: Line Length

Which line is longer? The black line on the right appears longer than the line beside it, but both lines…

Who is the biggest? The policeman, most people would say. But the policeman is really the smallest, and the little girl is the biggest.

Visual Illusion: Perspective

Who is the biggest? The policeman, most people would say. But the policeman is really the smallest,…

If you fix your eyes on the two white spaces between the lines it will appear as if the top space becomes wider at the ends, and as if the bottom space becomes wider in the middle. But both lines are perfectly straight.

Visual Illusion: Sloping Lines

If you fix your eyes on the two white spaces between the lines it will appear as if the top space becomes…

The Zöllner illusion is a classic optical illusion named after its discoverer, German astrophysicist Johann Karl Friedrich Zöllner. In this figure the black lines seem to be unparallel, but in reality they are parallel. The shorter lines are on an angle to the longer lines. This angle helps to create the impression that one end of the longer lines is nearer to us than the other end. This is very similar to the way the Wundt illusion appears. It may be that the Zöllner illusion is caused by this impression of depth.

Zollner Illusion

The Zöllner illusion is a classic optical illusion named after its discoverer, German astrophysicist…