All is Vanity
All Is Vanity
Preamble
I have been asked to write a piece on vanity. Here is my contribution.
The artist Charles Allan Gilbert
Back in the year 1892
Drew an optical illusion picture
'All is Vanity' and put it on view
'All is Vanity' comes from the Bible
The Book of Ecclesiastes
Referring to the pride of all mankind
And all it's accompanying vanities
Some can see ladies seated opposite
(The drawing is good, far from dull)
Some say a lady looks in the mirror
I'll be damned if I can see any skull
It seems I am illusion-blighted
My skull-detection has lost it's way
I need to go try vainly find it
Before poem's fin, gone away
You can tell that I'm rhyme-veining serious
You can tell that I'm rhyme-veining light
Can you see a cat hiding behind flowers?
Some people say yes. Are they right?
Don Matthews September 2018
PostScript
Gilbert was also involved in creating shadow animation. He also worked on camouflaging ships in World War 1
M.C. Newberry
Sat 8th Sep 2018 16:24
The picture also had me see the skull first, with the ladies
appearing shortly afterwards. Because the reproduction
on my PC screen is somewhat small I would keep an open
mind(?) about the cat and the flowers for reasons of the
size of image and the physical ability available through the
sight of the beholder. Where's my specs?!