My Wife and My Mother-in-Law
Encyclopedia
"My Wife and My Mother-in-Law" is a famous ambiguous optical illusion
, which can be perceived either as a young girl or an old woman (the "wife" and the "mother-in-law", respectively).
, an American humour magazine, on 6 November 1915, with the caption "They are both in this picture — Find them". However, the oldest known form of this image is an 1888 German postcard.
In 1930 Edwin Boring introduced the figure to psychologists in a paper titled "A new ambiguous figure", and it has since appeared in textbooks and experimental studies.
Optical illusion
An optical illusion is characterized by visually perceived images that differ from objective reality. The information gathered by the eye is processed in the brain to give a perception that does not tally with a physical measurement of the stimulus source...
, which can be perceived either as a young girl or an old woman (the "wife" and the "mother-in-law", respectively).
History
British cartoonist Ely William Hill (1887–1962) published "My Wife and My Mother-in-Law" in PuckPuck (magazine)
Puck was America's first successful humor magazine of colorful cartoons, caricatures and political satire of the issues of the day. It was published from 1871 until 1918.-History:...
, an American humour magazine, on 6 November 1915, with the caption "They are both in this picture — Find them". However, the oldest known form of this image is an 1888 German postcard.
In 1930 Edwin Boring introduced the figure to psychologists in a paper titled "A new ambiguous figure", and it has since appeared in textbooks and experimental studies.