Edited by Richard Walker, Saturday, 12 Jan 2019, 18:22
I think I first became aware of the work of Gustave Verbeek from Martin Gardener's long running column in Scientific American.
In the early 20 century Verbeek drew strip cartoons with a unique selling point. Each cartoon had just six frames, but the story had 12 pictures, because each picture, when turned upside down, was transformed into a different picture! Here's an example, probably the most famous. I got this animated GIF from Wikipedia *. Wait a few seconds and it will invert and you'll see what I mean.
I've look at this many times, but still find it astonishing. Conceiving and drawing it must have been very difficult and time-consuming, and as far as I know no one since Verbeek has tried to emulate what he did, at least as a way of earning a living.
* From The Upside Downs of Little Lady Lovekins and Old Man Muffaroo "A Fish Story", by Gustave Verbeek.
The Amazing Cartoons of Gustave Verbeek
I think I first became aware of the work of Gustave Verbeek from Martin Gardener's long running column in Scientific American.
In the early 20 century Verbeek drew strip cartoons with a unique selling point. Each cartoon had just six frames, but the story had 12 pictures, because each picture, when turned upside down, was transformed into a different picture! Here's an example, probably the most famous. I got this animated GIF from Wikipedia *. Wait a few seconds and it will invert and you'll see what I mean.
I've look at this many times, but still find it astonishing. Conceiving and drawing it must have been very difficult and time-consuming, and as far as I know no one since Verbeek has tried to emulate what he did, at least as a way of earning a living.
* From The Upside Downs of Little Lady Lovekins and Old Man Muffaroo "A Fish Story", by Gustave Verbeek.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_Verbeek