Bellion presents an exploration of illusionistic art in the early US. She investigates Americans' experiences with material forms of visual deception, arguing that encounters with illusory art shaped their understanding of knowledge, representation, & subjectivity between 1790 and 1825. Focusing on the work of the Peale family and the Philadelphia Museum, as well as other Philadelphians, the book explores the range of illusions encountered in public spaces, from trompe l'oeil paintings & drawings to ephemeral displays of phantasmagoria, 'Invisible Ladies', and other spectacles of deception.