This Depiction Of The Bank of Philadelphia,

is one of the only two surviving works looking at the historic financial building,

 titled “Horizontorium” (1832), a hand-colored lithograph, 22.5 x 16.5 inches, it is a anamorphic illustration, which refers to the optical perspective of this kind of picture, the building itself was designed by architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, 

  at the time, it was the unofficial bank of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that sat at the southwest corner of Fourth and Chestnut streets, the structure was razed in 1836,

 but before that in 1832, artist John Jesse Barker added depth to the drawing by Philadelphia-based William G. Mason to create an optical illusion titled “Horizontorium.” it is a part of a tradition of anamorphic works,

 Horizontoriums became popular throughout England and France in the 18th century, although this piece is the only one known to be made in America,

viewers would set the lithograph on a flat surface and perpendicularly position their face at the center of the work (note the semicircle on this lithograph suggesting a spot for a chin) to peer over the image, the sharp angle would produce a distorted perspective that appears to project the building and its passersby upward, what a neat art form.