A Little History
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The inverted face type of illusion created and popularized by Rex Whistler in the 1930s are not a new idea. There are examples that date back hundreds, even thousands of years.
One of the earliest known is a face on a Roman pot dating back to the 2nd century.
2nd century Roman pot
16th and 17th century examples
In the above 16th and 17th century examples: Left, detail of a 1558 engraving by Theodor de Bry entitled Arrogance and Folly. Center detail of an upright/inverted head from 1600, derived from a painting by an anonymous artist entitled Double Head of Pope and Devil. Right, detail of an engraving for an official seal from 1626 representing wisdom and foolishness.
The following images were crated by an artist known as Giuseppe around 1700:
Giuseppe's horse
Giuseppe's man / hog
Giuseppe's woman / man
Giuseppe's man / death
This is a Memento mori - "remember you will die."
Courtship and Matrimony
Unknown artist, 1884
More Images
Mayor and Judge
Mayor and Judge (1930)