Johann Joseph on Geometrical-Optical Illusions: A Translation and Commentary
Nicholas J Wade1, Dejan Todorović2, David Phillips3
1Psychology, University of Dundee, UK.
Abstract:
The term geometrical-optical illusions was coined by Johann Joseph Oppel (1815-1894) in 1855 in order to distinguish spatial distortions of size and orientation from the broader illusions of the senses. We present a translation of Oppel's article and a commentary on the material described in it. Oppel did much more than give a name to a class of visual spatial distortions. He examined a variety of figures and phenomena that were precursors of later, named illusions, and attempted to quantify and interpret them.
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