Charles Allan Gilbert (1873-1929) was an American illustrator best known for his ominous 1892 drawing All is Vanity. The illustration depicts a young woman sitting at her vanity desk looking into a mirror, yet the picture is a reversible image creating a gestalt switch. If the viewer shifts their perspective, the illustration instead depicts a hovering human skull, its empty eyes made by the woman’s doubled form. Its appearance in the work creates a memento mori - a reminder of death - suggesting that the woman’s desire for an attractive appearance will one day be all for nought.

Learn more about the artist that inspired this pin HERE.