Painted since Ancient Greece, and nearly perfected during the Dutch Golden Age, American trompe l'oel, or fool the eye, became a widely created style among painters in the late 19th century. The following are a few examples of American paintings meant to be taken verbatim,
Charles Wilson Peale, Staircase Group, 1795.
Raphaelle Peale, Venus Rising from the Sea – a Deception, c. 1822.
Charles Bird King, The Vanity of the Artist’s Dream, 1830.
William M. Davis, A Canvas Back, c. 1870.
William M. Harnett, After the Hunt, (fourth version), 1885.
John F. Peto, Old Souvenirs, 1881
.John Haberle, Torn in Transit, c. 1890.
De Scott Evans, New Variety Try One, c. 1890.
An article specifically on the work of De Scott Evans can be found here.