Tri-directional or triscenorama image

Author	Unknown
Title	"Dévise hollandaise. Quan le boeuf filera Berg-op-Zoom se rendra / Le boeuf a
	ilé dans Berg-op-Zoom les français sont entrés"
Date	ca. 1780
Register	03274

The bidirectional or tridirectional image, also called biescenorama and triscenoma, is a painting that shows, respectively, two or three different images, depending on the angle of observation of the viewer. Images of this type date back to the 17th century. The bidirectional images were initially mounted on long, thin strips of paper or cardboard, of triangular cross-section, which were placed vertically side by side; later a folded cardboard in the shape of an accordion was used. Both methods produced two vertical planes orientated in opposite directions. Two images were painted or engraved on these two flat surfaces. Seen from the front the picture made no sense, but if you looked from the right or from the left you could see one or the other image. The same system is used for tri-directional images, such as photography, with the only difference being that the vertical paper strips were slightly separated and in the space that was freed up, new vertical strips were placed with a third image. In this way, looking at the picture from the front you could see the main image; Seen from the sides, the other two paintings were revealed with a theme generally connected to that of the central image. This technique enjoyed remarkable popularity during the nineteenth century, especially with predominantly religious motifs.

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