A lithophane is a very thin, translucent porcelain that reveals artwork when back lit by a light source. The image appears to be 3-D.

Lithophanes date back to 1828 but gained popularity during the Victorian era. Most frequently, a lithophane was framed and mounted on a stand or framed and hung with a natural or artificial light behind it. There are, however, lithophanes that were set in the bottom of tankards that were exposed as the drink was consumed.

The lithophane pictured here is from the Penn Treaty Museum collection. It is made of English biscuit porcelain. The artist is unknown but is it believed to date from c. 1850. The image is a rendering of Benjamin West’s painting “William Penn’s Treaty with the Indians” (1771-1772), now in the collection of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.