Alice Vase

This painting is called ‘Alice Vase’, a similar concept to the famous optical illusion ‘Rubin Vase’ or ‘Rubin’s Vase’ that can be perceived as both a vase or two human faces gazing at one another. The silhouette of Alice Cogswell is the only existing look like of Alice. There is no single known photo, painting or drawing that shows what she looked like. The original silhouette is at the American School for the Deaf museum home. The sculptor who did the portrait of Alice in the famous Gallaudet/Cogswell at Gallaudet University, used that silhouette. The fingerspellings are the flower bouquet, spells as ‘A – L – I – C – E – C – O – G – S – W – E – L – L’. The vase is shaped as in cubism. This concept of painting is a visual pun. It shows symbols and has meanings in the painting.