A pair of British trompe l'oeil style urn-shaped lamps decorated with green primer, with an old trompe l'oeil "letter stand" illustration painted on the lamp body. John Frederick Peto (1854 - 1907) was an American trompe l'oeil ("trick the eye") painter, a genre of still life painting designed to trick the viewer into interpreting the painting as The objects in the painting are mistaken for reality. Peto often drew old-fashioned "letter racks," boards with ribbons nailed into squares for holding notes, letters, pencils, and photos.