Anamorphosis does not have a definite start but it seems that Da Vinci was one of the first to document his findings on distorted images in his book, Codex Atlanticus, where he demonstrates this kind of distorted image with the drawing a child’s eye.
It is interesting to note that these sort of images were seen as “charms” to the wealthy classes when they were first around. Daniel Collins calls them “perceptual oddities” from his article “Anamorphosis and the Eccentric Observer: History, Technique and Current Practice.” The wealthy would likely own a piece of art or, in rare cases, have an entire room made up of these anamorphic images. This was a status symbol to some and to others, these were grotesque, distorted images. King Edward IV had an image painted of himself in the anamorphic style, something a commoner could not afford to do and most certainly never be able to afford a painter who could achieve it at the level the King’s is painted at.
After doing a bit more research I noticed that optics and lenses were becoming common around the 1800s. They were using lenses to fix astigmatism as well as use in telescopes. This idea of distorted images becoming clear was not just from the standpoint of the viewer in front of an image but from another form of optics- being lenses. I’m sure the usage of lenses was a very important factor to the inception and idea of anamorphosis in the 1800s.
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