Abraham Lincoln Effect

The Abraham Lincoln Effect refers to the visual effect of how a block portrait is difficult to recognize close up but then at a distance can be easily recognized. This effect can also be experienced by looking at an image through squinted, half-closed eyes. This effect is explained by how the reduction of information being taken through the eyes makes a figure more identifiable. This effect was named by by its originator, American researcher Leon Harmon, for his use of a block portrait of Abraham Lincoln that he used for his research.