Trompe-l'œil ("fool the eye") paintings and classic still-life paintings make up a prominent component of the ACMAA collection. "Ease" (1887) by William M. Harnett (1848–1892) is a large and eloquent example of the trompe-l'œil genre and one that amply demonstrates the allure of Harnett’s trompe-l'œil illusions for his nineteenth-century patrons. John Frederick Peto (1854–1907), a William Harnett contemporary who worked in relative obscurity, is represented in the collection by two highly accomplished trompe-l'œil compositions, "Lamps of Other Days" (1888) and "A Closet Door" (1904-06). Other trompe-l'œil paintings in the ACMAA collection were created by De Scott Evans (1847–1898) and John Haberle (1853–1933).