Illusions from the National Archives in New York City

A century ago military powers used sophisticated visual shape-disrupting techniques to conceal weapons of war, and to hide resources during wartime. The artform was mastered by members of the Women's Reserve—NYC art students who signed up and used their knowledge to enhance the art of camouflage and deception. They developed numerous techniques to camouflage individuals. Camouflage functions by either decreasing contrast of the object being hidden, or by disrupting its shape profile so that the hidden object cannot easily be identified and/or properly categorized.

The Women Reserve also camouflaged naval vessels, and the US Navy had its own office dedicated to the critical function, as did foreign navies such as the British Navy. Naval designs were intended to make the ships more difficult to track and precisely position, so as to thwart would-be torpedo attacks.