- The Droste effect is known in the art as "mise en abyme". It is the effect of a picture recursively appearing within itself, in a place where a comparable figure would realistically be anticipated to appear.
The effect is named after a Dutch brand of cocoa, with a logo created by Jan Misset in 1904. It has since been employed in the packaging of a variety of commodities. The effect was anticipated in medieval works of art such as Giotto's Stefaneschi Triptych of 1320.
The appearance is recursive: the miniature version contains an even tinier version of the image, and so on. Only in theory could this go on endlessly; however practically, it continues as long as the resolution of the picture supports, which is comparatively short since each repetition geometrically decreases the picture's size.
- The cover of the 1969 album Ummagumma by Pink Floyd depicts a band member sitting, with a photo on the wall. The picture displays the same scene with another band member, and the effect continues for all four group members, with the image for the fourth being the cover of their earlier album "A Saucerful of Secrets". The logo of The Laughing Cow cheese brand depicts a cow with earrings. On closer examination, these are seen to be copies of the circular cheese spread package, each exhibiting the image of the laughing cow.
