With Grand Illusions, Laura Phillips brings to readers her findings after decades of study of decorative interior painting. The chief focus is on the walls of North Carolina residences in the nineteenth century with nods to examples in nonresidential and out of state structures. Types studied include wood-grained painting; marbled, stone-blocked and smoked painting; stenciled painting; and trompe-l'oeil and scenic paintings. The volume includes an extended essay on the topic accompanied by a photographic catalog of the properties and examples.