They started using perspective and this is what gave the illusion of depth in the images
For entertainment and religious reasons
The Sons of Liberty was most likely organized in the summer of 1765 as a means to protest the passing of the Stamp Act of 1765. Their motto was, “No taxation without representation.” The Bostonians Paying the Excise-man, or Tarring and Feathering, 1774. Library of Congress.