Bird's Eye View. Aerial perspective; as seen from a height looking down on a small geographical area, as if seen from above through the eye of a bird. While the concept of aerial perspective was identified and named by Leonard da Vinci, it was, of course, created long before the invention of the airplane. Early practitioners in Paris, in the 1850s, did go up in balloons for sketching. It was so useful for promoters of World's Fairs that every fair since the London Fair in 1851 used this artistic perspective to give fairgoers an overview before arriving on the grounds. It has appeared on medals since 1851. See perspective.