For nearly 200 years itinerant showmen hawked their peepshows, in competition with other street entertainers in Europe's great cities. They supplemented their own plaintive cries with bells, horns, drums, and other musical instruments. Wondrous sights included distant lands, ferocious battles, and stately monuments . Sometimes these peepboxes were called Raree Shows, perhaps a mispronunciation by travelling showmen from Switzerland or Italy of 'Rare Show' . The peepshow was a box with at least one viewing hole through which a view was seen. There were two main types of peepshow: the first type, quite deep, had a lens in the viewing hole/s. A flap at the top, when lifted, would admit light - or candlelight from inside the box could be used. Many had a second opening in the rear, to allow for backlighting a print. Many prints had holes , cutouts, or perforations, covered on the back with coloured paper, paints or varnishes. When the view was backlit a different and often spectacular view was created. Windows lit up, and day turned to night. Some peepshows had a series of strings on the side attached to the pictures.
The second type, the 'boite d'optique', had more height than depth, with a veiwing lens in front and a mirror at 45 degrees, redirecting the eye down to the view in the base. From the 18th century, peepboxes were also popular in Japan. |
By pulling or raising a string the showman could raise or lower an image into a 'holding area' above or below the viewing area. These boxes were capable of displaying multiple images.