Peepshows

Long before the movies were created, peepshows were appealing to a public eager for entertainment and enlightenment. The peepshowman and his box were a common sight on bustling city streets and quiet village greens. He attracted a crowd with music, animals, puppets, and clever patter and then might offer a view of a famous battle scene or a glimpse of a storied landscape, a stroll through the public squares of distant capitals or a peek at a fabled monument.

Such views could challenge the boundaries of ordinary life, and satisfy a growing hunger for information. Peepshows: A Visual History offers the reader a rich sense of the history of this mysterious and magical box. The book includes nearly 200 annotated images, many never before published.