A D V E N T U R E S in C Y B E R S O U N DThe Peep Show and Toy Theatre
Peep (Peep) n. Peep show, a small show, or object exhibited, which is viewed through an orifice or a magnifying glass. - "Peep-o'-day boys", the Irish insurgents of 1784; - so called from their visiting the house of the loyal Irish at day break in search of arms. [Cant] Rare (Rare) a. [Cf. Rather, Rath.] Early. [Obs.] Raree-show (Rar"ee-show`) n. [Contr. fr. rarity-show.] A show carried about in a box; a peep show. Pope.
Websters Dictionary, 1913
The Peep Show The Peep Show, a children's toy and scientific curiosity, usually consisting of a box with an eyehole, through which the viewer sees a miniature scene or stage setting, painted or constructed in perspective. Peep shows of an earlier time are often the only accurate representation of the stage design and scenery of the period. The earliest known peep shows are the perspective views said to have been painted in transparent colours on glass and lighted from behind for various effects, from sunshine to moonlight, by Leon Battista Alberti in 1437. ...Later models (some preserved in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna) have designs that are apparently patterned on Renaissance court masques and pageants, such as that of the discovery of Diana by Actaeon, with fully modelled figures set against a background painted in careful perspective. In the 17th century, peep shows in their cabinets were often exhibited in the streets by itinerant showmen, and the device became a popular children's toy. Some, equipped with movable scenery and wooden or cardboard figures, developed into the juvenile [toy] theatres of the 19th century. The peep show was also the precursor of many types of optical toys, including the stereoscope and the magic lantern. A New Perspective on Science and Art
Brunelleschi's Perspective Device (Peep Show) Filippo Brunelleschi used his training as a gold smith to apply a silver background on a painted panel, allowing the color of the sky and passing clouds to become part of the painting as seen by the viewer. This was an attempt at a perspective painting and interactive art. The panel was constructed with a hole at the vanishing point. The reflection of the image was viewed in a mirror through the hole, giving an illusion of depth.
 Brunelleschi's Perspective Device, 'Peep Show' A New Perspective on Science and Art
Filippo Brunelleschi, a famous Renaissance architect, developed many important construction methods as well as contributing to the evolution of perspective. His mathematical work led to the invention of linear perspective. Filipio also used his knowledge of gold and silversmithing to create his peepshow, an important development in interactive perspective art. A New Perspective on Science and Art
Filippo Brunelleschi (Firenze, 1377-1446). Architect, perspectivist, and sculptor We know little about Filippo Brunelleschi's career until 1418-20, when we find him engaged in various architectural projects that were to change the face of Florence: the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Spedale degli Innocenti, and the churches of San Lorenzo and Santo Spirito. He seems to have made several earlier trips to Rome to study classical architecture. In this period he painted, by the aid of a mirror, two panels showing the Baptistry and the Piazza della Signoria in perspective. These works - now lost - marked the birth of linear perspective. Also in the same years, Brunelleschi built mechanical clocks, of which only indirect accounts survive. His work as sculptor is better documented. In fact, it was back in 1401 that he competed unsuccessfully against Lorenzo Ghiberti for the construction of the second bronze door of the Florence Baptistry. Brunelleschi and the Origin of Linear Perspective
 'Mondo Nuovo show with Jugglers', Giuseppe Gamberini (1680 - 1723) Oil on canvas, c.1700 - 1720 Towards a History of the Cinema Theatre, Museo del Cinema di Torino
 Il Mondo Niovo, c.1700 In legno, di tipo veneziano, in uso nel 1700. Cm. 70 x 125 x 65.
From the exhibition LA MAGIA DELL'IMMAGINE held at Torino Palazzina della Società promotrice delle Belle Arti Parco del Valentino http://www.cisi.unito.it/~gleb
 Paper Theatre (Peep Box) - Mine Scene
Martin Engelbrecht (Augsburg, 1684-1758) Dating: around 1730
Around 1730 Martin Engelbrecht created miniature theatres: They consisted usually of 5-8 individual cards which when consecutively inserted into a peep box, resulted in a 'theatrical' scene with a perspective view. Apart from religious topics they showed scenes of daily life, the seasons and as here, a view into a mine. also... Guckkasten. Deutschland, um 1770 Verlag Martin Engelbrecht in Augsburg. 10 seltene Theaterszenarien zu je sechs Blatt mit handkolorierten Stichen im Octav-Format (etwa 9,2 x 14,3 cm). Die Innenkonturen des Proszeniumbildes und die Kulissendarstellungen sind sorgfo/ooltig ausgeschnitten. Der stehende, mit farbigem Papier, berzogene Guckkasten aus Holz besitzt eine an der Stirnseite eingebaute Linse und einen Spiegel mit 45 Grad Neigung."
 Scatole ottiche e trasparenze Scatola ottica verticale, in legno, con lente propria. Secolo XVIII. Cm. 34 x 30 x 128.
From the exhibition LA MAGIA DELL'IMMAGINE held at Torino Palazzina della Società promotrice delle Belle Arti Parco del Valentino http://www.cisi.unito.it/~gleb/magia.htm
 Showbox, Parrat, 1753 The Complete History of Cinematography
The Complete History of Cinematography by Paul T Burns 1 In 1753 S. ( Stephen? Simon?) Parrat described a 'showbox' in a letter sent to the `Gentleman's Magazine'. As Parrat was describing the use of this instrument in great strides, it is unclear whether he himself built it, or was simply praising it. Easily converted into a camera, it was typically used for viewing drawings or engravings.
 Travelling Peep Show, c.1750
 Peep Box c.1770
 'Peep Show', (alt: 'Peep Box', 'Raree Show'), China, c. Late 18c
 Mondo Nuovo, G(iuseppe) Zompini, 1785
 Travelling Peep Show, 1805
 Travelling Puppet Show, China, c. Late 18c
 Travelling Peep Show "Lanterne Magique - Jemmappes - Valmy - Paris in 1848" Hunter, N., Cinema
 Peep Show, The Battle of Gibraltar Cook, Olive Movement in Two Dimensions
 Travelling Peep Show, China, c. Late 19c Original Caption: Street amusements - Peking
 Travelling Peep Show, China, c. Late 19c hand coloured etching, presumably based on photo above? a recent auction on eBay You may wish to download a larger version
Samuel van Hoogstraten's Peepshow Box van Hoogstraten, expanded upon Brunelleschi's peepshow and created a series of peepshow boxes. The boxes were constructed of wood with one side missing to allow light to enter. Small holes were made to view the panels. "Real space" equalled "painted space" because the viewer's line of sight was limited and opposite the vanishing point. Images had to be distorted on different panels to maintain the illusion of depth. A New Perspective on Science and Art
 Samuel van Hoogstraten's, Peep Show Box, c.1660 Collection of The National Gallery, London
The box displays two separate views (coinciding with the view with each peephole) of the interior of a Dutch house. The three-dimensional illusion is created from five panels painted with perspective scenes. The sixth side of the box is open, to let light in. This light source is incorporated into the design of the interior; the opening is imagined as a shuttered window, filtering bright pools of sunlight into the rooms.
You may also wish to read more about Samuel van Hoogstraten
 A Pin for the Peep Show, c.late 19thc You may wish to download a larger version
from a rare books sale 'Heritage Book Shop, Inc.', 1998
also... The Areaorama A View in the Regents Park, London, 1823, Octavo. With seven hand-colored lithographed panels. Original slipcase with printed paper label on cover. also... Lane's Telescopic View of the Ceremony of Her Majesty Opening The Great Exhibition, of all Nations.; Designed by Rawlins, 1851. [London], Printed & Published by C. A. Lane..., 15 August 1851. Hand-coloured lithographic peep show, measuring 155 x 190 mms., folded, and extending to a depth of about 500 mms. in "telescopic" mode, with six layers, completely hand-coloured throughout, in original hand-coloured pictorial slip-case, repeating the design and colouring of the front cover; some slightly spotting of "view" but otherwise clean and fresh, slip case open at one side and with one quarter of side panel on other side missing, and front cover slightly soiled. An attractive item, priced 4s.6d. in 1851. also...from 'Bromer Booksellers, Inc.' Uncut Sheets for a Peep-Show. Praesentation eines Fischerstechens. Martin Engelbrecht. (Augsburg, ca.1720-40). Six uncropped quartosized sheets for a peepshow with Engelbrecht's name printed in the lower right corner of each sheet. These brilliantly handcolored engravings show people "jousting" in boats, with both women and men falling into the water. The "lances" have wide rounded ends, so this is evidently a community sporting event. The first and last sheets show the onlookers on the shore. Small stain to one corner of the first sheet, still these are remarkably fine, very detailed, and bright examples of Engelbrecht's work, with wide, totally uncut margins. Included is a modern wooden stand with slots for viewing the peepshow. Martin Engelbrecht (1684 - 1756), together with his brother Christian, were printsellers and engravers in Augsburg, where their business flourished around 1721. In the realm of artists, he was known for having engraved prints from the masters. More noteworthy, however, is Engelbrecht's extensive work as an illustrator for children's works and for the decorative arts. He is very well known for his detailed and highly collectible peepshows. also... 'Tunnel Views'
 Tunnel Views - Peepshow
This 'Tunnel Views' - Peepshow is approx. 5 1/2" x 4 3/4" and extends to approx 50 inches A larger version is also available a recent auction on eBay
Tunnel Views. Germany, ca. 1830-40. A peepshow in seven levels, showing the interior of the Thames Tunnel, which opened to the public in 1843. A pink printed label surrounds the peephole, which is closed by flaps, which are only visible when flat. The twin shafts of the tunnel, seen when extended, are full of tiny handcolored cutouts of carriages and pedestrians. Sides of stiff yellow board, the back covered in marbled paper. Tunnel souvenirs of this nature were sold at shops in the tunnel between 1825 and 1860, to visitors from all countries. Small chip to inner edge of peephole, else fine in original cardboard slipcase, which is covered in patterned paper with a large pasteon label. The engraved title, "," is a cancel pasted over the original German "Der Tunnel." Below the title is a handcolored wood-engraving with a cutaway view of the working face and shield during excavation, based on a publication of 1827. Although rubbed at sides and worn at corners, the slipcase has held up well. (Chrimes, Elton, and May, pp. 29f., and no. 152). also... Peep Show Holland ca. 1830. Lithographed and handcolored, with six panels, measuring 5 by 6 1/4 inches. This delicatelyworked piece shows a oneroom schoolhouse, with ivy over a sign reading "Gerrit Jan Kamp, Onderwyzer der jeugd," and a mother and infant waiting on a bench outside. The top half of a Dutch door opens to reveal the fivelevel interior, with windows, cupboards, and bookshelves. The desks, each seating four children, the blackboard on a post, the teacher, and individual pupils, are cutout and tabbed to fit into slots in the floor. There are eleven movable figures and groups. Each card has seven or eight slots. One or two figures lacking, else in fine condition. also... 'Promenade de Longchamp' Spaziergang nach Longchamp. Walk to Longchamp. (France, ca. 1830-40). A peepshow with three peepholes through which one sees three separate long views, each in five levels. In the center, a broad avenue leads past the statues, fountains, and the tall trees of the Tuileries. On the left is a country scene of forests and farms, and on the right is the sea, with ships and towers. Carriages, ships, foliage and other features are intricately cutout and brightly handcolored. The covers form an oblong octavo box with a pastedon handcolored scene showing fashionable Parisians on foot, horseback, and in carriages.
Toy Theatre
 Toy Theatre, c.1820 http://members.aol.com/invisius/
The figures, which could be cut out and mounted on pasteboard, soon became a popular children's plaything, and the souvenir sheets began to include pictures of scenery as well.The success of this idea resulted in a series designed especially for children, with from 10 to 20 cutout sheets depicting all the characters and scenery of a play, together with a condensed and often bowdlerized version of the script. The pictures, which cost a penny for the plain sheets and twopence for the hand-coloured variety, were often extremely accurate representations of the costumes and scenery of such popular melodramas as The Miller and His Men and of pantomimes. They enjoyed their greatest popularity between about 1815 and 1835, but new plays continued to be produced well into the 1850s. During this 50-year period, more than 300 plays were adapted from the London theatre, with more than 100 printsellers involved in their manufacture. With the advent of popular illustrated journals, the juvenile drama lost much of its pictorial novelty, and the increasingly realistic theatre of the later 19th century produced fewer plays that were suited to children's entertainment. In 1884 Robert Louis Stevenson wrote an essay entitled Penny Plain, Twopence Coloured, a nostalgic tribute to the entire genre of juvenile drama. Germany, Austria, France, and Denmark, among other nations, had a similar type of juvenile drama. A few publishers kept the old stock in print until the 20th century, and, after World War II, there was a revival of interest in toy theatre.
Modern 'Mass Market' Toy Theatre
 'Peter Pan' Toy Theatre, Tom Tierney, late 20c a recent auction on eBay
 'Fairytale' Toy Theatre, Anna Pomaska, late 20c a recent auction on eBay
Peep Books
 Peep Show Book a recent auction on eBay
 Peep Show Book (open) a recent auction on eBay
From my research, by far the best source of contemporary (reproduction) Toy Theatre products is Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop. Contact Louise Heard for a current and in itself, wonderful catalogue. also, the following sites run by toy theatre enthusiasts are well worth a visit Miniatures in Motion by Arline Smith Fritz Kannik includes a toy theatre bibliography Gigi and Glen Sandberg also includes a toy theatre bibliography
Both the above and many more similar texts, are available from ACR Book Service
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Probably the key text for those interested in the art and history of the Peep Show is Richard Balzer's Peep Shows A Visual History His other text, Optical Amusements: Magic Lanterns and other Transforming Images - A Catalog of Popular Entertainments also covers the Peep Show
