These curious novelties were much in vogue during the mid-19th century when they were produced as souvenirs. Between card covers a series of receding scenic layers are mounted on concertina-folded retaining-strips made of cloth or paper. A spy hole in the front cover allows the viewer to see a deep perspective (usually of a vast interior or ceremonial parade) when the bellows are fully extended. One of the earliest commemorated the opening of the Thames Tunnel at Rotherhithe, London, in 1843 - an ideal subject! Many celebrated Victoria's visit to the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London during the Great Exhibition of 1851.
A century later the format was revived by UK publishers Werner Laurie who produced several glue-it-yourself peepshow kits on religious and secular themes during the 1950s. The one shown, devised by Jack Chambers, shows Noah's Ark:
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OTHER PEEPSHOWS TO LOOK OUT FOR
• Tim's Telescopic View of 'Her Majesty's Silver Jubilee Procession', UK, 1977
• 'Am Meeresstrand' first published by Schreiber in the 1890s and re-issued (in a different format) as a facsimile, 1990s.
• Miriam Moss and Delphine Durand's 'The Snoops', Templar Publishing, 1997