What did people see in peepshows? The variety of images was substantial, but mostly what one could see were scenes of great cities, battle scenes or far off lands. Most views employed some element of perspective drawing, the most typical being the use of a vanishing point, to create a more 3d feeling to the flat image. Large numbers of these images, often based on famous paintings or prints, were turned out in England, France and Italy. The large majority of views were daytime views, the prints mounted on stiff cardboard. However, there were a group of prints which had some transparent elements, often pieces of the print were cut out or pin pricks were made, and colored paper was used as backing creating day/night views and allowing the showman more range in what was shown. Now with such views not only could a day-time image be shown, but when lit from behind, night time effects, often with stars coming out, or lights in windows could be made.
I have just added a page to the web site featuring 60 remarkable day/night views
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