Peep show

A peep show or peepshow is an exhibition of pictures or objects viewed through a small hole or magnifying glass. This may or may not be a sex show, although the latter kind has eventually become the most common usage of the term since the advent of cinema and television, which destroyed various kinds of entertainment provided by wandering showmen.

History

Peep shows, also known as peep box or raree show ("rarity show") trace back to ancient times (15th century in Europe, by Leon Battista Alberti) and are known in various cultures. It could be a wooden box with a hole or several holes. It contained a set of pictures which the show-man can set into a viewing position by pulling the corresponding string. The boxes could be decorated inside to resemble a theatrical scene. The show was accompanied by "talk show" that explained what was happening in the show.

Common subjects included exotic views and animals, scenes of classical drama or masques, court ceremonies, and surprise transformations, e.g., of an angel into a devil and of course, lewd pictures.

Raree shows were precursors of toy theaters, with movable scenes and paper figurines, popular in the 19th century.

Pornographic peep shows

In contemporary use peep show refers to a piece wise presentation of pornographic films or, less commonly, a live sex show using a coin/bill-operated gadget, which shuts the viewing slot after a short time, requiring more money to be deposited for continuation. Peep shows have been used for lewd pictures, such as What the Butler Saw since before the turn of the twentieth century.

For live peep shows, booths surround a stage upon which female sex workers perform stripteases and sexually-explicit poses. The customers and the female sex workers can mutually agree to a fee for a "private dance." The "private dance" takes place in a peep show booth with a clear window and seating space for only one customer.

The Lusty Lady peep show in San Francisco entered the news in 1997, when it became the first U.S. sex business to become unionized. In 2003 it was bought by the strippers and became a workers' cooperative.

External links

• The Peep Show and Toy Theatre (many museum pieces)
• The Sunday Times Article about a sex workers co-op at Soho UK peep show, July 14 1985

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