Peeking practices have been described since the 17th century. Optical boxes and Peep shows were the earliest manifestations of these practices, promoting curiositas, the curious attitude appreciated in modern entertainment and education, which has thrived with diverse media forms both in public and private spaces until today.

Although the pleasure of observing an image through a lens has been discontinued, most of our visual culture is today a lens culture. In the last 250 years, several optical devices have magnified picture details and enhanced depth sensations. These early forms of immersive media belong to the same lineage of optical devices in which the Cosmoramas have participated. This page presents different iterations of these media, from the 18th-century Zograscope to the 21st-century VR goggles.

peeking