Mondo Nuovo

This device, spectacular and unique on account of its large dimensions, was intended for shows of the Mondo Nuovo, also called Peep Show. It consists of a removable wooden L-shaped structure that would be set up on a street corner or in a square. On the long side there are five holes with one lens each, through which the inside of the structure is observed. On the short side, a door allows access to the inside, where there are five lecterns located one in front of each lens, and in which an optical view of a landscape, a street or a monument of a city is placed. The Mundo Nuovo was a travelling fairground and street attraction. In exchange for some coins, the viewer could look through the lens at the optical views placed inside the device with a remarkable sense of depth of field. This Mondo Nuovo was found in 1999 in the attic of a farmhouse in the Osona region.