Amazing! This 19th century “tunnel book” is a bit like the ancestor of our virtual reality

The book collector and historian Allie Alvis shows us that there are still more inventive ways to take us there, even if technology today enables us to travel back in time with just a click or the aid of a virtual reality headset. These old paper peepshow books literally transport us to the center of the French capital in 1830.

For those who are unaware, "paper peepshow" books, often referred to as tunnel books, are composed of multiple pages that are bonded together by folded pieces of paper and placed on each side giving it an accordion appearance as it is read. is opened.

These unusual and poetic books almost look like mini-plays that come to life over the pages thanks to an effect of depth and perspective. Readers, or rather spectators, are invited to look inside through a small hole to discover enchanted universes made in 3D.

One of his recent meticulous and original finds has also been noticed on the social network Reddit since the tunnel book reveals a superb reproduction of the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris dating from the 19th century. The five-page book illustrates an incredible reconstruction of the daily and social life of Parisians at the time, between a walk under a parasol and the reverence of a courtier, which you can discover below in photos and video. It would have been made at the time by WERNER, a papermaker based Rue Vivienne in Paris.