This hand-made paper peepshow represents a ball, which in the nineteenth-century was a very popular occasion for the affluent members of society, and could be held in a public or private space. The construction of this paper peepshow is quite unusual: muslin was chosen to be sewn to the panels as connecting bellows, and the semi-transparent quality of the textile results in a different kind of light effect when the paper peepshow is expanded. The cut-out panels and the back panel exclusively comprise clippings from other prints. This suggests the possibility that the paper peepshow could have been made after a construction pattern or prints with a ballroom theme.

A ball was the ultimate occasion for courtship, as repeatedly shown in the novels of Jane Austen. The popularity of balls, as well as the complex protocols and codified behaviours in the ballroom, had encouraged the publication of various dancing manuals and etiquette handbooks for the ballroom.

Interestingly, the depiction of the ballroom in this work focuses less on creating a perspective illusion, as often seen in other works. Instead, the bareness of the frames to the cut-out panels and the staggering position of the figures make the scene look like in a miniature stage set.