Comments on: The Peek-O Revolving Home Viewer — peep hole in production since 1949

By: Barclay

Barclay — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:27:09 +0000

These retro peeps are great. I also saw (I think) the same peephole apparatus as JD here – it was small on the outside, but on the inside it had a round viewer about 2.5 inches across that magnified the view. It seemed to have infinite focus, cause you could see the cars across the street. If anyone indeed finds this second type of peephole, I’d love to know. (thanks, Pam – in blogging about one peephole mystery, you uncovered another!)

By: loumeigs

loumeigs — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:51:19 +0000

We have one in our front door! It’s great, I’m short. The Jefferson’s (the tv show) front door sported one for years! I was so excited to have their viewer and now I know what it is called! Thanks!!!

By: Helen

Helen — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:11:09 +0000

I had one of these in my house and I LOVED it but when we changed the front door, the new door was too thin for the old peephole fit. I’ll check out the site and see if I can get another or modify the one I have somehow. Hooray!

By: Adrienne

Adrienne — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:10:48 +0000

Thank you for the info, Pam! The house of our dreams that we couldn’t buy (sniffle tear) had one of these. It was probably my favorite detail of the entire place and the one reason I didn’t want to walk away from it. Now I can get it for any house I own!!

By: J.D.

J.D. — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:28:56 +0000

Wish I could remember the maker or even the brand name of some NOS door viewers we had on the shelf in the old hardware store I worked in. On the outside they were fairly normal looking peep holes, but on the inside there was a screen about the size of a cassette tape… you could see it and who was at the door from across the room! Very heavy, solid glass screen and optics, like 3 pounds! They were quite old, even 20 years ago, packed in two color green and yellow boxes. Never sold one and never seen one installed, but wish now I had the presence of mind to have bought one!

By: Tut

Tut — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:06:44 +0000

Sue’s peephole sounds like it’d be perfect if they get door-to-door flashers.

By: Richard @ The Bewildered Brit

Richard @ The Bewildered Brit — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:53:02 +0000

This is fascinating! Great piece of detective . Was this the first door-viewer-thing that was made?

By: Missouri Michael

Missouri Michael — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:20:14 +0000

Thanks Pam! I had so much fun doing the research for this post. It’s such a compliment to have it featured here!

By: Virginia

Virginia — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:10:48 +0000

Applause for Missouri Mitchell for displaying the curiosity and tenacity that are the hallmark of mid-century home owners!

By: sumac sue

sumac sue — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:06:49 +0000

Well, we have a little peeper in our door, but it isn’t a Peek-O. It ’s a bit quirky, however — it’s mounted only about four-and-a-half feet high. The original owner of this house was a short woman. Both my husband and I have to lean way over to look out the peep hole, and we get a glimpse of a chest or a belly.