A Peep Into the Past

by Max Beerbohm

"A Peep Into the Past" by Sir Max Beerbohm is an essay written in 1893-1894 and privately printed in 1923. This satirical piece imagines Oscar Wilde—then at the height of his fame—as a staid, elderly recluse living quietly in Chelsea with a suspicious parade of page-boys. Beerbohm's cutting commentary lampoons Wilde's social aspirations and club life, creating a darkly prophetic portrait. Originally intended for The Yellow Book, the essay was withheld, possibly due to the impending Wilde scandal that would soon consume Victorian society.