The first, a faithful copy of Frith's depiction of Paddington Railway Station, was particularly admired, as were pictures of Mt. Cook and Wanganui in New Zealand. The panorama was exhibited in Echuca's Town Hall from October 1869, with musical accompanied by local musicians and singers, including Peirce himself. He took the show to nearby towns then in April 1870 to Wagga Wagga, with Peirce giving a humorous commentary. Around this time he painted a series of murals for Echuca's Steampacket Hotel,(Mudie, "op. cit" p. 172) a regular haunt of riverboat people. In mid-1872 he was showing his panorama at the Hill End, New South Wales gold diggings. The panorama, and additional pictures of the diggings, were shown at Wagga Wagga as part of a complimentary benefit for Peirce. Around 1876 Peirce moved to Geelong, and there began his second panorama, "Mirror of Australia", which was unveiled in November 1879, in conjunction with William Bignell. The following month they showed in Castlemaine, with the male impersonator Ellen Tremaye ("De Lacy Evans") as a sensational added attraction. By 1881 this panorama was being shown in England. In the 1880s, still living in Geelong, and running a "cigar divan", he was making portraits in oils, especially of horses and sportsmen One which survives is of the Melbourne Hunt Club. He also painted stage scenery, which was well received. By 1883 he was proprietor of the Black Bull Hotel. Peirce left Geelong in 1892. His farewell benefit was a disaster – he had prepared some lithographed handbills advertising the event, which featured caricatures of leading Geelong citizens which were not well received, and several artists who had promised to perform withdrew their support, and the local MP, John Rout Hopkins, took umbrage and set the law onto the printers. To cap it off, the night was wet and stormy and though many tickets had been sold, few turned up. In 1894 he was living in Peel Street, North Melbourne, still making a living as an artist. Peirce was a versatile and prolific performer on stage: he appeared with various troupes as a ventriloquist and comic singer (though his choice of songs did not please one reviewer of a variety show at Melbourne's Theatre Royal).