The snowglobe is cloudy and misty before it's shaken, the snow in it flying all around in a way that obscures the vision for a little bit before it settles down. The places seen in the globe are mostly tall buildings and busy cities, though there are a few places that are decidedly not city like in the least.
The first place shown is a large manor, with a beautiful landscape surrounding it.
The next place, when the globe is shaken, is a school that has a very high pedigree, as shown by the beautiful brick buildings.
The place changes after that; no more beautiful buildings, but rather, a tent high in the air, with empty stands and a flying trapeze in the middle. It's the perfect circus come to still life.
On the next shake, the snow fills the globe and the scene changes to a large, dirty city.
The next scene in the globe is a a tower in the shape of a T.
The next two scenes are of the same city; first in it's prime, and the second at it's end.
And the final, most sobering picture, is of a tombstone with a man's name on it.