Accession No
0530
Brief Description
spectacles, temple, in case, 1820 (c)
Origin
Maker
Class
optical
Earliest Date
1820
Latest Date
1820
Inscription Date
Material
organic (horn, shell); glass; cloth (velvet)
Dimensions
case length 132mm; breadth 43mm; thickness 14mm
Special Collection
Robert Whipple collection
Provenance
Purchased from T.H. Court on 28/05/1927.
Inscription
‘15/-’ (on case)
‘P P’ (either side of inside of bridge)
Description Notes
Spectacles, temple, in case, 1820 (c).
Oval frame (horn) with temple sides. Convex oval lenses, C-bridge, velvet lining inside side pieces. Slip case with hinged lid. Abalone shell in pattern of circles, lined with red velvet.
Condition: good/fair; complete.
References
Events
Description
Spectacles
Usually consisting of a pair of lenses held in a frame, spectacles may have originated in the ancient civilizations of China and the Mediterranean, but early forms were crude. It was only in the 18th century that the grinding of lenses became sufficiently advanced to make then really effective for correcting sight defects. In order to correct for near sightedness, the lenses must be concave, which diverges the rays of light (angles them apart), and for long sightedness they must be convex, to angle the rays of light together.
Spectacles are not solely used for defective eyesight; the Inuit and the Yupik use wooden spectacles with very small slits in them to reduce the glare from snow and ice.
FM:42700
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