Accession No
0623
Brief Description
Nuremberg single-wire spectacles in case, 1790 (c)
Origin
Maker
Class
optical
Earliest Date
1790
Latest Date
Inscription Date
Material
metal (copper); glass; wood; cloth
Dimensions
length 107mm; breadth 50mm; thickness 19mm
Special Collection
Robert Whipple collection
Provenance
Purchased in Bectin on 30/09/1930.
Inscription
‘GLF 1790’ (on box lid)
Description Notes
Nuremberg single-wire spectacles in case, 1790 (c).
Copper frame. Round convex lenses. W-bridge. Rectangular wooden case. Shaped and padded.
Condition: 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:42714
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