thevintagethimble: Spectacle case and spectaclesEngland, ca. 1685-1688 (case) - 1700-1725 (spectacles). Spectacle case of painted and gilded mother-of-pearl, containing a later pair of folding spectacles, of tortoise-shell and silver. This spectacle case may have belonged to James II, although the folding spectacles most certainly were made several decades after his death in exile in 1701. The painted mother-of-pearl case is of the very highest quality—certainly fit for a king’s use—and was probably made in France. Folding spectacles are mentioned in the advertisement of a French maker in 1745. They are described as ‘in the English style’. It is likely that folding spectacles had been made for a decade or so before 1745, but there is no evidence that they were made during the lifetime of James II. A letter that accompanied the spectacles, written at the end of the 18th century, describes in detail how the case passed by gift from James’s son, the Old Pretender, through several hands, until it came into the possession of a Mr Walker in 1770. By that time it must have been revered as a Jacobite relic by those who favoured the Stuart claim to the English throne. | V&A High-res

thevintagethimble:

Spectacle case and spectacles
England, ca. 1685-1688 (case) - 1700-1725 (spectacles). Spectacle case of painted and gilded mother-of-pearl, containing a later pair of folding spectacles, of tortoise-shell and silver.

This spectacle case may have belonged to James II, although the folding spectacles most certainly were made several decades after his death in exile in 1701. The painted mother-of-pearl case is of the very highest quality—certainly fit for a king’s use—and was probably made in France. Folding spectacles are mentioned in the advertisement of a French maker in 1745. They are described as ‘in the English style’. It is likely that folding spectacles had been made for a decade or so before 1745, but there is no evidence that they were made during the lifetime of James II.
A letter that accompanied the spectacles, written at the end of the 18th century, describes in detail how the case passed by gift from James’s son, the Old Pretender, through several hands, until it came into the possession of a Mr Walker in 1770. By that time it must have been revered as a Jacobite relic by those who favoured the Stuart claim to the English throne. | V&A

thevintagethimble: Spectacles. C. 1810The wearing of spectacles became more commonplace in the course of the eighteenth century. Greater numbers were learning to read and Londoners had access to cheap printed material, such as broadsheets and the first daily newspapers. Many people experienced deteriorating eyesight owing to the dimly lit conditions in which they lived and worked. A market developed for spectacles that were affordable to working people. The wealthy followed fashion trends and purchased frames made of expensive materials. The upper class often used other hand-held devices, such as quizzers and lorgnettes, as they considered them more fashionable than spectacles which were worn by all classes. London was at the forefront of technical innovation in the field of visual aids. The major advance in spectacle design was the introduction of sides which held the spectacles in place on the head. Opticians were skilled craftsmen who would often make other optical instruments in addition to spectacles and cases. The maker of this pair of spectacles, John Holmes, was a silversmith by trade but diversified into making spectacles in the early 1800s. Silver was the most commonly used material for making fine quality spectacle frames. Spectacles of this type were on the market by the beginning of the nineteenth century. The sides can be extended using a sliding mechanism. This allowed the wearer to adjust the arms to hold the spectacles comfortably in place. Round lenses were becoming less fashionable in this period and were largely superceded by oval shaped lenses by the 1820s. | Museum of London High-res

thevintagethimble:

Spectacles. C. 1810
The wearing of spectacles became more commonplace in the course of the eighteenth century. Greater numbers were learning to read and Londoners had access to cheap printed material, such as broadsheets and the first daily newspapers. Many people experienced deteriorating eyesight owing to the dimly lit conditions in which they lived and worked. A market developed for spectacles that were affordable to working people. The wealthy followed fashion trends and purchased frames made of expensive materials. The upper class often used other hand-held devices, such as quizzers and lorgnettes, as they considered them more fashionable than spectacles which were worn by all classes.

London was at the forefront of technical innovation in the field of visual aids. The major advance in spectacle design was the introduction of sides which held the spectacles in place on the head. Opticians were skilled craftsmen who would often make other optical instruments in addition to spectacles and cases. The maker of this pair of spectacles, John Holmes, was a silversmith by trade but diversified into making spectacles in the early 1800s. Silver was the most commonly used material for making fine quality spectacle frames.

Spectacles of this type were on the market by the beginning of the nineteenth century. The sides can be extended using a sliding mechanism. This allowed the wearer to adjust the arms to hold the spectacles comfortably in place. Round lenses were becoming less fashionable in this period and were largely superceded by oval shaped lenses by the 1820s. | Museum of London

SYPHILIS GLASSES: a rare set of green tinted four-lens spectacles commonly worn by sufferers of syphilis in the early 19th century. The design was patented by J.R. Richardson in 1797 and these ‘double D’ frames were hand made somewhere between 1800 and 1820.

SYPHILIS GLASSES: a rare set of green tinted four-lens spectacles commonly worn by sufferers of syphilis in the early 19th century. The design was patented by J.R. Richardson in 1797 and these ‘double D’ frames were hand made somewhere between 1800 and 1820.