Major 21st Century Optical Discoveries
Resulting from this International Research

Abe Lincoln’s Burt & Willard glasses, Library of Congress Abraham Lincoln’s smaller folding spectacles turn out to be a previously unrecognized world treasure. Indeed, the Library of Congress in Washington, DC holds one of the greatest pairs of eyeglasses ever created.
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Baby Jesus holds leather-framed eyeglasses, 17th century painting, unique A unique early 17th century painting where Baby Jesus holds eyeglasses, thought to have been destroyed during the First World War is the greatest anachronism in existence. Fortunately it survived and has now surfaced in a private collection.
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16th – 18th century eyeboxes, Madame Heymann Optical Collection, Château d'Écouen Madame Alfred Heymann’s optical collection was absolutely the greatest ever, yet it disappeared upon her death in 1925. Hiding in storage at nine different prominent museums around Paris, the major portions of it have now been located.
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Sidearms to eyeglasses appear for the very first time, Edward Scarlett trade card, early 18th century, Bodleian Library The year 1714 is the new possible date for the development of side arms to eyeglasses. A third trade card of Edward Scarlett has been discovered at the Bodleian Library in Oxford and this new one pushes the previous date back from 1727.
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Vision Aids are amazing! Their history is truly fascinating! As works of art, they have a beauty all their own!
Certainly one of the most significant inventions of all time, they are symbols of man's incredible ingenuity and craftsmanship!
Embrace the profound impact that spectacles alone have had on the human experience over the past 730 years.
Yet they are taken for granted by nearly everyone worldwide!

Starting with the Introduction and Goals, wander through this non-commercial, not for profit, website. You may find it enlightening and informative to learn about these wonderful items many of us use daily. Look at the Table of Contents. This website is the result of the collaboration of International educators and is for everyone’s interest and enjoyment. It is the place where we celebrate vision aids, (and the optical lens), especially spectacles. The Real Numbers of this website keep growing because Interesting Topics and Slideshows are added regularly. All this would not have been possible without the wonderful support of many noteworthy Contributing Individuals and Participating Institutions. To improve navigation of the website, we have added Quick Links for people with special interests.

Georges De Georges De La Tour (1593-1652), Saint Jerome Reading a Letter, French, oil on canvas, 1620’s, on display at the Museo del Prado, permission granted by the Department of Employment and Social Security of the Government of Spain.La Tour (1593-1652), Saint Jerome Reading a Letter, French, oil on canvas, 1620’s, on display at the Museo del Prado, permission granted by the Department of Labor and Immigration of the Government of Spain.
Georges De La Tour (1593-1652), Saint Jerome Reading a Letter, French, oil on canvas, 1620’s, on display at the Museo del Prado, permission granted by the Department of Employment and Social Security of the Government of Spain.
Solid gold, single draw spyglass, hand painted enamel on the handle, late 18th c., from the Collection of Baroness Salomon de Rothschild, born Adele von Rothschild (1843-1922). Earlier, the spyglass belonged to her father, Baron Mayer Karl von Rothschild (1820-1886), Musée National de la Renaissance, Château d'Ecouen, France. Possibly unique.
Solid gold, single draw spyglass, hand painted enamel on the handle, late 18th c., from the Collection of Baroness Salomon de Rothschild, born Adele von Rothschild (1843-1922). Earlier, the spyglass belonged to her father, Baron Mayer Karl von Rothschild (1820-1886), Musée National de la Renaissance, Château d'Ecouen, France. Possibly unique.
Tortoiseshell, English, circa 1830. Front +1.25, right side – 15.00 diopters, left side + 5.50 diopters. These function like a telescope because of the extra side lenses. This creates the equivalent of a basic Galilean telescope; the concave lens serves as the ocular lens (eyepiece) while the convex lens serves as the objective. Probably unique.
Tortoiseshell, English, circa 1830. Front +1.25, right side – 15.00 diopters, left side + 5.50 diopters. These function like a telescope because of the extra side lenses. This creates the equivalent of a basic Galilean telescope; the concave lens serves as the ocular lens (eyepiece) while the convex lens serves as the objective. Probably unique.
Domingo Echevarria, “Chavarito" (1676-1751), Death of Holy Teresa, oil on canvas,: c. 1712-1715,  Inv. #CE-0251-04, Copyright Museo de Bellas Artes de Granada
Domingo Echevarria, “Chavarito" (1676-1751), Death of Holy Teresa, oil on canvas,: c. 1712-1715, Inv. #CE-0251-04, Copyright Museo de Bellas Artes de Granada
Charles Spencelayh, Fingerprints, 1953, oil on canvas, Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth, UK
Charles Spencelayh, Fingerprints, 1953, oil on canvas, Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth, UK
Prism spectacles, part of a prism exercise set, used to strengthen horizontal ocular muscles, circa early 20th century, courtesy of University of NY, State College of Optometry
Prism spectacles, part of a prism exercise set, used to strengthen horizontal ocular muscles, circa early 20th century, courtesy of University of NY, State College of Optometry
Polyhedron multifaceted lenses, horn frame, rock crystal, provenance the collection of druggist Heinrich Linck (1638-1717), courtesy Museum Waldenburg, Waldenburg, Germany
Polyhedron multifaceted lenses, horn frame, rock crystal, provenance the collection of druggist Heinrich Linck (1638-1717), courtesy Museum Waldenburg, Waldenburg, Germany
The Astronomers from the Story of the Emperor of China Series, French tapestry, from the Beauvais tapestry manufactory, circa 1700, wool and silk, 13 feet 11 inches x  10 feet 5 ½ inches, as seen on Wikipedia
The Astronomers from the Story of the Emperor of China Series, French tapestry, from the Beauvais tapestry manufactory, circa 1700, wool and silk, 13 feet 11 inches x 10 feet 5 ½ inches, as seen on Wikipedia
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The images on this page are replaced several times a year. Previously used images are available in three separate slide shows.

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