Antique Spectacles

Antique Spectacles & Other Visual Aids

Spectacles are amazing! Their history is truly fascinating!
As works of art, they have a beauty all their own!
They are a symbol of man's incredible ingenuity and craftsmanship!
Certainly they are one of the most significant inventions of all time!
Yet they are taken for granted by nearly everyone worldwide!

Please take a few minutes to wander through this website. You may find it enlightening and informative to learn about these wonderful items many of us use daily.

Solid gold folding nose spectacles, circa 1775
Solid gold folding nose spectacles, circa 1775
Silver figural scissors spectacles, late 18th century
Silver figural scissors-glasses, late 18th century		 Handle of a fork, carved antler, 17th century
Handle of a fork, carved antler, 17th century (notice the  spectacles)
Pince nez with insert
Folding pince-nez, horn insert in a tortoiseshell frame, flexible metal nose bridge, 1850
Miniature painting, Martin's Margins, 1796
Miniature oval painting of a man wearing Martin's  Margins, H. Janvey, 1796		 Silver Martin's Margins in a hand-painted wooden case with a floral motif , London 1824
Silver Martin's Margins in a hand-painted wooden case with a floral motif , London 1824		 Tortoise spectacles and case, first quarter 19th century
Tortoiseshell spectacles and case, first quarter 19th century		 Tortoise shell magnifier, cardboard belt case, 16th to 17th century
Tortoiseshell magnifier, cardboard belt case, 16th to 17th century
Nuremburg-style spectacles in the front cover of an Augsburg, Germany prayer book - 1716
Nuremburg-style spectacles in the front cover of an Augsburg, Germany prayer book, 1716		 Silver spectacles with heart-shaped temple endings, X bridge, Dutch, circa 1800
Silver spectacles with heart-shaped temple endings, X bridge, Dutch, circa 1800		 Carved wooden case for two pair of steel spectacles including one with Franklin-type bifocal lenses, first quarter 19th century
Carved wooden case for two pair of steel spectacles including one with Franklin-type bifocal lenses, first quarter 19th century		 Chinese spectacles, fixed bridge, original wooden case, 17th century
Chinese spectacles, fixed bridge, original wooden case, 17th century

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Unless otherwise noted, all images on this website are from private collections.