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Spectacle collections are available for public viewing at
various sites throughout the world. Below is a list of where you might go to see
groups of these wonderful artifacts related to our eyesight. We have tried to
make it as complete as possible, but if you know of any other public places
kindly inform us and we will amend this list. Spectacles are usually not on
public display, even in large institutions and special arrangements might have
to be made in advance to see what each museum has. Therefore it is advisable for
any visitor to call ahead. Also the smaller museums may have
reduced hours. Some museums and institutions already have detailed
websites with useful information and images posted. You are encouraged to visit
these websites first in order to decide which public collections you want to see
in person. In addition, you’ll discover what other items they have which might
interest you.
Certainly it would be impossible to name the numerous museums
from all over the world with artwork relating to antique spectacles. But be
assured that it is a wonderful experience to discover an early pair of
spectacles in a painting or drawing. Pre-1800 examples are uncommon, so it is
fun to discover an early example just resting in someone's fingers, hanging out
of someone's pocket, or simply
lying on a table. Especially with Medieval or Renaissance Art, it can be
rewarding to locate any spectacles or even just their empty case. Keep
your eyes open and you might be amazed at what you might notice.
We also want to mention that at least here in the United
States most of the local community historical societies have received donations
of a variety of articles related to eyewear, and it is enjoyable to
examine these items too.
Art nouveau lorgnette with diamonds, circa 1890, American,
Museum of Vision and the American Academy of Ophthalmology, San Francisco,
The Harriet S. and J. William Rosenthal M.D. Collection |
Bow spectacles with slit bridge, 16th-17th century, Copyright: The College
of Optometrists, London |
Indian nose spectacles in sandalwood, 17th century,
Optisches Museum Jena, A Spectacle of Spectacles Exhibition Catalogue |
Galvanic spectacles, last quarter 19th century, University of Waterloo,
Ontario |
| Enjoy other
fine examples at the bottom of this page |
| AUSTRIA |
Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
(Fabulous artwork and significant eyeglasses) |
| Technisches Museum, Wien
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| BELGIUM |
Museum Walraversijde, Province of West-Flanders, Belgium |
| CANADA |
Museum of Visual Science and
Optometry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario |
| Redpath Museum, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Ethnology Collections
(by appointment only to see several pair of 17th century Sinhalese spectacles in
their original painted case) |
| CHANNEL ISLANDS |
-
Jersey Museum,
Jersey (By special appointment only)
|
| FRANCE |
Musee de l’Instrumentation Optique Biesheim |
| Musee National des Techniques, Paris |
|
Musee de la Lunette - Viseum, Morez (the
Collection Essilor-Pierre Marly) |
|
Musée National de la Renaissance, Ecouen, France |
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GERMANY |
Bavarian National Museum |
| Brillenmuseum, Brillenhaus Wilke,
Hamburg |
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Deutsches Hygiene Museum, Dresden
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Deutsches Medizin Historisches Museum, Ingolstadt |
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Deutsches Museum, Munich
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| German National Museum, Nuremburg
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| Institut fur Geschichte der Medizin und Pharmazie,
University of Kiel |
|
Kunstgewerbemuseum, Berlin, Germany (wonderful historic objects in
storage) |
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Museum fur Ur-und Fruhgeschichte, Freiburg (location of earliest spectacles
case in the world) |
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Institut für wissenschaftliche Kontaktoptik, Ulm, Germany |
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Museum of the Cloisters, Wienhausen
(location of the earliest spectacles in the world) |
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Rathenow Museum, Rathenow |
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Optisches Museum Jena (Ernst-Abbe-Foundation) |
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Carl Zeiss Optical Museum, Oberkochen
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| ITALY |
Galleria
Guglielmo Tabacchi – Safilo (Padua, Italy) (by special appointment only) |
|
Il Museo dell’Occhiale , Pieve di Cadore,
Belluno (abundant imagery), also at
http://www.eyewear.net/asso/museo |
| Institute and Museum of the History of
Science, Florence |
| Luxottica Museum, Agordo (by special appointment only) |
|
Museo Storico Nazionale dell'Arte Sanitaria Lungotevere in Sassia 3 - Rome, (Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9.00 to
12.00) |
| San Pantaleo, Rome (by appointment only to
see the spectacles of Saint Giuseppe Calasanzio) |
| Santa Maria in Vallicella, Chiesa Nuovo,
Rome, Italy (by appointment only to see the spectacles of Saint Philip Neri
since the special rooms are ordinarily closed) |
| JAPAN |
Iris Megane (Museum of Eyeglasses),
Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo |
|
Shanghai
Glasses Museum |
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Shirayama and Tokyomegane
Archives and Gallery of Eyeglasses (S-T-A-G-E.), Tokyo |
| MEXICO |
Frank Devlyn Optical Museum, Mexico City
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| Museum of the Hospital de la Luz, Mexico
City |
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THE NETHERLANDS |
Archeological excavations exhibition, Zwolle |
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Nationaal Brilmuseum, Amsterdam
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Museum Boerhaave |
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Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
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University
Museum, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands (Weve Collection of Spectacles, by special
appointment only) |
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SOUTH AFRICA |
Cape Medical Museum, Cape Town
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The H.S. Raybauld Collection, Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg |
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SOUTH
KOREA |
Seoul
National University Museum, Seoul |
| SPAIN |
Museum of the History of Medicine, Barcelona
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| Museo
Lara, Ronda |
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Museu Frederic
Mares, Barcelona (Their collection is a hidden treasure) |
| SWEDEN |
The Nordic Museum, Stockholm
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SWITZERLAND |
History of
Science Museum, Geneva
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Museum of the
History of Medicine, University of Zurich |
| The
Medical History Institute of the University of Bern (Images of
spectacles from the Otto Hallauer Collection will soon become available) |
| Ramstein Collection, Basel |
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UNITED KINGDOM |
Blair Castle, Blair Atholl, near Pitlochry,
Scotland |
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British Museum, London |
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Lancaster City Museum, Lancaster |
| Museum of London, Barbican, London Wall,
London (On display "Swan Stairs" rivet spectacles and "Trig Lane"
to
be added in the future) |
| Museum of the History of Science, Oxford
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| Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester |
| Royal Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh |
| Thackray Medical Museum, Leeds |
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The
British Optical Association Museum, London |
| The Royal College of Ophthalmologists,
Regents Park, London (mostly ophthalmic instruments) |
|
The Science Museum (two
collections), London |
| Victoria &
Albert Museum, S. Kensington, London |
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Warwick-Castle, Warwickshire (a marvelous medieval
room - Kingmaker with two wax figures wearing early spectacles) |
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Whipple Museum of the History of Science,
University of Cambridge, Cambridge |
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UNITED STATES |
The Alamo,
San Antonio, Texas (to view their leather-framed spectacles) |
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Atwater Kent Museum,
Philadelphia, Pa. (by special appointment only) |
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Bascom Palmer Eye Institute –
Norton Library, Miami Florida |
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Benjamin Franklin Institute of
Technology, Boston, MA (to see the collection of
the Optician's Association of America) |
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Bernard Becker, M.D. Collection in Ophthalmology and Optics at the
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (a very
comprehensive book collection) |
|
Chester County
Historical Society, West Chester, PA (by
appointment only to see nearly three dozen McAllister spectacles) |
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Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, VA |
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Concord Museum, Concord, MA
(by special appointment only) |
|
Connecticut Historical Society,
Hartford, CT (by special appointment only) |
|
Field Museum,
Chicago, IL (Tibetan eyeshades and many Chinese cases) |
|
Franklin Institute,
Philadelphia, Pa. (replica of Ben Franklin’s bifocals) |
|
Friedenwald-Romano Library, Wilmer Eye Institute, Baltimore,
MD |
|
Groton Historical Society, Groton, MA (by special
appointment only to see two leather framed spectacles) |
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Historic New
England, Boston, MA (their large collection is only
available for research purposes) |
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International Library,
Archives and Museum of Optometry of the American
Optometric Association, St. Louis, MO
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International Museum of
Surgical Science, Chicago. IL |
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Library of Congress,
American Treasures Exhibition, Washington, DC (two pair of Abraham
Lincoln Spectacles) |
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Monticello,
Charlottesville, VA (by appointment only to view spectacles that belonged to
Thomas Jefferson) |
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Museum of the Confederacy,
Richmond, VA |
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Museum of Vision, Eyecare
America, San Francisco, CA
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Műtter Museum
of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA |
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Mystic Seaport,
Mystic, CT (by special appointment to see the nice
collection of Eskimo snow goggles) |
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Ohio State University, College of Optometry, Columbus OH
(contemporary spectacles of famous people - politics and Hollywood) |
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Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA
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Optical Heritage Museum, American Optical, Southbridge, MA
(in the process of being brought public again) |
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Peabody Essex Museum,
Salem, MA (unfortunately, their large collection is currently not available for public
viewing) |
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Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, MA |
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Shelburne Museum,
Shelburne, VT |
Smithsonian’s American Museum of History and Technology,
Washington, DC
A. Political History Collection
B. Division of Science,
Medicine, and Society |
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Virginia Historical
Society, Richmond, VA (to view the Patrick Henry
spectacles and the Thomas Sully painting – the remainder of the collection
by special appointment only) |
Cockade fan of pierced horn with cut steel pique work and a spyglass in
the central pivot, France, circa 1800, Museum of Fine Arts-Boston, The
Elizabeth Day McCormick Collection |
Royal Vienna eyebath, polychrome, circa 1770, New York Academy of Medicine |
Three Nuremburg spectacles, first quarter 18th century. The parts resting
on the nose are wound in silk thread. Connecticut
Historical Society Museum, Hartford |
Leather spectacles in original wooden case, mid 17th century, Pilgrim Hall
Museum, Plymouth |
All images shown here were published with
permission of the named institutions who maintain the copyrights and ownership
of the images and items pictured.
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