Spectacles of Well Known People in History (Part Two)

Curator, David A. Fleishman M.D.

The On-Line Museum and Encyclopedia of Vision Aids.

Over 4,150 images to view

April 6, 2006 Wall Street Journal featured antiquespectacles.com on the front page.

Spectacles of Well Known People in History (Part Two)

We are very fortunate that the personal vision aids of many important individuals have been preserved at institutions and in private collections. Much insight into the development of eyewear during specific time periods can be gained by reviewing examples which have known dates of use. Provenance information associated with the numerous examples presented here is assumed to be mostly correct. It has been difficult to establish in several cases and for some of the others listed, it has not been 100% proven. We have basically tried to confirm that each object and its provenance is believable based at least in part on the known date of death of each person. Hopefully any related information also seems correct. We do know that the more famous the person, the more objects which seem to appear over time following his/her death. We have chosen to believe everything that appears below. Kindly write in if you have questions, concerns, or other knowledge which might be useful in the regard. The advantage of a website is that it is “alive” and can always be updated and corrected. For comparison you are invited to visit “Treasures - Mistaken” where the dates or descriptions unfortunately appear to be false.

Many of the descriptions specifically under the heading “Contributions” have been taken directly from Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. This is an excellent resource and is very highly recommended for others to use. Included below also are known examples of spectacles used by several American Presidents. The eyewear of these famous individuals will likely appear again on this same website but under a different key heading.

Certainly there must be other examples (out there) of noted leaders or famous people whose lives and accomplishments have impacted mankind during the past five hundred years of history. If you are aware of any examples which might belong on this page, kindly email the website and we will actively pursue any available information as well as the appropriate image. The Vatican Museum does not have any rivet spectacles. But we hope that their curators will eventually appreciate our international educational efforts here. Any discoveries in this realm would be considered world-class treasures and if objects of this nature are ever displayed on their Vatican Museum website we will link to these images in order to present this to our visitors also.

Finally one additional point must be stated here. In the course of gathering the images and information for this important webpage, a group of 20th century vision aids have also appeared. Although they are NOT antiques in the strict sense of the word, they are still quite interesting to observe and these are presented at the bottom of this listing. A few have quite fascinating stories as you will notice.

NAME	DATES	CONTRIBUTIONS	PHOTO	LOCATION	FEATURES	COMMENTS
Hans Kloti	1712 -	Born in Rikon, Zurich, Switzerland, then emigrated to the Americas and in 1750 was granted 150 acres in Orangeburgh (South Carolina) Township. His wife Anna arrived from Rikon, Illnau, Zurich, Switzerland on 19 Dec 1749 via Greenwich on the Capt. Randolph.		In a private collection	Nuremburg style nose spectacles were common to Switzerland.	Is this the Hans Kloti we have researched?
John Owen	1712-1783	Original Higley Coppers are a rare monetary token struck in Simsbury of copper mined in present day East Granby by Dr. Samuel Higley in the first half of the 18th century when it was illegal to mint coins in America.		Simsbury Historical Society	Brass case. It says “John Owen Simsbury” on the front and “Higley fecit 1765” on the back	Made by the Higley family of metal workers, individual yet to be identified.
Israel Putnam	1718-1790	Great hero of the American Revolution who led the American forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill during which he likely uttered the famous lines, "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!" He also said “Aim for their belt buckles” because musket balls had a slightly upward trajectory. He has been characterized as the “General Patton of the American Revolution” and after the battle was named Major General, second only to George Washington.		New York Historical Society	Oval frame, double hinge, Circa very late 1780’s	Used at the tail end of his life. One doubts he wore them “during” the Revolutionary War.
Admiral Esak Hopkins	1718-1802	a successful sea captain who had traveled the world, Hopkins was appointed in 1775 Commander-in-Chief of the newly-formed Continental Navy. He later served in the Rhode Island legislature. The U.S. Navy has named two destroyers in his honor		Rhode Island Historical Society	Leather-framed	Commodore Hopkins flew on his first voyages the Gadsden flag, designed by a man from Charleston, Carolina, with a coiled rattlesnake and the motto ``Don't Tread on Me.''
Sir Joshua Reynolds	1723-1792	He was the most important and influential of 18th century English painters, specializing in portraits and promoting the "Grand Style" in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect. He was one of the founders and first President of the Royal Academy. George III appreciated his merits and knighted him in 1769.		Private collection	-4.75 o.u. Hallmarked silver round frame spectacles with turn-pin sides in a shagreen flip-top case with silver trim.	Like other artists, Reynolds painted himself wearing these. They were exhibited by the Royal Academy, London in 1986
Moses Mendelssohn	1729-1786	a German Jewish philosopher. He was an important Jewish figure of the 18th century, and to him is attributable the renaissance of European Jews, Haskalah, the Jewish enlightenment. To some he was the third Moses (the other two being the Biblical lawgiver and Moses Maimonides) with whom a new era opens in the history of the Jewish people.		Jewish Museum, Berlin and Baeck Institute, New York	Solid tortoiseshell or more likely wood	Quite unusual frame, especially in the front
Catherine the Great	1729-1796	An enlightened despot who ruled over Russia, she is responsible for many positive changes in Russia, as well as securing the country a warm water port.		Originally the State Hermitage Museum but now the Russian State Historical Museum St. Petersburg, Russia	Solid gold jewel encrusted case	The photo appeared in the magazine publication Carolina Arts in September 2000. It was from a traveling exhibition “Unseen Treasures--Imperial Russia and the New World," which was here in the United States over five years ago. Unseen Treasures was organized by the American-Russian Cultural Cooperation Foundation in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Russian American Company.
Johann Georg Sartorius	1729-1798	He was a Protestant priest		private collection	Scissors-glasses in a horn case	Probably 4th quarter 18th century
	unknown date	An emperor of France		private collection	Ivory case, lorgnette watch, solid gold and enamel
Martha Washington	1731-1802	Served as the first First Lady of United States, being married to George Washington.		Mount Vernon Ladies Association	Broken tortoiseshell oval framed spectacles	These are unfortunately damaged
Nellie Rose Conway Madison	1731-1829	Mother of President James Madison		Belle Grove Plantation The plate reads: Mrs. James Madison, Born Jan. 9 1731, Died Feb. 11 1829, Mother of President James Madison, Artist Charles Peale Polk	She is holding a pair of steel round frame spectacles with a C bridge and double hinge sides, with large circle finials	a search is on for these eyeglasses
Madame Victoire de France	1733-1799	Daughter of Louis XV.		Essilor-Pierre Marly collection, Collectible Eyeglasses, Crestin-Billet	Unique silver spectacles, one finial bears the initials “V.L.” and the other the royal fleur-de-lis, the armorial emblem of French royalty,	Just wonderful!
Paul Revere	1735-1818	An American patriot and silversmith, Paul Revere became a legendary hero at the start of the American Revolution, when he rode from Charlestown to Lexington, Mass., on the night of Apr. 18, 1775, to warn the countryside of approaching British troops.		Paul Revere Memorial Association	Oval frame, steel, turnpin. From the end of his life he was an original underwriter of Mass. Mutual Fire Ins. Co. and left these behind at a meeting.	Records show that he only made three spectacle frames in 1788 and three temple frames in 1765 (likely all in silver). He did not make the eyeglasses at the Revere house.
Patrick Henry	1736-1799	An American Patriot and orator who protested British tyranny and became a symbol of the American struggle for liberty. Famous phrases attributed to him are “Give me liberty or give me death” and “If this be treason, make the most of it”. He served as Governor of Virginia 1776 – 1779.		Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, Virginia	Round frame, double hinge	This pair appears to be the one shown in the two earlier paintings. The work attributed to Asa Powers shows an oval frame which was more prevalent in the first quarter of the 19th century, after Patrick Henry had died.
James Watt	1736-1819	He was a Scottish inventor and engineer whose improvements to the steam engine were fundamental the changes wrought by the Industrial Revolution		Science Museum (better images will soon be available)	Round frame, C Bridge, temple sides with large round finials Round frame tortoiseshell, straight temples, missing on one side
Ethan Allen	1738-1789	Patriot of the American Revolution, leader of the Green Mountain Boys, and champion of statehood for Vermont.		Bennington Museum	Oval frame, steel, double hinge	Used right at the end of his life
Reverend Chandler Robbins	1738-1799	A graduate of Yale (1756), he was ordained to the ministry of First Church in Plymouth, MA, in 1760 and he held this position until his death in 1799. Robbins was a preacher, an author and a scholar. During the Revolution, "he was a most zealous advocate for liberty and independence."		Pilgrim Hall Museum	Round frame, silver, double hinge, dated 1795,	These have the maker’s mark of Samuel Drowne II, (1749-1815, Portsmouth, N.H.
Henry Cruger	1739-1827	A member of Parliament (a Whig) from 1774-1780 and then 1784-1790. Was a highly successful merchant who suffered because of the infamous Stamp Act and then lost most of his fortune. He brought Alexander Hamilton to the US with a scholarship.		Private collection	3 pair, mother of pearl and silver scissors-glasses, a solid gold quizzer, and a silver lorgnette in a special case	It is doubtful the spring-loaded folding lorgnette was his during his lifetime because it is more likely 1840-1850
Gotskalk Thorvaldsen	1740-1806	Artisan craftsman and artist, wood carver who specialized mainly in decorative pieces, such as ornamental frameworks for mirrors and easel paintings. He had significant success in wooden figures and even full-sized sculpture. He carved figureheads executed for the Danish fleet in the shipyard at what is today called Larsens Plads, along the designs of his son, Bertel Thorvaldsen, who assisted him throughout his youth in Copenhagen.		Thorvaldsens Museum	Steel, green lens oval frame, turnpin sides
Thomas Jefferson	1743-1826	Third President of the United States, 1801-1809, one of the most influential Founders of the United States and one of the earliest and most prominent American politicians and statesmen.		Monticello/Thomas Jefferson Foundation	Silver spectacles designed by Jefferson in 1806 and made by McAllister	Died on July 4th exactly 50 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed
John Jay	1745-1829	1st Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court		These exist at the Museum of the City of NY but the image is from the Corson book	Oval frame with adjustable side arms, made by Poole	Supposedly there is “weak attribution”
Dr. Edward Jenner	1749-1823	Discovered vaccination		On long-term loan to the Edward Jenner Museum	Silver, round frame, c Bridge, adjustable pin-in-slot sidearm, small round finial	object is from the collections of the Wellcome Institute/Science Museum.