Spectacles of Well Known People in History (Part Four)

Curator, David A. Fleishman M.D.

The On-Line Museum and Encyclopedia of Vision Aids.

Over 5,575 images to view

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

Spectacles of Well Known People in History (Part Four)

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. Early descriptions of eyeglasses are present when one reviews the literature but the objects listed below have apparently never surfaced.

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
Bertel Thorvaldsen	1770-1814	Sculptor who created almost 550 sculptures, reliefs and portrait busts		Thorvaldsens Museum	Silver, round frame, unusual nosebridge, early unusual adjustable sidearm, pull-off case Green shagreen case dated 1820
Ludwig van Beethoven	1770-1827	Beethoven was a German composer of Classical music who lived predominantly in Vienna, Austria, He is widely regarded as one of history's supreme composers, and he produced notable works even after losing his hearing. One of the greatest figures in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras in music, his reputation has inspired — and in many cases intimidated — composers, musicians, and audiences who were to come after him		Beethoven-Haus Bonn	3 pair All are metal (1) round frame, C bridge, turnpin extension (2) round frame X bridge, turnpin extension (3) single lens magnifier	Eyeglass Duet by Beethoven for Viola and Cello
Johann Christian Friedrich Holderlin	1770-1843	One of the greatest German lyric poets melding classical and Christian themes in his works.		Optisches Museum, Jena	Ornate design, German brass, circa 1820’s	Very unusual
Thomas Young	1773-1829	English polymath who contributed to the scientific understanding of vision, light, solid mechanics, energy, physiology, and Egyptology		The Royal Institution of Great Britain		Likely this was an instrument he actually used in 1801
Nathaniel Bowditch	1773-1838	Born into a family who had followed the sea for generations, he eventually became captain of the the captain and owner of the Putnam. During the period from 1795 to 1802 Bowditch produced one of the most remarkable scientific books ever published in America, the New American Practical Navigator. This manual, which contained navigational aids, tide tables and astronomical tables, remains in general use today. He is also noted as the first insurance actuary in this country, acting as president of the Essex Fire and Marine Insurance Company.	Awaiting additional Image	Peabody Essex Museum	Round frame
Louis-Philippe	1773-1850	King of the French from 1830 to 1848 in what was known as the July monarchy. He was the last king to rule France.		Christie's, Paris	4 lens spectacles, steel frame, turn-pin sides, cardboard and leather case Oval frame, K bridge, thin turnpin sides, cardboard and leather case	sold at auction October 2008
John Mallord William Turner.	1775-1851	An English Romantic landscape painter and watercolorist, whose style can be said to have laid the foundation for Impressionism		auctioned by Philip Mould Limited	Round tortoiseshell frames with brass turn-pin sides along with an oval horn cased-magnifier
Henry Clay	1777-1852	An American statesman and orator who served in both the House of Representatives and Senate. He also made five failed bids for the presidency, but was nevertheless extremely influential in U.S. politics.		Henry Clay Memorial Foundation	Probably gold Rectangular frame, crank bridge, loop-to-loop sides tortoiseshell case
Patrick Bronte	1777-1861	Reverend of the Church of England and father of the famous literary sisters Charlotte, Anne and Emily		Brontë Parsonage Museum	Round silver frame, blue tinted lenses, temple sides + 5 each eye	Eventually had cataract Surgery likely to just his Left eye in 1847
Adam Oehlenschlåger	1779-1850	Denmark poet, the leading figure of Danish Romanticism. In 1829 he was proclaimed the King of Nordic Poetry		Bakkehus Museum (Bakkehusmuseet
Captain Thomas Lawrence	1779-1856	Father of the whaling captain who did not hunt whales, rather he was a housewright who built homes in Falmouth and then took them south on his coastal schooner and put them up in the Carolinas. In 1830 he built a wonderful home in Falmouth for his family that is reminiscent of a southern plantation. Thomas Lawrence also introduced his brother-in-law Elijah Swift to the Carolinas. Elijah later took crews of men to the Carolina swamps to harvest live oak for US naval ships. Thomas and his wife Martha produced six sons and a daughter. Four of those sons became whaling captains.		Falmouth Historical Society	Coin silver oval frame, pin-in slot circa, 1830-40	Thomas (the younger) was the subject of a famous poem because he was from a famous family of Ships Captains.
Jane Hutchinson Lithgow Henderson	1780 -1848	Her husband’s family were close friends of the George Washington family		Henderson Hall	Steel octagonal frame, crank bridge, loop to loop sides, missing their extensions	They sat with the Washingtons and the Madisons on Sundays in Church
James Blanding, Esq.	1781-1870	He lived in Rehoboth, married in 1811 and was Town Clerk from 1812-1836. The name Blanding is one of the oldest and most respected in the town, dating to about 1640.		Carpenter Museum	Nuremburg magnifier, in its original case. Written inside the case: “J. Blanding to light his Segar with W.B.” Is this confirmation that these were used as “burning lenses”?	Most likely this was in the family in the 18th century and then was used by James and his father William who died in 1830. The prominent Blanding Library was named for the family.
Steen Steensen Blicher	1782-1848	author and poet		Herning Museum	round frame, a search is on for these eyeglasses	the painting was done by family member Diedrich Blicher, 1834, Blichermuseet på Herningsholm, Herning Museum It was presented to and owned by the poet himself.
William Czar Bradley	1782-1867	Son of Stephen Bradley, one of Vermont’s first two US Senators, William was one of the most successful lawyers and political figures of mid 19th century Vermont		Vermont Historical Society	Brass rectangular frame, crank bridge, temple sides	Notice his name on the top of the frame
King Jerome of Westfalen	1784-1860	Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother, King of Westphalia 1807-1813		Optisches Museum, Jena	Gold scissors-glasses without the case
Sir John Franklin	1786-1847	Rear Admiral in the British Royal Navy and also an Arctic explorer who mapped almost two thirds of the northern coastline of North America. His last expedition disappeared while attempting to chart and navigate a section of the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic. The entire crew perished from starvation and exposure after Franklin died and the expedition's icebound ships were abandoned in desperation.		National Maritime Museum, Royal Observatory	Protective glasses with side shields and blue tinted lenses
Henry Young Cranston	1789-1864	Speaker of the Rhode Island State House of Representatives, 1835; U.S. Representative from Rhode Island 1st District, 1843-47		Newport Historical Society	Wearing dark tinted glasses in a daguerreotype from the early 1850’s	“Some call these syphilis glasses. Others call them sniper glasses. As it turns out they are just what they appear – sunglasses. Usually used only by those with overly sensitive eyes.” A critique by Mr. John Graf, former president of the Daguerreian Society
Michael Faraday	1791-1867	An English chemist and physicist (or natural philosopher, in the terminology of that time) who contributed to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry.		The Royal Institution of Great Britain	D frame, 4 lens spectacles, silver, turn-pin sides	Why are the front glass lenses on the 4 lens pair smaller than the frame itself?
Pope Pius IX	1792-1878	Born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti, who was Pope for a record pontificate (not counting the Apostle St. Peter) of over 31 years, from June 16, 1846 until his death		Top: Luxottica Museum, Agordo, image from their book Bel Vedere, the Spectacles of the Luxottica Museum Bottom: Topography, 3rd Quarter, 19th Century	Tortoiseshell in a cardboard case	Possibly a damaged (missing) right sidearm
George Washington – given to General Lafayette	Washington 1732-1799 The Marquis de Layfayette 1757-1834	These were given to Whitelaw Reid of the American Legation in Paris by Count Octave d'Assailly in 1891. d'Assailly said that they had belonged to George Washington and were given by Washington to d'Assailly's great-grandfather, Lafayette. The glasses were passed to the State Department in 1892 and eventually transferred to the Smithsonian in 1921.		Smithsonian	Silver and mother-of-pearl scissors-glasses. There is no maker’s mark.	There is a small silver shield engraved, "Washington" on the front of the ivory handle, The case was apparently made by Lafayette at a later date.
James K. Polk	1795-1849	Eleventh President of the United States, 1845-1849, he also served as Speaker of the House (1835–1839) and Governor of Tennessee (1839–1841) prior to becoming president. He is the only former Speaker of the House to become President.		Polk House	Octagonal frame, crank bridge, in a metal case, circa 1840’s
Franz Schubert	1797-1828	Austrian composer, considered the last master of the Viennese Classical school and one of the earliest proponents of musical Romanticism.		House of Music Wien Museum (image with green background)	Steel, K bridge, thin sides (possibly blued-steel even). What is the strength of these because he was a myope about – 4.00? Metal round frame, X bridge, bifocal, double hinge (image with green background)	Although the provenance supports Schubert, their style is associated with the later half of the 19th century The major concern is these appear as a bifocal, yet he died at age of 31. Measurements are pending. (image with green background)
Mary Lyon	1797-1849	A schoolteacher from Massachusetts, a remarkable American pioneer woman who founded the worldwide model of higher education for women--Mount Holyoke Female Seminary (now College) in 1837		Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections	Steel oval frame, double hinge, large circle finials	The glasses were likely her mother’s spectacles which Mary then used
Little Mary Hawks	1799-1876	Affectionately known as "Little Mary" because of her 3' 4" stature. Kindly and dignified, she captivated all those who met her. In 1824, Mary gave the presentation speech to the Franklin Cadets, an independent company of militia in Deerfield. In the 1840s she supervised Deerfield Academy's boarding school.		Memorial Hall Museum, Deerfield	Solid gold, rectangular frame, crank bridge, temple sides, circa 1845-50	She was a very popular midget. The spectacle frame is only 3 5/16 inches in width.
Brigham Young	1801-1877	A leader in the Later Day Saint Movement and the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death. Young was also the first governor of the Utah Territory of the US.		Pioneer Museum, Salt Lake City	4 lens spectacles with a blued steel frame, crank bridge, very thin turnpin sides, green glass on the front and clear glass on the sides. These came in a red leather case. Perhaps it is all circa 1850 or so.	Catherine S. Young, wife of Brigham Young, Jr. donated these in 1907
John Ericsson	1803-1889	Born in Sweden he came to be active primarily in the United States. He was a world-famous inventor and mechanical engineer. His most notable and innovative contributions were the steam-engine ”Novelty”, the armored cruiser ”Monitor” which became famous during the American Civil war, the Caloric engine and the propeller.	John Ericsson eyeglasses, the Nordic Museum website		all of the eyeglasses are circa 1870-1889
Johan Ludvig Runeberg	1804-1877	National poet of Finland who wrote the lyrics for the Finnish national anthem. Many of his poems deal with life in rural Finland.		National Board of Antiquities Archives for Prints and Photographs Porvoo Museum	X bridge, oval frame, turn-pin sides Round frame, C bridge, double hinge
Joseph Smith, Jr.	1805-1844	An American religious figure who founded the Latter Day Saint movement also known as Mormonism. Smith's followers declared him to be the first and true latter-day prophet, whose mission was to restore the original Christian Church. This restoration included the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the publication of the Book of Mormon and other new scriptures. As a leader of large settlement communities, Smith also became a political and military leader in the American Midwest.		Pioneer Museum, Salt Lake City	One is a hand-stitched leather case open at one end. The other is a metal case (probably not silver) that has some fancy decoration on the front, perhaps from the end of his life.	Zina Young Card, granddaughter of Brigham Young was the donor of the leather case in 1907. Eliza Broadbent, an early DUP member, donated the silver case in 1908.
Hans Christian Anderson	1805-1875	a Danish author and poet most famous for his fairy tales		Odense City Museums/Hans Christian Anderson Museum	Brass 4 lens green posterior, double hinge sides Other is steel K bridge, thin sides, turn-pin sides + 2.25 each eye