Spectacles of Well Known People in History (Part Six)

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 Six)

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.

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
King Ludwig 2nd of Bavaria	1845-1886			King Ludwig II-Museum in Herrenchiemsee, Bavaria.	This case is identical to the one hand crafted by Anton Diessl for King Otto 1st of Bavaria
Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen	1845-1923	A German physicist, of the University of Würzburg, who, on November 8, 1895, produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range today known as x-rays or Röntgen Rays.		Ramstein Collection - Basel	Pince nez
Thomas Edison	1847-1931	American inventor and businessman who developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph and a long lasting light bulb. One of the first inventors to apply the principles of mass production to the process of invention, he is therefore often credited with the creation of the first industrial research laboratory.		Edison National Historic Site, Glenmont, CT	round frame,W bridge, curl sides	Taken on his desk in the second floor den of his home, Glenmont. This photo was taken by a gov't employee while on duty, so it is in the public domain. Edison is considered one of the most prolific inventors in history, holding 1,093 U.S. patents in his name, as well as many patents in the United Kingdom, France and Germany
King Otto 1st of Bavaria	1848-1916	His Royal Highness, Prince Otto of Bavaria, became King Of Bavaria in 1886 (he was the brother of King Ludwig 2nd of Bavaria)			Made of ivory, silver, silk and white leather, this rectangular folding case features King Ottos monogram running into ornaments, with an additional King’s crown and an ornamental framing.	A second case (above) identical to this one was made for King Ludwig 2nd of Bavaria, and is part of today’s King Ludwig II-Museum in Herrenchiemsee, Bavaria.
Ulrich Wille	1848-1925	General of the German Army in World War 1		Ramstein Collection - Basel.	Pince nez with bar spring	As a point of interest the war caused a serious schism between German -speaking and French-speaking Switzerland.
Sir William Osler	1849-1919	best-known Canadian physician in the English-speaking world at the turn of the century, called the "most influential physician in history", an icon, the Father of Modern Medicine		Osler Library of the History of Medicine McGill University	Magnifier	called the father of psychosomatic medicine, helped create the system of postgraduate training for physicians that is followed to this day
Imperial Romanoff Family of Russia	Second half 19th century	Notice the family logo, the Romanov Double Head Eagle		Private collection	Lorgnette in silver with enamel handle. Made by Fabergè	Apparently not used by any of the Romanoffs
Sigmund Freud	1856-1939	Austrian neurologist and the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychology based on his theory that human development is best understood in terms of changing objects of sexual desire		Freud Museum	Round frame, curl sides
Emile Nouguier	1856-1946	Engineer who designed the Eiffel Tower		Top of the Eiffel Tower	Pince nez
Axel Martin Fredrik Munthe	1857-1949	A Swedish physician and psychiatrist, best known as the author of The Story of San Michele (1929) an autobiographical account of his work and life.		Villa San Michele, Anacapri, Italy		His book has been published in over 50 languages
Teddy Roosevelt	1858-1919	The 26th President of the United States, 1901–09. As the 25th Vice President he became President upon the assassination of President William McKinley. Roosevelt, age 42, was the youngest person ever to serve as President under the Constitution. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906, he was the first American to win a Nobel Prize in any category.	$Teddy Roosevelt\'s pince nez and case, Christies, Nov. 2003$	From a Christies Sale	Pince nez	At the age of 13 while hunting with friends he first realized that he needed glasses. “I had no idea how beautiful the world was until I got those spectacles. I had been a clumsy and awkward little boy.”
Alfred Dreyfus	1859-1935	The Dreyfus Affair was a political scandal which divided France during the 1890s and early 1900s. It involved the wrongful conviction of Jewish military officer Alfred Dreyfus for treason.		Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaisme, Paris	Pince nez	An exhibit at the Jewish Museum will display this photo and the eyeglasses
Kaiser Wilhelm II	1859-1941	King of Prussia and Emperor of Germany whose political policies led his country into World War I. He was forced from power when Germany lost the war.		Ramstein Collection Basel	Pince nez
Florence Harding	1860-1924	Wife of Warren G. Harding, she was the First Lady of the United States from 1921 - 1923		Harding Home State Memorial	Pince Nez, C spring, Japanese style
Joseph Allen Skinner	1862-1946	Industrialist, a state park in Massachusetts is named after him.		Skinner Museum		The search is on for his eyeglasses.
Mahatma Gandhi	1869-1948	Was a major political and spiritual leader of India, and the Indian independence movement He was the pioneer and perfector of Satyagraha — the resistance of tyranny through mass civil disobedience strongly founded upon ahimsa (total non-violence), which led India to independence, and has inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Gandhi is commonly known and addressed in India and across the world as Mahatma Gandhi (from Sanskrit Mahatma : Great Soul) and as Bapu (in many Indian languages, Father).		National Gandhi Museum	Yellowish plastic covered steel round frame (broken), lenses intact, black leather case. S. Benson and Co., Hornby Road, Bombay is embossed on the case.	These are on display. In the museum Showcase #. NGM 13 It was presented by His son Devadas to the Museum 3/18/54.
Leo Baeck	1873-1956	German rabbi and scholar, Baeck was a liberal modern Jew who presented his major philosophical ideas in a book called The Essence of Judaism. A college, a temple, and several institutes are named after him.		Baeck Institute	Modern 1940’s	These eyeglasses are not antiques, but he is very renowned and certainly left his mark.
Albert I, King of the Belgians	1875- 1934	The third King of the Belgians. Born Albert Léopold Clément Marie Meinrad in Brussels, he was the younger son of Philip, Count of Flanders, and succeeded his uncle, Leopold II of Belgium, on the throne in 1909. He was married to Duchess Elisabeth Gabrielle Valérie Marie in Bavaria, a Wittelsbach princess whom he met at a family funeral. She became Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians.		Ramstein Collection - Basel	Rimless Pince nez	Gotten by Mrs.Vogel, the former proprietress of the Park Hotel Pontresina
The Dalai Lama, the 13th	1876-1933	Thubten Gyatso The spiritual leader of the Tibetan sect of Buddhism, and is considered to be the reincarnation of the bodhisattva, or "buddha-to-be."; in English, often granted the style "His Holiness"		Marly’s book Poulet’s book	Protective goggles from Tibet, (property of the Dalia Lama), of leather and cloth with fine ornaments on the frame, circa 1900	“Richly decorated silver snow glasses lined with silk” the Marly book
General Billy Mitchell	1879-1936	American general who is regarded as the father of the U.S. Air Force. He is arguably the most famous and most controversial figure in American airpower history, a true pioneer of military aviation.		National Museum of the United States Air Force	Oxfords – pince,nez	The 1955 motion picture The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell, directed by Otto Preminger, portrays Mitchell's plight in a dramatic yet vindicating light.
General Tomoyuki Yamashita	1888-1946	Japanese general. He studied military science in Germany. He commanded (1941) the Malayan campaign and forced Singapore to surrender (Feb., 1942). He also commanded during the unsuccessful defense (Oct., 1944-Aug., 1945) of the Philippines against the invading Allies under Douglas MacArthur. In Sept., 1945, he surrendered. He went on trial before a military commission in Manila for atrocities committed by soldiers under his command. He was found guilty and hanged (1946).		United States Military Academy, West Point	Plastic frame, leather case	The letters “YAMA” were probably painted on the case by the guards at the prison he was held in during his trial and before his execution by hanging.
Adolf Hitler	1889- 1945	Leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party (The Nazi party). He was appointed Chancellor of Germany in 1933, and became Führer (leader)in 1934, remaining in power until his suicide in 1945		Sterling Militaria Lancashire, UK