When spectacles began to proliferate in the 19th century, some commentators were alarmed. “WHY do we see so many children wearing glasses now-a-days, when it was not the case 20 years ago?” demanded Bow Bells Magazine in 1892. Gemma Almond’s research reveals how the Victorians came to embrace eyewear.
The Victorian perspective on spectacles
Words by Gemma Almond
- In pictures
1 of 8
Spectacles have been around since the 14th century, though they were not always favoured by the medical profession. Patients with eyesight problems might be subjected to bloodletting by leeches or purging instead. Earlier medical advice also favoured the need to exercise and strengthen the eye rather than compensate for limited eyesight with spectacles. This belief was gradually replaced by concern about eyestrain. From the mid-19th century a growing consensus within the medical establishment advocated spectacles to prevent eye fatigue and to improve vision.
2 of 8
By the 18th century, spectacles were readily available in Britain, but they were considered a specialised, even bespoke item. Trade cards and advertisements such as this one reveal that the few specialist ‘spectacle makers’, were associated with scientific and mathematical instrument making. Vision aids were usually stocked alongside a range of other items, including microscopes, hygrometers, kaleidoscopes and telescopes. Spectacles were also sold by the jewellery trade, and the miscellaneous sundry or street trade.
3 of 8
A better understanding of the physiology and anatomy of the eye and the rise of ophthalmology (the medical study of eye diseases and disorders) led to more accurate diagnosis and measurement of vision. Scientific instruments such as the ophthalmoscope allowed direct observation of the condition of a person’s eye, and the range of conditions that spectacles were able to treat expanded. Correspondingly, the number of prospective spectacle users multiplied. Two main types of eyewear were increasingly in demand: protective and corrective.
4 of 8
The 19th century saw many new aspects in contemporary life, such as reading for leisure, faster transportation and compulsory education, all of which necessitated a high degree of visual acuity. DIY manuals and books aimed at a popular audience appeared in the late 19th century, explaining how to look after your eyes. These included eye charts and coloured wool samples, required to create your own tools for the “detection of colour-blindness and imperfect eyesight” at home.
5 of 8
Protective spectacles included coloured lenses for lessening the effect of bright light and wire-gauze spectacles against flying foreign particles. Ophthalmic doctors such as Simeon Snell identified toxic, physiological and mechanical risks to the eyes in a range of occupations, and compulsory eyesight testing was gradually introduced for occupations where visual acuity was essential. Not everyone was enthusiastic, however. In a pamphlet explaining the new colour-blindness tests for mariners, the author complained vigorously about inconsistent test results and a lack of understanding about the mariner’s job.
6 of 8
Corrective spectacles were now expected to accommodate a variety of physiological conditions, many of which required all-day wear. Getting a frame to fit comfortably became one of the most important design challenges for both the producer and the consumer. The use of more sophisticated lenses – such as bifocal and cylindrical lenses – demanded a more secure fit to ensure that the position of the lenses was both precise and constant. Spectacle design was also influenced by their use in a variety of activities, such as running, riding and shooting, where it was essential that they were not displaced in action.
7 of 8
Both corrective and protective spectacles inevitably came to reflect individual tastes. The Preston Guardian (30 August 1884) noted that “the fashion that obtains in Preston at the present day of wearing spectacles has developed itself in an extraordinary manner”. And frames were indeed available in a variety of materials, including tortoiseshell, steel, silver and gold. Plain glass lenses and the single-lensed monocle were also fashionable. Spectacle designs were also influenced by innovations in manufacture, such as a newly patented technique of producing metal wire around a cylinder, which provided lighter, thin steel-wire spectacles.
8 of 8
Glasses came into their own in the 20th century as a functional and fashionable part of everyday life. What I learned from my research on spectacles in the Science Museum and Wellcome collections was how an object as personal and intimate as a pair of glasses can reveal so much about the lives and concerns of ordinary people in the past. Some things, like the impact of changes in weight, size and design are best revealed by handling and comparing these historical objects, and occasionally you can glimpse the original owner of the object across time, for example in a scrap of material bound around the ends of their spectacles for added comfort.
This article is based on a gallery by Gemma Almond that was first published in the Wellcome Library blog in 2016.
Our exhibition 'In Plain Sight' contains objects, including spectacles, that you can handle and experience for yourself.
About the author
Gemma Almond
Dr Gemma Almond studied for a PhD on spectacles and vision correction in 19th-century Britain at Swansea University and the Science Museum, London. She won a bronze medal at the European Championships in 2011, and she was in two finals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.