Major 21st Century Optical Discoveries
Resulting from this International Research
Abe Lincoln’s Burt & Willard glasses, Library of Congress Abraham Lincoln’s smaller folding spectacles turn out to be a little recognized and underappreciated national treasure. Indeed, the Library of Congress in Washington, DC holds one of the rarest and therefore greatest pairs of eyeglasses ever created.
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Baby Jesus holds leather-framed eyeglasses, 17th century painting, unique A unique early 17th century painting where Baby Jesus holds eyeglasses, thought to have been destroyed during the First World War is the greatest anachronism in existence. Fortunately it survived and has now surfaced in a private collection.
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16th – 18th century eyeboxes, Madame Heymann Optical Collection, Château d'Écouen Madame Alfred Heymann’s optical collection was absolutely the greatest ever, yet it disappeared upon her death in 1925. Hiding in storage at nine different prominent museums around Paris, the major portions of it have now been located.
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Sidearms to eyeglasses appear for the very first time, Edward Scarlett trade card, early 18th century, Bodleian Library The year 1714 is the new possible date for the development of side arms to eyeglasses. A third trade card of Edward Scarlett has been discovered at the Bodleian Library in Oxford and this new one pushes the previous date back from 1727.
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Neat Discoveries
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Vision Aids are amazing! Their history is truly fascinating! As works of art, they have a beauty all their own!
Certainly one of the most significant inventions of all time, they are symbols of man's incredible ingenuity and craftsmanship!
Embrace the profound impact that spectacles alone have had on the human experience over the past 730 years.
Yet they are taken for granted by nearly everyone worldwide!

Starting with the Introduction and Goals, wander through this non-commercial, not for profit, website. You may find it enlightening and informative to learn about these wonderful items many of us use daily. Look at the Table of Contents. This website is the result of the collaboration of International educators and is for everyone’s interest and enjoyment. It is the place where we celebrate vision aids, (and the optical lens), especially spectacles. The Real Numbers of this website keep growing because Interesting Topics and Slideshows are added regularly. All this would not have been possible without the wonderful support of many noteworthy Contributing Individuals and Participating Institutions. To improve navigation of the website, we have added Quick Links for people with special interests.
John Collet (1725-1780), High Life Below Stairs, oil on canvas, London, 1763, courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Gift of Mrs. Cora Ginsburg
John Collet (1725-1780), High Life Below Stairs, oil on canvas, London, 1763, courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Gift of Mrs. Cora Ginsburg		 Silver spectacles with sliding sides along with the filigree silver case, circa 1870-80, perhaps Indian, Photo Vatican Museums (copyright) Governatorato SCV. very unusual
Silver spectacles with sliding sides along with the filigree silver case, circa 1870-80, perhaps Indian, Photo Vatican Museums (copyright) Governatorato SCV. very unusual		 Gondola glass, Venetian, late 18th century, Vascellari Collection
Gondola glass, Venetian, late 18th century, Vascellari Collection		 Annunciation of Mary, by Catalan painter Jaume Huguet( 1412 – 1492), Museo Diocesano de Tarragona
Annunciation of Mary, by Catalan painter Jaume Huguet( 1412 – 1492), Museo Diocesano de Tarragona
Quentin Massys (1466-1529), St Jerome, very early 16th century. P2099, Courtesy of Museo Nacional del Prado
Quentin Massys (1466-1529), St Jerome, very early 16th century. P2099, Courtesy of Museo Nacional del Prado		 Steel spectacles with early temple sides and large round finials, stitched leather and cardboard case including one-draw spyglass, late 18th c, Private Collection, likely unique
Steel spectacles with early temple sides and large round finials, stitched leather and cardboard case including one-draw spyglass, late 18th c, Private Collection, likely unique 		Carved wooden eyeglasses case, Chinese, 19th century, Museum of Vision, San Francisco
Carved wooden eyeglasses case, Chinese, 19th century, Museum of Vision, San Francisco		 The Spectacles Peddler, Dutch School, end 17th – early 18th c., oil on canvas, Vanlathem Collection
The Spectacles Peddler, Dutch School, end 17th – early 18th c., oil on canvas, Vanlathem Collection
Move your mouse over any of the images in this website for a larger view.
The images on this page are replaced several times a year. Previously used images are available in three separate slide shows.

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