Antique EDWARDIAN EYE GLASSES with ear chain, gold hard bridge, hinged nose pieces. Old fashioned gentleman’s pince nez. These have bifocal correction. They are in a hard, small case with optometrist E. E. Wilmore from Wichita, KS. Although pince-nez were used in Europe since the late 14th century, modern ones appeared in the 1840s & reached their peak popularity around 1880 to 1900. Because they did not always stay on the nose when placed, & because of the stigma sometimes attached to the constant wearing of eyeglasses, pince-nez were often connected to the wearer’s clothing or ear via a suspension chain, cord, or ribbon so that they could be easily removed & not lost. The astigso called for its ability to manage astigmatismor bar-spring pince-nez consists of a sliding bar & spring connecting the lenses which can be separated by gently pulling the lenses away from each other, then placed on the bridge of the nose & released. The tension in the spring then clips the device in place. The nose pads were traditionally made of cork, were attached directly to the frames, & were either hinged or stationary. This variety was popular from the 1890s to the 1930s, after which they were seldom seen. They were created & marketed as ‘sporting pince-nez’, which were purportedly more difficult to jar from the face than the other varieties as well as being more comfortable to wear for longer periods. The principal advantage was that unlike the C-bridge pince-nez, whose lenses rotated slightly as they were placed on the nose, the astig’s lenses did not rotate & therefore could correct for astigmatism in ways that were impossible with most other varieties of pince-nezhowever, they still did not account for pupillary distance. Wikipedia We are not sure when these were made, but they are old. The case is from an optometrist in Wichita, Kansas. Really cool collector’s piece. We disclose as much as we know about an item. Our items are vintage, gently used pieces, (with the exception of a few handmade products.) They may have flaws or wear. Check out the pictures to ensure you know what you are buying. All products are as is condition. If you are not satisfied, we offer a full refund, less shipping to your location (if applicable) & less shipping back to us from your location. Pince Nez Vintage Eye Glasses & Case
