Colonial Eye Wear
The first record of spectacles in America were
a pair belonging to someone aboard the Mayflower with a cost value of $75. Colonial
American corrective eyewear was uncommon, as eyeglasses had to be imported
from Europe, which made their price dear. By the early 18th century only the wealthiest
colonists could afford a sum as high as $200 for spectacles.
Various means were tried to hold these early
corrective lenses in place. One such attempt required a wire or wooden rod to
run up over the forehead and under the hat. Some were merely clasped to the
bridge of the nose. Later, the lenses were contained in a leather holder with
string attached that fit over the ears and tied behind the head.
By 1728, frames with temples were introduced. “Temples” refer to the arms on a pair of
eyeglasses that loop over the ears and hold the spectacles in place. Early
temples were short and ended in a ring to which a leather thong or ribbon was
strung and then tied at the back of the head beneath a wig or a hat. Gradually,
temples were made longer with either a hinge in the middle for folding or a telescoping
arm for sliding the temples to adjust to a longer length.
Early frames were made of wire or lead and produced
in a forge. Later, jewelers fashioned
frames from silver, pewter or gold. Cases were sold to hold the spectacles.
They were generally made of tin and lined with cloth.
Appraisal value dropped over the years. A Rhode Island probate record dated 1799
lists two pairs of “specticles” at .33¢. Another lists a pair of spectacles and
case for .50¢.
But where did colonists go, you may wonder, when
Grandpa could no longer see to read his Bible or Almanack and Grandmother’s
vision blurred at her fine needlework? Traveling peddlers were one source or
perhaps a local store. In 1807, one Providence, Rhode Island, store was recorded
as offering an assortment of spectacles for all ages, from 12.5¢ to as much as
$8 a pair.
In 1824, spectacles had become glasses and in 1825
rimless glasses were introduced although they did not become popular until the
end of the century.
Colored glass was in use as early as the 16th
century, with green being the most preferred shade. These tinted lenses were used to protect the
eyes from damaging white light. Blue lenses became the popular choice in the 17th
century, changing to smoke in the 18th century and then to amber
and amethyst by the 19th century.
Lisa Norato writes seafaring historical romance of the Federal era. She is the author of Prize of My Heart and the soon-to-be released The Promise Keeper, both set in the shipbuilding capital of Duxbury, Massachusetts. A life-long New Englander, Lisa lives in a historic village with
homes and churches dating as far back as the eighteenth century.