{"id":10450,"date":"2016-08-04T10:00:29","date_gmt":"2016-08-04T09:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.selectspecs.com\/blog\/?p=10450"},"modified":"2016-08-04T10:00:29","modified_gmt":"2016-08-04T09:00:29","slug":"scissor-glasses-a-fascinating-relic-from-eyewear-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.selectspecs.com\/blog\/scissor-glasses-a-fascinating-relic-from-eyewear-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Scissor-Glasses: A Fascinating Relic from Eyewear History"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imagine that it’s the late eighteenth century and you are King Louis XVI of France. There’s a court event to attend, but your near-sightedness will prevent you seeing enough of what is going on. So, what do you do? Bring “scissors-glasses” – a peculiar type of eyewear actually used by Louis<\/a>. In this article, we look closer at these frames and see who else in history used them.<\/p>\n

The Origin and Form of Scissors-Glasses<\/h2>\n

Where and when were scissors-glasses invented? According to Professor Albert von Pflugk, in Germany in 1750<\/a> – though Karl von Greeff has said that this type of eyewear was first patented by George Adams of Fleet Street, London, in 1780. Scissors-glasses appear to have been most fashionable in the late eighteenth century. However, with eyewear having developed hugely since then, many of us today might wonder why scissors-glasses ever became popular.<\/p>\n

Scissors-glasses were so-called as the lenses were attached to a two-stemmed handle – and, when held in place by someone peering through those lenses, the stems would be on opposite sides of the nose, making the handle look like a set of scissor blades that could cut the nose off.<\/p>\n

Who used Scissor-Glasses?<\/h2>\n

We have already mentioned below-pictured Louis XVI, best known as the unfortunate king who was caught up in the French Revolution before being guillotined in the 1790s. However, a set of scissor-glasses was also used by George Washington, who fared much better than Louis politically during the same period – he served as the first President of the United States! Scissor-glasses were also worn by the German poet, novelist and philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.<\/p>\n

\"Scissors-Glasses:<\/p>\n

Goethe was myopic, as was Napoleon Bonaparte, another user of scissor-glasses. The scissor-glasses pictured below date from about 1805, when Napoleon was at the height of his power as Emperor of the French – but his fortunes were very different by 1812. That year, he bought a pair of scissors-glasses made of mother-of-pearl and gold – and embarked on a utterly disastrous invasion of Russia which ultimately led to his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.<\/p>\n

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French Empire gilt scissors glasses (with one lens missing), c.\u20091805 #history<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/rDOFN0uxOI<\/a><\/p>\n

— GroovyHistorian (@GroovyHistorian) May 16, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n