Eyeglass Collection

The King of Brobdingnag and Gulliver, published by Hannah Humphrey in 1803
NCO190175 The King of Brobdingnag and Gulliver, published by Hannah Humphrey in 1803 (hand-coloured etching) by Gillray, James (1757-1815); Courtesy of the Warden and Scholars of New College

BIFOCALS, 1760s. Benjamin Franklins sketch for bifocal eyeglasses, which he is credited with inventing

Advertisement, Thomas Harris, Opticians to the Royal Family
Advertisement, Thomas Harris & Son, Opticians to the Royal Family. 1841

La Duchesse de Berry (1798-1870) c. 1825 (oil on canvas)
XIR39164 La Duchesse de Berry (1798-1870) c.1825 (oil on canvas) by Lawrence, Thomas (1769-1830); 92x73 cm; Musee Crozatier, Le Puy-en-Velay, France; (add.info.: daughter of Francis)

The King of Brobdingnag and Gulliver, pub. 1803 (hand coloured engraving)
3025917 The King of Brobdingnag and Gulliver, pub. 1803 (hand coloured engraving) by Gillray, James (1757-1815); Private Collection; (add.info)

Old glasses collect dust in an old general store, California, USA

Woman in the fashions of 1798 with short hair under a garland (handcoloured copperplate engraving)
5986559 Woman in the fashions of 1798 with short hair under a garland (handcoloured copperplate engraving) by French School

A Girl in a pink Dress and white shawl offering Oranges to a Gentleman in a green Cape
827691 A Girl in a pink Dress and white shawl offering Oranges to a Gentleman in a green Cape holding a tricorn Hat observed by a Gentleman with an Eyeglass

In the Railway Carriage, 1879 (oil on canvas)
827281 In the Railway Carriage, 1879 (oil on canvas) by Carrier-Belleuse, Pierre (1851-1933); 54x93.4 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: In the Railway Carriage. Pierre Carrier-Belleuse (1851-1933)

The Admirers (oil on canvas)
VFS109774 The Admirers (oil on canvas) by Nicholls, Charles Wynne (1831-1903); Private Collection; English, out of copyright

The Sleeping Beauty; La Bella Addormentata, (oil on panel)
823490 The Sleeping Beauty; La Bella Addormentata, (oil on panel) by Martens, Willem Johannes (1838-95); 46x36.2 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: The Sleeping Beauty; La Bella Addormentata)

The Lounge at the Old Print Shop, Oxford (ink & w / c on paper)
NP125744 The Lounge at the Old Print Shop, Oxford (ink & w/c on paper) by Rowlandson, Thomas (1756-1827); 22.2x17.8 cm; Private Collection; English, out of copyright

Mr Pickwick, illustration from Character Sketches from Charles Dickens, c. 1890 (colour litho)
LLM405154 Mr Pickwick, illustration from Character Sketches from Charles Dickens, c.1890 (colour litho) by Clarke, Joseph Clayton (Kyd) (1856-1937); Private Collection; (add.info)

Snuff box, hand painted with a scene of different kinds of eyewear
MFR348331 Snuff box, hand painted with a scene of different kinds of eyewear, early 19th century (papier mache) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; English, out of copyright

Poster advertising the 7th Exhibition of the Salon des 100
CHT164050 Poster advertising the 7th Exhibition of the Salon des 100, depicting Paul Verlaine (1844-96) and Jean Moreas (1856-1910) at the Salon des 100, 1894 (colour litho) by Cazals

Watchmaker (engraving)
2802011 Watchmaker (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Watchmaker. Illustration for An Illustrated Vocabulary For The Use Of The Deaf And Dumb (SPCK)

Cicely Courtneidge as an Eton-cropped flapper
Actress Cicely Courtneidge made up as a typical eton-cropped, cigarette-smoking flapper in Cleansing the Stage sketch in the revue, " By the Way". Date: 1925

Costume Design for Luna Park, ( The Freaks ), 1930 (oil
658050 Costume Design for Luna Park, ( The Freaks ), 1930 (oil, pencil and collage on gesso-prepared panel) by Wood, Christopher (1901-30); 26.5x40 cm; Private Collection; (add.info)

Wood Engraver (engraving)
2802014 Wood Engraver (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Wood Engraver. Illustration for An Illustrated Vocabulary For The Use Of The Deaf And Dumb (SPCK)

High Change in Bond Street, or La Politesse du Grande Monde
NCO191285 High Change in Bond Street, or La Politesse du Grande Monde, published by Hannah Humphrey in 1796 (hand-coloured etching) by Gillray

Emile Zola (1840-1902), c. 1870-80 (b / w photo)
CHT164380 Emile Zola (1840-1902), c.1870-80 (b/w photo) by French School, (19th century); Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France; eArchives Charmet; French, out of copyright

Le Lorgneur, engraved by Baquoi, plate no. 283 from
STC444579 Le Lorgneur, engraved by Baquoi, plate no.283 from Galeries des Modes et Costumes Francais, c.1778-87 (coloured engraving) by Watteau

Wood-engraving tools and processes (litho)
6013410 Wood-engraving tools and processes (litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Wood-engraving tools and processes)

Wedding Presents, c. 1880
MNY87944 Wedding Presents, c.1880 by Champney, James Wells (1843-1903); Museum of the City of New York, USA; eMuseum of the City of New York; American, out of copyright

At the Photographer (chromolitho)
735298 At the Photographer (chromolitho) by European School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: At the Photographer)

NAPOLEON AT WAGRAM
BATTLE OF WAGRAM Napoleon watches his men defeat the Austrians, using an eyeglass Date: 5-6 July 1809

Man riding an emu on a Victorian scrap. Date: circa 1890s

PHILO FARNSWORTH (1906-1971). Philo Taylor Farnsworth. American inventor and television pioneer. Farnsworth (center) photographed in Washington, D.C

A smart, rather odd German Military Officer
A smart, yet rather odd-looking German Military Officer, wearing a monacle and smoking a cigarette. Date: 1913

The Evil Eye -- woman looking at someone from behind a fan. circa 1850s

Henry Grattan / A Pope
HENRY GRATTAN Irish politician, with his Declaration of Rights Date: 1746 - 1820

William Hepworth Dixon
WILLIAM HEPWORTH DIXON English journalist and historian, Editor of The Athenaeum Date: 1821 - 1879

Douglas Jerrold / Sartain
DOUGLAS WILLIAM JERROLD English playwright and humourist; contributor to Punch Date: 1803 - 1857

We Gladstone / 1886 Pm
WILLIAM EWART GLADSTONE British Liberal MP and Prime Minister in 1886 Date: 1809 - 1898

Captain Frederick Gustavus Burnaby, 1842-1885, balloonist
WARREN DE LA RUE English astronomer and inventor in 1882 Date: 1815 - 1889

Major-General W. S. Brancker
Major-General Sir William Sefton Brancker (1877-1930), civil aviation pioneer, portrayed by Lieutenant Percival Anderson during the First World War when he was Comptroller-General of Equipment

Fashionable gentleman aping the Frenchman
A satirical illustration about fashion for English gentlemen aping extreme French fashions in revolutionary France. This affected gentleman wears a Parisian-style tall hat

A Rain-beau c. 1790
A jessamy - 1790. A fashionable man with an eyeglass or monocle, a cocked hat, cut away coat with a high collar, tight breeches

AVIATION MECHANIC, 1942. Woman operating a hand drill at North American Aviation Inc. assembling a section of the leading edge for the horizontal stabilizer of a plane, Inglewood, California

DEPUTY SHERIFF, 1939. A deputy sheriff stationed at the paymasters window for migrant workers on a large hop farm in Josephine County, near Grants Pass, Oregon

SHARECROPPER, c1935. A sharecropper and family singing hymns on the Sabbath, near Hale County, Alabama. Photograph by Walker Evans, c1935-1936

MOTHERS CLUB, 1938 Women singing hymns before opening meeting of the Mothers Club at Arvin Farm Sercurity Administration Camp for migrants, California. Photograph, by Dorothea Lange, November 1938

PREACHER, 1939. Salvation Army preacher, San Francisco, California. Photograph, April 1939 by Dorothea Lange

Portrait of Suzanne Clarisse de Salvaing de Boisseiu, Madame Marcotte de Sainte-Marie
XIR895665 Portrait of Suzanne Clarisse de Salvaing de Boisseiu, Madame Marcotte de Sainte-Marie, 1826 (oil on canvas) by Ingres, Jean Auguste Dominique (1780-1867); 93x74 cm; Louvre, Paris

Portrait of Madame Marcotte, detail of her hands, 1826 (oil on canvas) (detail of 83538)
XIR429033 Portrait of Madame Marcotte, detail of her hands, 1826 (oil on canvas) (detail of 83538) by Ingres, Jean Auguste Dominique (1780-1867); Louvre, Paris, France; (add.info.: Madame Marcotte)

Portrait of Charles Leconte de Lisle (pen & ink on paper) (b / w photo)
XIR233782 Portrait of Charles Leconte de Lisle (pen & ink on paper) (b/w photo) by Verlaine, Paul (1844-96); Private Collection; French, out of copyright

Brill Seller and an old woman, Adriaen van Ostade, 1647 - 1652

Seller of glasses and an old woman, Adriaen van Ostade, 1647 - 1652

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"Through the Looking Glass: A Journey into Eyeglass History" Step back in time to 1803 with "The King of Brobdingnag and Gulliver, " a captivating publication by Hannah Humphrey that transports us to an era where eyeglasses were already making their mark. In the 1760s, Benjamin Franklin sketched his ingenious invention, bifocal eyeglasses. This visionary polymath revolutionized the way we see the world, leaving an indelible imprint on history. Opticians to the Royal Family, Thomas Harris' advertisement beckons us into a realm where even royalty sought optical perfection. Their discerning eyes recognized the importance of clear vision and fashionable frames. Enter La Duchesse de Berry's world in c. 1825, captured beautifully on canvas. Her elegant presence is enhanced by her choice of eyewear - a testament to how glasses can elevate one's style and grace. Travel further through time with "Man riding an emu on a Victorian scrap. " Amidst this whimsical scene lies another reminder of eyeglasses' ubiquity throughout history – even during moments of playful imagination. Witness fashion trends evolve as you encounter a woman from 1798 donning short hair under a garland. Her stylish ensemble is complemented by her spectacles, proving that eyewear has always been an integral part of personal expression. Observe societal interactions unfold before your eyes in "A Girl in a pink Dress and white shawl offering Oranges to a Gentleman in a green Cape. " These subtle gestures remind us how glasses facilitate connections between individuals across different social strata. Board the railway carriage depicted in "In the Railway Carriage, 1879" and witness passengers engrossed in their own worlds behind their lenses. Eyeglasses become portals through which they observe life's fleeting moments while preserving clarity amidst motion. "The Admirers" captures timeless beauty immortalized on canvas, where eyeglasses serve as a window into the beholder's soul.