Boys' Eye Glasses: Country Trends-United States


Figure 1.--Here we see a cabinent card portrait of an unidentified American boy. It is a rather unusual portrait of a boy in profile reading a book. We have noted few 19th century portraits posed like this. The young scholar wears aloud check suit and small floppy bow. The prtrait is undated, but was probably taken in the 1890s. He is obviously from a Well-to-do Family. The photographer was G. Waldon Smith in Boston, Massachusetts.

America played an important role in the development of glasses in the 18th century when Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals. They were, however, mostly for older people. And as far as we know, America played no further role in eye glass technology until the mid-20th century. We are not sure about the eyeglass industry in the 19th century. We think glasses were mostly produced domesically, but we are not et sure about this. We see American children wearing mostly wire-frame eye glasses in the 19th century. We do not see many boys wearing glassess for portraits in the 19th century. Perhaps they removed their glasses for the portrait. But we think that glassess were probably not as common for children as is the case today. Many children, especially younger children, with vission problems probably went undiagnosed. This was especially the case in the early- and mid-19h century when many children did not attend school. That said, relative affluence and a strong public education system may have meant that more American children that needed glasses got them than was the case in much of Europe. We contiue to see mostly wire-frame glasses in the early 20th century. Boys and girls wore the same styles. We do not see differentited gender styls glasses until after World War II in the 1950s when plastic frames appeared in mny different styles. Suddenly very different styles became popular for boys and girls.

Chronology

America played an important role in the development of glasses in the 18th century when Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals. They were, however, mostly for older people. And as far as we know, America played no further role in eye glass technology until the mid-20th century. We note high-quality lens for binoculars, cameras, and telecopes being imported from Europe, often Germany. We are not sure about the eyeglass industry in the 19th century. We think glasses were mostly produced domesically, but we are not et sure about this. We see American children wearing mostly wire-frame eye glasses in the 19th century. We do not see many boys wearing glassess for portraits in the 19th century. Perhaps they removed their glasses for the portrait. But we think that glassess were probably not as common for children as is the case today. Many children, especially younger children, with vission problems probably went undiagnosed. This was especially the case in the early- and mid-19h century when many children did not attend school. That said, relative affluence and a strong public education system may have meant that more American children that needed glasses got them than was the case in much of Europe. We contiue to see mostly wire-frame glasses in the early 20th century. Only after World war II do we beggin to see more varied styles. The military used plastic frames during World War II. We begin to see plastic frames for children after the War in a wide range of styles.

Image

Boys who wore glasses were commonly seen as scholarly, commonly not at positive atriibute among boys. They were also seen as physically week. Some people saw the need for glasses as the result of too much reading. Boys who wire glasses were trased, often called four eyes. That tended to be the case in the 19th and early 20th century. I don't recall boys being tased fpr wearing glasses in the 1950s, but perhaps that was because I did not wear glasses until I finished high school.

Prevalence


Gender

Boys and girls for many years wore the same style glasses. We do not see differentited gender styles glasses in the 19th and early 20th centuryies until after World war II in the 1950s when plastic framesappeared in mny different styles. Suddenly very different styles became popular for boys and girls. Boys wore basically thesame standard style frmes. These were shaped like World War II miitary styles, but in different colors. Girls glasses began to be done in different, more varied styles. For a while glsses which kind of flared out where the front met the ear supports were considered very stylish by girls. Some were highly decorated.

Styles

Wire frames glasses were almost universal for more than a century. We have little information on the 18th century. Virtualy the only glasses we see in the 19th century are wire frames. Frames were also made in turtle shell, called hornrims, but these were not commonly worn by children. The wire frims for children were quite similar, but there were differences. The thickness of the wire varied. the lens frames were generally circular, but we see some oblong frames. Also the connection between the lens front and the ear arm supports occurred at different places, abobe at, and below center. The denter connection was the most common. After World War II we see plastic frames in many different styles. Olastic made possible inexpensive frames in many shapes and colors. Boys continued to wear the standard military shaped plastic frames. Two colors were very popular. One was the all black frame. The oterr was a two-color frame tht was colored t the top, but clear at the bottom. Children began wearing dispoable lens in the 1970s. But this is of course very difficultt to follow in the photographic record.







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Created: 5:45 AM 1/15/2009
Last updated: 12:05 AM 1/30/2009