The picture above shows the first depiction of someone wearing glasses. That was in 1352, however well before this the Romans were using a glass tube of water as a magnifier to read books. Then in the Middle Ages it is said that monks used a glass full of water to magnify what they were reading.
However, it was actually the Venetians in the 13th century whose glass blowers produced, what they called reading stones. These were made of solid glass that was held up in a single frame. These frames were made of horns, bones and of course wood, they were very similar to today’s hand held magnifying glasses.
The Eye Glass
It is believed that the first glasses, which they called eye glasses were actually produced by the monks in Pizza in Italy somewhere around 1285-1289.
They were rather clever, in that they shaped them like two little magnifying glasses set together into either bone, metal or leather mountings that allowed them to rest on the nose
Above is the first picture of someone wearing eyeglasses, Tommaso da Modena painted it in 1352. He produced several painting showing monks reading and writing manuscripts. In fact, in one a monk is seen using a magnifying glass, then one with his glasses perched on his nose.
Eyeglasses History
The first glasses were called reading stones, which it appears where actually invented sometime around 1000AD. This stone was glass that was laid on top of what you were reading, so that it magnified the letters.
This led to the obvious idea of making wearable eyeglasses.
The first wearable eyeglasses were created, I suppose you could say invented, around 1284, again in Italy, as they were experts in working with glass. Everybody thinks that the inventor of the first wearable glasses, which were called eyeglasses, was Salvino D’Armate.
Inventor of Glasses
It is thought that Salvino D’Armate came up with the first pair of wearable glasses, that in those days they described as eyeglasses, in around 1284.
It is thought that Salvino D’Armate is credited with the invention of the first wearable eyeglasses around 1284. You see at the time the glassworks in Murano, Italy was the only factory that could make the soft glass that was essential for the creation of the lenses.
They called them reading aids, as the first glasses were used exclusively to enable far-sighted individuals to read. Initially, it was those with hyperopia who bought them. Hyperopia is basically farsightedness, which is as common in those days as today, which means you can see distant objects clearly, but objects nearby become blurry. So, to start with glasses were only used for reading.
Developments of Glasses
It took until the 17th century to develop the idea of both concave and convex lenses.
The first eyeglass frame temples came from Spanish craftsmen in 1600’s. They attached ribbons of silk or strings to the frame and loop them over the user’s ears. These were carried out to China by Spanish and Italian missionaries. Then the Chinese modified them by adding small metal weights to the strings. This led in 1730 an optician, Edward Scarlett, designing rigid stays allowing then to click behind the wearer’s ears.
Suddenly, there was a ready market for glasses for distance or up close reading.
Benjamin Franklin
Yes, he got involved, believe it or not he came up with the first bifocal lens.
In May 1785 he told librarians and other folks that by using his glasses they could see both close up and far away.
He said he came up with the idea because as he was getting old he was having trouble looking at both close up and distance. He decided he was fed up of having to switch between his two glasses. So, he designed away to be able to do both at the same time.
He didn’t call them bifocals it took until 1824 before another man, John Isaac Hawkins, refer to them as bifocal, Franklin referred to his invention as a double spectacle.
Today
So, did you realise that spectacles have been around for all this time? Something we take advantage of as just something that is there, but they had an interesting history before we got to today’s glasses.
Of course, I haven’t included the story of why we went to sunglasses, but it was inevitable if you think about it. Once we had all this technology it seemed pretty easy for someone to come up with a way for us to use tinted glasses in the bright sunlight.
Isn’t history fun?
10 questions to discuss:
- What were the earliest known methods used for magnification before the invention of eyeglasses?
- Who is credited with producing the first wearable eyeglasses, and where were they invented?
- How were the first eyeglasses shaped, and what materials were commonly used for their frames?
- What is hyperopia, and why were the earliest glasses primarily used by individuals with this condition?
- How did the development of concave and convex lenses in the 17th century impact the evolution of eyeglasses?
- Who introduced the concept of attaching ribbons or strings to eyeglass frames, and how were they further modified by the Chinese?
- What significant innovation did Edward Scarlett introduce in 1730 regarding eyeglass frame temples?
- How did Benjamin Franklin contribute to the advancement of eyeglasses, and what problem did his invention address?
- What term did John Isaac Hawkins use to describe Benjamin Franklin’s invention of lenses for both close-up and distance viewing?
- What is the significance of sunglasses in the context of eyewear history, and how did they emerge as a natural progression from regular eyeglasses?
More information go to:
https://focusers.com/pages/why-ben-franklin
http://www.glasseshistory.com/glasses-inventor/salvino-d-armate/
http://www.glasseshistory.com/
© Tony Dalton