Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Pince-Nez Spectacles (pinches onto nose with no arms), c. 1920-1930s |
Object Name |
Pince-Nez |
Description |
Pince-Nez Spectacles (pinches onto nose with no arms), c. 1920-1930s. Owned and used by former Colma Police Officer Arthur Dalton. Spectacles (A) are connected by a silver colored springing metal band allowing them collapse in to case (B) for storage or to secure tightly to one's nose. Proper right lens has a small silver handle from which a long thin silver chain is attached. Case is brown leather with a triangular flap and snap closure. Printed in gold lettering beneath flap is, "John F. Wooster Co. / 234 STOCTON ST. SAN FRANCISCO". |
Date |
c. 1920-1930s |
Catalog Number |
2019.029.002 |
Dimensions |
H-0.5 W-4.5 D-2 inches |
Dimension Details |
glasses only without chain; case measures 3"x2.5"x2" with flap open |
Collection |
3D - Personal Gear |
Inscription Text |
"John F. Wooster Co. / 234 STOCTON ST. SAN FRANCISCO" (printed in gold lettering beneath flap on case); "1/1012 K.G.F." (stamped into underside of bridge) |
Provenance |
Owned and used by former Colma Police Officer Arthur Dalton. |
Notes |
"Pince-nez (/'pænsne?/ or /'p?nsne?/;[1] French pronunciation: ?[p?~s'ne]) is a style of glasses, popular in the 19th century, that are supported without earpieces, by pinching the bridge of the nose. The name comes from French pincer, "to pinch", and nez, "nose". "Although pince-nez were used in Europe in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, modern ones appeared in the 1840s and reached their peak popularity around 1880 to 1900. ... "C-bridge These, as their name would suggest, possess a C-shaped bridge, which was composed of a curved, flexible piece of metal which would provide the tension needed to stay on the nose. This variety is the earliest style of true pince-nez. They existed from the 1820s through to the 1940s, and were available in a tremendous variety of styles – ranging from the early nose-padless type of the 19th century to the gutta-percha variety of the American Civil War era, and then on to the plaquette variety of the 20th century. Like the Hard bridge variety, this type was available either as a frame or as a two-piece mount for frameless glasses. Some of the earlier frames had cork nose-pads, as did some of the cheaper later ones, instead of plaquettes. The frames or bridge pieces could be gold or silver plated or made from stainless steel. The bridges were subject to constant wear and tear as they required repeated flexing when being set and removed from the face, so would frequently break or lose their tension. The advantage of this variety was that one size could fit a variety of nose bridges; however, often they had to be worn at an angle, especially if the wearer had a low forehead." [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pince-nez 02/20/2019] |
Search Terms |
Colma Dalton, Arthur Eyeglasses Police Police Departments - Colma |
Subjects |
Eyeglasses |
People |
Dalton, Arthur |
Credit line |
Courtesy of Karen Busch |