"All we know is that the spectacles were designed to protect Olds’s eyes from the intensity of Argand lamps... Argand lamps, which were widely used for indoor illumination in the early 1800s, burned whale oil. People worried that the light from the flames might be harmful to their eyes."
Image cropped from the original in The Washington Post.
Addendum: reader Drabkikker found this video about Victorian skincare which features similar glasses.
It's not an uncommon claim among historical reenactors that green lenses were prescribed for people suffering from syphilis. And while it can cause sensitivity to light, my reading is that there's no evidence that different colored lenses were prescribed for specific illnesses.
ReplyDeleteAh, so the glasses that Bernadette Banner wears in this clip could be historically accurate! I wouldn't be surprised, seeing that most of her creations/props are.
ReplyDelete