Spectacles
Periodca. 1760 - 1820
Place MadePossibly Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
MediumIron, glass
Dimensions4.5 in. (11.4 cm)
ClassificationsVision Devices
Credit LineGift of Kay Pratt Campbell, 1933
Object number336
DescriptionA pair of spectacles or eye glasses comprised of an iron frame with lightly tinted oval green glass lenses. The temples or ear wires include a secondary hinge at the midpoint and end in large fine iron loops.Curatorial RemarksThese spectacles might well be the oldest pair in the Historical Association's collection. The detail of the hinged side pieces or "temples", ending in large rings or loops, indicates an 18th century construction date for this eyewear. The loops not only kept the frames from sliding off the wearer's ears, but also accomodated ribbon or string as an additional security measure. Eye glasses were an expensive accessory in the 18th century and were constructed by the same craftsmen who produced lenses for telescopes, microscopes, and other instruments requiring fine glass lenses. It was not uncommon for eyeglasses to be passed down to other family members, often becoming heirlooms.NotesDonor Kay Pratt Campbell (1861-1938) was born in Pennsylvania and worked as a landscape artist and decorator for most of his career. He specialized in landscape paintings, working for many years out of his studio in Englishtown, Monmouth County, New Jersey. He married Helen Joanna Rogel in 1914. The couple attained brief notoriety when their divorce made the local papers in 1934. The original donor records included the notation that the eyeglasses were "found in a hymn book of Old North Church, Boston." The Old North Church, an Episcopal congregation, has what may well be the most famous steeple in American Revolution history. On the evening of April 18, 1775, sexton Robert Newman and vestryman John Pulling, Jr., used two lanterns to signal silversmith Paul Revere that the British forces were crossing the Charles River towards Concord and Lexington. Revere rode out to alert local militia of their approach. Kay Pratt Campbell died in Florida in 1938 and was buried in Old Tennent Church graveyard.
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