Historic Treasure of the Week - January 27, 1991
By Deborah Curtis Drummy
Vigo County Historical Society
Historic Treasure of the Week - January 27, 1991
By Deborah Curtis Drummy
Vigo County Historical Society
Sears catalog lists eyeglass options
The 1902 Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog cautions customers perusing the optical goods section against buying "the very cheap grades of spectacles or eyeglasses. The lenses of these cheap goods are made of very poor material, are improperly cut, and almost certain to do untold injury to the eyes."
The rest of the page goes on to advertise Sears’ mail-order spectacles and eyeglasses, complete with charts for self-testing the eyes for nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. There are also detailed instructions on how to take the test and how to measure the eyes and nose for correct fitting spectacles and eyeglasses. (Spectacles sit on the end of the nose; eyeglasses rest high on the bridge.)
No need to see an expensive optician, according to Sears, which claimed opticians charged high prices for optical goods with the excuse that "the lenses were ground to order." Grinding to order, the ad asserts, was necessary only in the presence of astigmatism of one or both eyes.
A limited variety of spectacles were offered in the 1902 catalog. Lenses were small by today’s standards, and oval. Frames were made of very thin metal, either steel, alumnico ("a composition metal in weight and color exactly like aluminum"), gold-filled or solid gold.
The main style variation was in the temple pieces, which were either straight (recommended for near work only, when glasses would require frequent removal) or the "riding bow" style, with deeply hooked temple pieces which wrapped behind the ear (recommended for glasses worn constantly). Rimmed and unrimmed lenses and narrow or broad nose pieces were also available..
A dollar went a long way in 1902. For 35 cents, a person could buy a pair of steel spectacles with quality lenses. The best grade steel spectacles sold for 72 cents; alumnico spectacles sold for one dollar; gold-filled, $1.90; and solid 14K gold spectacles could be bought for $3.50.
If spectacles were to be sent by mail, customers were to spend 5 cents extra for postage. The catalog offered the added incentive to buy with the promise that, "With all spectacles costing 50 cents or more, we furnish a neat leather case without charge."
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley houses a large array of Victorian spectacles, many no doubt of the mail-order variety. The collection features numerous novelty pieces, including folding spectacles, monocles, bifocals and tinted lenses.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.