Cobbler with hammer and glasses making a shoe.

Cobbler

Cobbler with hammer and glasses making a shoe.

A small vessel used to drink from.

Cup

A small vessel used to drink from.

A young girl playing dress up. She is wearing a dress that looks to be from Colonial times. She is holding a paper fan, a coin purse, and is wearing glasses.

Young Girl Playing Dress-up

A young girl playing dress up. She is wearing a dress that looks to be from Colonial times. She is holding…

optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision

Mounting Eyeglass

optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision

Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. He was also a noted polymath, a leading author and printer, satirist, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. In 1751, Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond obtained a charter from the Pennsylvania legislature to establish a hospital. Pennsylvania Hospital was the first hospital in what was to become the United States of America. In June, 1776, he was appointed a member of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence. Although he was temporarily disabled by gout and unable to attend most meetings of the Committee, Franklin made several small changes to the draft sent to him by Thomas Jefferson. In December, 1776, Franklin was dispatched to France as commissioner for the United States and remained in France until 1785. Franklin retained a lifelong commitment to the Puritan virtues and political values with which he had grown up. Through his civic work and publishing, he succeeded in passing these values into the American culture permanently.

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. He was also a noted…

A girl with glasses.

Girl

A girl with glasses.

A girl with glasses reading a book.

Girl Reading a Book at a School Desk

A girl with glasses reading a book.

Safety glasses are usually made with shatter-resistant plastic lenses to protect the eye from flying debris. Although safety lenses may be constructed from a variety of materials of various impact resistance, certain standards suggest that they maintain a minimum 1 millimeter thickness at the thinnest point, regardless of material. Safety glasses can vary in the level of protection they provide.

Round Safety Glasses

Safety glasses are usually made with shatter-resistant plastic lenses to protect the eye from flying…

A drinking vessel without a handle.

Goblet

A drinking vessel without a handle.

A kind of spectacles to protect the eyes from cold, dust, etc.

Goggles

A kind of spectacles to protect the eyes from cold, dust, etc.

"... a thin stick resting on two wine glasses may be broken by a quick blow with a poker in its centre (sic), without injury to its brittle supports." —Quackenbos 1859

Inertia Demonstration

"... a thin stick resting on two wine glasses may be broken by a quick blow with a poker in its centre…

King adjusting his glasses.

King

King adjusting his glasses.

A profile illustration of a man with glasses.

Man with Glasses (Profile)

A profile illustration of a man with glasses.

An illustration of a man wearing a hat and a pair of glasses.

Man with Hat and Glasses

An illustration of a man wearing a hat and a pair of glasses.

An old man with a beard and glasses

Old Man

An old man with a beard and glasses

A small spy-glass for viewing the performance of plays.

Opera-glass

A small spy-glass for viewing the performance of plays.

Lion, the king makes Reynard the fox a judge since he is wise and able to find mischiefs.

Reynard the Fox: Reynard the Judge

Lion, the king makes Reynard the fox a judge since he is wise and able to find mischiefs.

After arriving at the King of Brobdingnag's court, Gulliver is analyzed by three of the King's scholars.

Scholars with Gulliver

After arriving at the King of Brobdingnag's court, Gulliver is analyzed by three of the King's scholars.

An optical instrument used to assist or correct some defect of vision.

Spectacle

An optical instrument used to assist or correct some defect of vision.

"A, spectacles with bows hinged to the shoulders on the rims connected by the nose or bridge. B, spectacles with hook-bows and with bridge and shoulders riveted to the lenses. C, detail showing construction of shoulder. D, side view, showing rim. In all the figures: a, bows; b, shoulders; c, rims; d, bridge." —Whitney, 1889

A Collection of Spectacles

"A, spectacles with bows hinged to the shoulders on the rims connected by the nose or bridge. B, spectacles…

Optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision

Early Design Spectacles

Optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision

The tray is used to carry glasses or dishes. It is made out of silver with gilt ornaments.

Tray

The tray is used to carry glasses or dishes. It is made out of silver with gilt ornaments.

An illustration of a woman looking through a pair of spectacles.

Woman Looking Through Spectacles

An illustration of a woman looking through a pair of spectacles.

An illustration of an older woman wearing a pair of glasses.

Woman with Glasses

An illustration of an older woman wearing a pair of glasses.

A woman sitting at a desk, writing on parchment.

Woman Writing

A woman sitting at a desk, writing on parchment.

Portrait of an old woman with a ruffled bonnet.

Old Woman

Portrait of an old woman with a ruffled bonnet.