Scissors-glasses (or binocles-ciseaux) are eye

glasses Glasses, also known as eyeglasses or spectacles, are vision eyewear, with lenses (clear or tinted) mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically utilizing a bridge over the nose and hinged arms (known as temples ...

, normally used to correct distance vision, mounted on scissoring stems rather than on temple stems as modern eyeglasses are. The invention of scissors-glasses solved the problem of the single-lensed

monocle A monocle is a type of corrective lens used to correct or enhance the visual perception in only one eye. It consists of a circular lens, generally with a wire ring around the circumference that can be attached to a string or wire. The other ...

or "quizzing glass", thought to be tiresome to the eye, by providing two lenses on a Y-shaped frame. They usually had a ring in the end of the handle so that they could be worn on a ribbon or gold chain around the neck. Besicles_180508

Elegant examples, often gilded and highly ornamented, became common among the more fashionable members of French and German society in the second half of the 18th century.

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

, Lafayette and

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

used scissors-glasses. In French they are called ''binocles'' or ''binocles-ciseaux'', and the French scissors-glasses are more delicate and ornate and more of a fashion accessory than those made in other parts of Europe. The

lorgnette A lorgnette () is a pair of spectacles with a handle, used to hold them in place, rather than fitting over the ears or nose. The word ''lorgnette'' is derived from the French ''lorgner'', to take a sidelong look at, and Middle French, from ''lo ...

may have developed from scissors-glasses.

References

*Richard Corson, ''Fashions in eyeglasses'', 1980 *Valerie Steele, ''Encyclopedia of clothing and fashion, Volume 1'', 2005 {{DEFAULTSORT:Scissors-Glasses 18th-century fashion 19th-century fashion Eyewear Optometry