Spectacles (Eyeglasses)

Description

These spectacles, called “Visual Glasses,” have round iron eye rims with a C-shaped bridge. The straight temples are stamped with the number, “30,” indicating the focal length. The tips have circles so that a cord could be attached to allow the glasses to be hung around the neck. Within each eye rim is a quarter inch wide horn rim called a “Martin’s Margin” named after their inventor, Benjamin Martin, a scientific instrument maker from London, England. Martin created these glasses in response to his own need for reading glasses and published “An Essay on Visual Glasses” in 1756 describing how his invention was superior to common spectacles. The translucency of the horn was intended to protect the eyes from excessive light. Additionally, the glass lenses can be turned inward to allow the axis to point towards the viewer’s objective. The flip-top case with the spectacles has an elongated oval shape with four incised lines bordering the opening. Within this case resides a manuscript written by Samuel W. Pennypacker (1843-1916), a notable Philadelphia politician. Samuel traced the lineage of these spectacles back four generations to their original owner, John Pennebacker (1713-1784), son of Hendrick Pannebecker (1674-1754) who was a surveyor for William Penn.