Jeremy Norman’sHistoryofInformation.com Exploring the History of Information and Media through Timelines
Jeremy Norman’s
This pair of mid-14th century spectacles was found in Kloster Wienhausen (near Celle) in 1953 when the wide oak floorboards were lifted during renovations of the nun’s choir. The frames are made of Lindenwood and Beechwood.
In spite of the obvious fragility of spectacles (eyeglasses), a reasonable number of extremely early examples have survived from the mid-fourteenth century onward. Images and information about them have been collected by David A. Fleishman on his website, Antique Spectacles and other Vision Aids.