Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1906-04-05
Seventy Thousand Amer
leans Wear Glass Ewes
Artificial Optics First Used in Egypt During the Reign of
Ptolemy liza Haytion General Who Insisted That His
False Eye Should be Painted in Patriotic ColorsProc-
of Manufacture.

envy II, who grasped the spectre in
Egypt in the fourth century before
Christ. Eyes were at first made OF
metal, either copper or gold or silver.
shaped into fiat disks and painted to
initiate nature. In the days of Am
broise Pare, the celebrated French
surgeon of the sixteenth century. a
painted representation of the whole
eye and eyelids was fastened in front
of the orbit and held in place by a
steel spring that fitted the upper cir
conference of the head Eyes have
been made of wax and celluloid and
Vulcanite, and horse, not long ago.
presented an improved appearance
with an eye of horn. Eyes were also
made of porcelain, when that came
into use, and their effect was decided.
~ more lifelike
"A Haytan general once upon a time
iost an eye in battle with the Span.
lards and sent to Paris for another m
replace it. He received an EXPENSIVE
and choice specimen from the Paris
maker but because it contained a
suggestion of yellow, which was the
color OF the hated Spaniard, the Hay
tan soldier sent it back, swearing he
would wear an eye only that dis
played the colors of his country. The
Partisan artist thereupon made him
one that sported the red and green
OF Hayti and this the jealous warrior
wore proudly until the day of his
death.
False eyes were very expensive in
the early stages of the art. A false
| eye ranked with the Jewels of a per.
sons possession, and was frequently
diverted from its proper use to shine
as an ornament upon some part of
the person for which it had not been
destined. AS made today, the cost
OF false eye varies from five to fit.
teen dollars. The crux of the art OF
its manufacture is in the preparation
of the crystal, which must be careful.
~ tempered by a gradual process to
resist heat and cold and the corrosive
secretions of the socket for which it
is intended The crystal is colored
Varlously from blush to yellowish
white, to simulate the actual cornea
in different stages of youth and age,
the white of the eye showing blue in
youth, and following with age. This
enamel which is to form the ground.
work of the eye is first blown, at the
end of glass tube, into the shape of
a closed tulip.
The eye artist is seated at a table
before small heating apparatus
that contains blow-pipes holding
names of two different temperatures.
from whose heat his face is protected
by small hood over the top of the
apparatus. He has at hand thin sticks
of augmented glass, blue, gray, brown,
red, yellow and green, in various
shades Taking up a glass tulip,
fused at one end Of small glass pipe,
and holding 1t in the flame, the artist
applies to its tip with the other hand
the end of a stick of glass, which as
it melts forms the ground color of the
iris of the particular eye he has in
view. The glass tulip is kept twirl-
ing in the left hand while the tip of
the coored glass stick is applied, so
that by degrees the point of the tulip
is worn away and gradually en-
croaching circle takes its place and
forms the iris This, as it tends to
lump is flattened every now and then
by patting.
Whenever the glass eye in its max
ia 4
even a moment it must again be ac-
climated to the intense heat by first
introducing 1t into the lesser flame.
This simple precaution neglected,
britteness will ensue and the eye
crack on the first occasion of its
meeting the cold air of winters
day The fecks in the iris are cum.
ningly initiated by light deft strokes
with the different colored glass sticks.
all the time the glass bulb revolving
in the fame, and now and then being
blown to keep it in proper shape. At
last when the iris has attained the
proper diameter and is flecked as Ii
should be, a stick of black enamel is
plugged into the center, and fused off
when it has reached a certain depth.
This forms the pupil. Some more
stipplng is done to form the specks
about the pupil, then the minute
veins are traced on the white of the
eye with stick of red glass whose
tip is melted and drawn out into a
thread, A stick Of pure transparent
crystal Is then taken and melted in
the fame until it spreads over the
whole surface of the eye to give it the
liquid lifelike look and depth.
The shell is now ready to be cut
from the bulb she'll that shall fit
the socket in which 1t is to be placed.
with the iris in just the right situa-
ton to prevent a crossed or wall
eve" appearance. The artist takes a
pair OF measuring dividers and lays
of from the iris certain distances on