Opera Glasses
date: label: date made
content: late 19th century
name: label: maker
content: Messter, Ed
notes: label: Description
content: The objective lenses are 26 mm diameter. The frame is aluminum. The eyecups and central focusing knob are made of mother of pearl. The “ED. MESSTER BERLIN” inscription on the eyecups refers to an optical and mechanical instrument shop that opened in Berlin around 1859. The barrels and lorgnette handle are covered with a light blue plastic material. The word “Busch” scratched onto the front crosspiece may refer to a previous owner. A pink velvet drawstring pouch carries a label reading “MADE IN FRANCE.”
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Germany: Berlin, Berlin
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
label: See more items in
content: Science & Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Optics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Jane and Mary Henle
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: PH.336792
label: catalog number
content: 336792
label: accession number
content: 1978.2216
objectType: label: Object Name
content: opera glasses
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 2 in; 5.08 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall in pouch: 6 1/2 in x 3 5/8 in x 2 1/4 in; 16.51 cm x 9.2075 cm x 5.715 cm