Opera Glasses
date: label: date made
content: early 20th century
notes: label: Description
content: The objective lenses are 16 mm diameter. The frame is aluminum. The barrels are covered with mother of pearl, as is the lorgnette handle and the central focusing knob. The letters “RT” appear in a diamond shape on the mid crossbar. The words “MADE IN FRANCE” appear on the inner crossbar. The case is simulated reptile skin.
label: Description
content: If these glasses were intended for the British market, the “MADE IN FRANCE” designation indicates that they were made after Parliament passed the British Merchandise Marks Act of 1887. If they were intended for the American market, the designation indicates they were made after the McKinley Tariff went into effect on March 1, 1891. One provision of the McKinley Tariff stated that “all articles of foreign manufacture” shall “be plainly marked, stamped, branded, or labeled in legible English words, so as to indicate the country of their origin; and unless so marked, stamped, branded, or labeled, they shall not be admitted to entry.” In the words of a somewhat disingenuous Treasury Department Circular, this provision would protect Americans “from the imposition of inferior goods.”
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: France
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.336793
label: catalog number
content: 336793
label: accession number
content: 1978.2216
objectType: label: Object Name
content: opera glasses
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 1 3/16 in; 3.048 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall in case: 2 in x 4 1/2 in x 1 3/4 in; 5.08 cm x 11.43 cm x 4.445 cm