Perhaps not well known is that Jane Austen had spectacles for reading and writing. Although it is very rare to find a portrait of an individual wearing glasses, they have actually been around for a considerable amount of time, estimated over 800 years. However, it is not surprising that there are no portraits as they were considered unfashionable to wear in public, only in recent years becoming fashionable as the designs have changed.

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Before the Georgian period, glasses were typically of the pince-nez sort (literally nose pliers), which sat on the nose alone. In around 1730, Edward Scarlett, optician to King George I, is thought to have generated the idea of producing the arms that we know today that sit over the ears. Though many believe this was actually invented earlier.

 

Also available were scissor glasses, which could be held from above or below the eyes. However, this doesn't appear to be a very comfortable option either as one would imagine that your arm would get tired.

Glasses could be purchased over the counter and could be ground down to match your vision requirements in a similar way to today's glasses. The focal length would be marked on the side of the frame, which was typically made of whalebone, tortoiseshell and horn as they were strong materials but also flexible.

Thirty years later, the first bifocals were created, allowing the wearer to see both up close and at a distance with ease. It was mostly artists that used these so they could concentrate on both their work and their subject.

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The beau monde (the fashionable crowd of the time) didn't want to be seen with these glasses and around 1750s it became fashionable to carry a quizzing glass (regardless of whether you actually needed one), which was a single magnifying glass. These were particularly popular between 1800-1830. Though this may have been partially due to Beau Brummel, a famously fashionable man of the time, who carried one.  

As a proud glasses wearer myself, I found it interesting to look back over the different styles of glasses over the years. However, I am very thankful for the pair I have now!