Chevalier enameled opera glasses: Museum Object and Cultural History
Chevalier enameled opera glasses: Object Name: opera glasses. Object Type: opera glasses. Other Terms: opera glasses; Accessories Carried; Female.
The object in the museum catalogue
This is a brass instrument with pearl on the center focus and eyecups, and enamel scenery on the barrels and handle. The barrels are flared. The objective lenses are 25 mm in diameter. The length is 4 cm closed. The text on one eyetube reads “Mme du Dr / Chevalier” and the other “27 Rue de l’Opera / Paris.”
The scene on one barrel shows a well-dressed man of the late 18th century holding opera glasses of this sort, looking at the other barrel where a similarly attired woman sits reading on a bench.
Materials, dates and provenance
- Object Name: opera glasses
- Object Type: opera glasses
- Other Terms: opera glasses; Accessories Carried; Female
- ID Number: CS.368811
- catalog number: 368811
- accession number: 133594
- Credit Line: Mary Maxwell
- Data Source: National Museum of American History
Sources and reuse
Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.
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