Jacques Lemaire Opera Glasses: Museum Object and Cultural History
Jacques Lemaire Opera Glasses: date made: 1900-1925. Object Name: opera glasses. Object Type: opera glasses.
The object in the museum catalogue
This is a brass instrument with pearl on the barrels, eyecups, and center focus. The barrels are flared, with ornate brass at top and bottom. The objective lenses are 35 mm in diameter. The length is 6 cm closed. Each eyecup is marked “LEMAIRE FT * PARIS *.”
Jacques Lemaire began making opera glasses in 1847 and was soon a major manufacturer known for his use of mechanization, division of labor and interchangeable parts.
Materials, dates and provenance
- date made: 1900-1925
- Object Name: opera glasses
- Object Type: opera glasses
- Other Terms: opera glasses; Opticals; Accessories Carried; Female
- Physical Description: glass (overall material)
- Physical Description: metal (overall material)
- Physical Description: plastic (overall material)
- Physical Description: shell, mother-of-pearl (overall material)
- ID Number: CS.200122.1442
- catalog number: 200122.1442
- accession number: 200122
- Credit Line: Gift of Lucinda de Leftwich Templin, Ph.D., in memory of Ella Rice Templin
- 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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