 | Monoculars, which the French called lorgnettes, were very popular. Fashionable Europeans of the 17th and 18th centuries considered eyeglasses evidence of old age and infirmity. The result was that spectacles were worn inconsistently, if at all. In the 1680s, monoculars and similar devices were manufactured with expensive materials and became objects of desire. The wealthiest Europeans turned a fashion faux pas into a fashion necessity. In French society, monoculars were used as spyglasses foremost at the theater and in public promenades. The reigns of both King Louis XIII and King Louis XIV supported the theater and encouraged the nobility to attend. From these occasions, the monocular became a sign of wealth and status. When the average income for a Frenchman was 180 livres, a porcelain monocular could sell anywhere from 300 to 900 livres. |
Despite innovations in manufacture, monoculars were still quite large. In 1745 an upper- class lady wrote to complain that, “Hardly was I seated [at the theater] when I noticed twenty glasses pointed toward me; I had sometimes seen at the Opera or Comedie, the use of the lorgnette, but never with such effrontery.” After the fall of the French monarchy in 1789, spyglasses still maintained their popularity. In 1823 the Journal de Dames et de la Mode stated that, “A bunch of violets, an embroidered handkerchief, a large opera glass, and a bottle of smelling salts-those are the four things a lady of fashion must have at the theatre.” |
