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Period Correct EyeglassesOne of my personal peeves is the use of non-period eye-glasses by "modern" reenactors. We spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars collecting the gear, clothing, and "stuff" to make us "right" but many of us continue to wear modern specs. I say for shame. Avalon Forge is a cheap alternative. Just have the folks who provide you your glasses put your lenses in a pair and poof, you are period correct, or at least a bit more so. I have seen several examples of period spectacles with round lenses of this size, and I think these will suit my needs perfectly. My focus/diopter is just too far apart for happy wearing of the tiny round ones, and I usually get a splitting headache. I don't think this will be a problem with the new spectacles. Other details--they feel sturdy, the color is good (I got pewter), the shape is right, and the nose pads will be EASILY removed. John's right, the "CHINA" on the inside earpiece will be easy to sand off, as well. For the price, you can't beat these, and I think the minor adjustments make them pretty well unbeatable at any price for those of us who need a slightly larger lense--and a break for our poor budget! If the nickel in the frames bothers me (usually doesn't) I'll just do as I've seen on period specs and wrap the nose bridge. These are the CW sunglass spectacles, but with John's shipping they are indeed less expensive. So, repeating John's post from the 26th-- "Just a note on the Williamsburg spectacles; the CW price is indeed $9.95. However, if you mail order them, their minimum shipping of $6.95 brings the total cost to $16.90. If you order from us (spectacles alone), we charge just $4 for shipping which when added to our price of $12, brings the total to only $16. The CHINA indication is merely silk screened on the inside of the temple piece and can be removed easily in a few seconds with a pencil eraser, You can find other stuff in our catalog which you may want to combine with the same order (standard shipping will apply, however). Avalon Forge - http://www.avalonforge.com Absence of Glasses in Period Drawings? The next thing regarding this is the fact that every drawing,sketch, picture of mountain men I have ever seen, not a one of them had eye glasses on. So which is correct for rendezvous, colonial style eye glasses or no eye glasses? Something to thank about!! As to drawings, sketches and paintings and the absence of eye glasses, I would make several observations. First, they were not fully accurate in many respects, and often drawn years if not decades after the painter/artist was orignally on the scene. Second, the average age of the men represented were of the age before most might need lenses to see-- the luck of being youthful. Third, eye glasses are most certainly well represented in paintings from just after the F&I period, the Rev War and thereafter. All major cities had purveayors of eye glasses by the 1770's and they are well documented amongst the general population by the turn of the century. So, did they get to the mountains? Who knows? But if one must wear the bloody things, as do I and a few other unfortunates, trying to get it right seems a shade more defensible than simply wearing modern frames. But again, that is a private peeve, nothing more, and as I was merely trying to point those who do want to get it a bit more correct in the direction of some very cheap frames, please forgive me if I over-stepped my bounds. More Details This isn't a picture, but a reference to them on an 1809 trade list. 26 pair spectacles $.25 http://roxen.xmission.com/~drudy/mtman/html/mfc/regnier.html After looking and reading the inventory list, it is apparent to me that this is a list of goods delivered to a Dry Goods type store in St. Louis, items for sale to the general public, not what was taken to rendezvous by traders. I will still say that the mountain men did not have eye glasses in the mountains and or at rendezvous. I will add my 2 cents to this decussion, then sit back and read: 1. remember that the men folk of that period were very vain, and probably would have not worn their glasses for a picture or even in public. 2. Dueing the time, the movie, "A Man Called Horse" came out, there was a big Halabolu about one of the Indians wearing "sun glasses". I remember someone, and I don't remember who, found a Hudson Bay list where "smoke color glasses" were on a Inv. list. So I don't know if this will help or not, but it is food for though.
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