Wednesday 7 July 2010

High days, birthdays and other spectacles

Hi, I wanted to address two things in this blog entry, these being the joy of birthdays and vintage sunglass lenses.

Firstly the joy of birthdays, or, when the year turned once more on Mr Deadman and how he re-discovered the delights of the regional museum.

My birthday trip this year was to view the Seahenge exhibition at Kings Lynn Museum. Having read about the initial discovery of Seahenge at Holme-next-the-sea in the spring of 1998 I had followed the controversy of its removal for conservation and its final return to Norfolk with great interest. Now was my chance to see the new exhibition at the very modest Kings Lynn Museum set attractively (not!) next to the town bus station. Can I say at this point what a wonderful addition the Seahenge gallery is, showing the remains and the story of this enigmatic monument off to great and sympathetic effect?


Seahenge in situ on Holme-next-the-sea beach


Seahenge at home in its new gallery

What has this all to do with glasses you might fairly ask? Well the delight of a small museum is that you’re never really sure what you might find lurking amongst the stuffed sturgeon, eel traps and enema kits. Yes all of these were on display in the converted church that makes up the rest of the museum and in their own rights would have made the journey worthwhile, but, imagine my delight to find a fine collection of vintage spectacles on display.

I surreptitiously took some photographs without a flash and the results are reproduced below.


The horse-shoe pair of sunglasses on the right has lenses that fold to the side and are in the design of the optician Richardson and date from the early 19th century. I have a pair in my own collection (see below)

Horse-shoe sunglasses from my collection

Lorgnettes and chatelaine cases
Having talked about the wonder of Seahenge, the surprise of a vintage spectacle display and the delights of small museums, I must say that my day was made by a box of “Red Draught cleansing and general cow drench” which just happened to have what looked like the “Arm and Hammer” toothpaste logo on it!!!!
It makes you think!

The second thing I’d like to address is lenses in vintage sunglasses. It seems important with the extended hot spell we are having and the onset of the summer show season to warn against taking for granted that the lenses in your favourite vintage sunglasses or your recent acquisition come up to the stringent requirements for UV protection that modern lenses offer. I would always suggest that you change the lenses in a vintage sunglass frame if you wish to wear it and replace them with modern lenses that have a full UV400 filter in them. If in doubt ask your optician or myself and wear your vintage sunglasses safely with pride.

TTFN
Deadman

2 comments:

  1. Oh wow! it makes you realise how many other things might just look a lot better in real life than in a museum!
    I love my vintage sunspecs with new lenses that you made me, they are the best for non-squinting days (and hence non wrinkle making too).

    ReplyDelete
  2. "it makes you realise how many other things might just look a lot better in real life than in a museum" You've met my Dad !!! There's always the exception to every rule ;oD

    I can't believe that you'll ever have wrinkles! Just free range laughter lines my happy friend

    ReplyDelete