Antique Straight Temple Square Eyeglasses on sale 1800s

Here is a very unique pair of antique straight temple eyeglasses. They are likely made of nickel as was common for this type of frame. They have a saddle bridge with straight extendable arms.

The straight temple eyeglass lenses were made in majority in an oval shape. They were also made in the octagonal and square shapes, which on sale weren't nearly as common, making these harder to find and more sought after today. Straight temple eyeglasses were invented sometime in the 1830s and were primarily used for sitting and reading and would easily fall off when walking. If a person wanted to keep them on while walking, they would attach both arms with a string behind the head. It's pretty cool because the ends of the arms actually have loopholes for this very purpose. What makes this pair even more special is it has extendable/retractable arms. This piece of ingenuity made it possible for those with a little larger heads to wear these fashionable glasses and have them actually fit!

These glasses are in very good antique condition. They were part of a lot purchased through an estate sale where almost all items were very well maintained. They measure 4 1/2" across (ear to ear) with the bridge gap measuring 1 1/4". Each lens measures 1 1/4" long by 1" in tall. The arms, fully retracted, measure 4" in length and when fully extended measure 5 1/2".

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