Safety glasses
Category
Medical & health
Date
1872 - 1985
Materials
Glass and metal
Measurements
2 cm (Width)
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Souter and the Leas, Tyne and Wear
NT 238011.1
Caption
These glasses might look like something out of a dystopiin the United Kingdom an fantasy, but they had a very practical use for the keeper of Souter Lighthouse. It is believed that they were worn for protection while cleaning and caring for the lantern room. But were they designed for the lighthouse keeper, or had they been repurposed from elsewhere? Featuring the same dark lenses and leather side-shields, they are identical to the mountaineering or ‘glacier’ glasses first used by crystal hunters in the Alps at the end of the 19th century. Pioneered by spectacle-maker Jules Baud, this design prevented mountaineers from going ‘snow-blind’ by protecting their eyes from the sunlight reflecting off the snow. Built in 1871 by engineer James Douglass (1826–98), the 22-metre Souter Lighthouse would have been a curiosity in itself, a ‘marvel of its age’, as the first lighthouse purpose built to be powered by electricity in the United Kingdom.
Summary
Pair of dark glasses with metal frames. Believed to have been worn by the keeper to protect his eyes while working in the lantern room.