Today, glasses and sunglasses are essential accessories for our health, our styles and sometimes even our identity. They protect our eyes while highlighting our face and our personality by asserting our style. Whether we dare or are more classic, glasses have become a real accessory beyond the health aspect.
But was this the case decades ago? How and when did the first glasses appear? And what was the place of glasses over the years? A look back at a historical part of glasses that we don't suspect!
The first glasses: the most vintage glasses!
As you might expect, glasses and sunglasses have not always been what we know today. Far from it!
It all starts with the magnifying glass, the origin of the first magnifying glass is located around the 11th century. It is the Arab scholar Ibn el Haitman who describes in his work a segment of glass in the shape of a sphere by means of which an object appears magnified. It is the oldest optical instrument.
The first glasses were created during the medieval period in Italy in the 13th century. Called "bésicles", they do not have arms but two large round lenses and are fixed directly on the nose. The main materials were copper, wood or horn. They were mainly used by copyist monks who decorated their manuscripts with illumination.
It was not until the 15th century that the manufacture of glasses was introduced in France. These glasses were no longer reserved only for copyist monks; new materials such as tortoiseshell, bone and ivory were used, which made the frames more comfortable and the bourgeoisie had them.
In the 18th century, a great revolution in glasses exploded. Surely in a context where the period rhymed with progress and education and in which humanist thought dominated. An Englishman named Edward Scarlett invented the branches as we know them today. However, these branches were shorter and stopped at the temples to meet the need of the wigs worn at that time.
Throughout the modern era, monocles, binoculars and face-glasses were promoted by the bourgeoisie.
Glasses accessible to all!
It was not until the 19th century that glasses became accessible to everyone. It was in the context of growing industrialization that glasses became more comfortable, lighter, and more ergonomic. Materials were easier to find and could be produced in larger quantities.
At the beginning of the 20th century, opticians were not really focused on working with glasses and opticians were not recognized as health professionals. They practiced several professions at once and were considered craftsmen. But in 1954, the optician's certificate was created. Being an optician is a profession that is sufficient in itself.
In fact, we find eyeglass frames made of plastic, acetate, metal, titanium... All these materials that we know today!
And glasses are invented for certain specific reasons and for certain people, such as for athletes or aviators.
The origin of the Ray Ban for example is an order from the American army in the 1930s for its aviators to protect them from strong light. This is how Ray Ban forged a cult model: the aviator model which is still worn and appreciated today. A model that has crossed time, the years to still be today one of the most appreciated pairs!
Now the idea for opticians is to create strong and light frames that fit all faces and follow the trend.
From the 60s, glasses adopted the era. Indeed, we can clearly distinguish the fashions of the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s and glasses are a remarkable witness to this. Opticians combine fashion, trends with health and well-being. These years really marked a turning point for glasses, which clearly became a fashion accessory. We wear them for a question of style, to assert our identity and of course to protect ourselves from the sun!
Vintage glasses at Seconde Vue
It was not until November 2021 that Alice Violier created and developed Seconde Vue on the vintage and second-hand eyewear market. An existing market but where much remains to be done!
In a context where overproduction dominates and where environmental protection is a top priority, why produce more? When there are such beautiful pieces, of great quality and with assertive styles that are taken up by the biggest fashion brands. Models that have nothing to envy the new products that arrive on the market each season.
The idea at Seconde Vue is to recover the meticulous work of opticians and eyewear designers since the 60s. Since glasses or sunglasses rhyme with well-being and style, comfort and lightness. We are committed to hunting down the most beautiful pieces in order to give them a second life.
Our mission? To recover the most beautiful models of vintage glasses so that you can make the best use of them. We take to heart to refurbish these nuggets that form in the cellars and cupboards of professionals and individuals. Whether for a prescription or for a beach vacation, you will find your happiness, a happiness that aspires to a unique and original style.
We are all nostalgic for the past, especially for the refined fashion of the past (or at least that's what we like to think). We all have a hero who belongs to these eras, a favorite movie, a music, a book. So, wearing these vintage glasses is also a bit of a tribute to them, isn't it?
