Featured Lorgnette M.O.P French Theater Glasses. "Iris". Ca. 1870.

....they came with ^^the pouch^^...

 

Lorgnette style. Very nice.

 

Yes indeed. I pulled the lenses out and wiped off the dust, but other than that, they don't need anything else done to them.

 

quality item made to last !!
very nice........

 

The lenses are in very good condition. There's a TEENY chip on one of them, but it's right in the corner so it doesn't affect vision at all. I pulled them out, dusted them, put them back in. Nice and clean, now

I seriously considered passing on these, because of the chip. But it was really the only blemish, and it didn't affect their use or condition at all. And I KNEW I'd never get another chance to get another pair like this, in this condition, for this price, ever! So I just jumped on it.

The focus wheel and the glasses slide and focus very smoothly. The handle swivels smoothly and extends and retracts just the same. All the MOP is firm and unshifting.

A near-identical pair by the same company was dated to the 1870s, so I figure these come from around that period as well.

The blue carry-pouch is original to the glasses, as far as I know. I sewed up one or two loose seams, but other than that, didn't do anything else.

 

Cleaned the glasses, pulled apart the handle and cleaned and oiled the pivot. Reassembled, and took some better pictures...






They're not tinted glasses!! The blue reflection is from what was on my computer-screen at the time


Folded & Compact


The screw-pivot is firm without being too stiff. Turns comfortably but still tight enough to stand on its own.





I reinforced some of the parts of the pouch with some extra sewing, to stop it from falling apart. If it's as old as the glasses (which it probably is) then it's anywhere from 140-160 y/o.

 

Those are SASSY !!!
Boy oh boy.....rich folks had nice stuff, & the original owner had good taste too !!

Oh.......& you as well Shang !!!

 

The man I got them from purchased these in France. From the source, as it were. They're lots of fun. My first lorgnette pair. They're usually ridiculously expensive down here, so I consider these a real bargain.

 

Lovely opera glasses. Not really sure dating by an online sales description is trustworthy (suspect others could be found with different dating), little change in opera glasses over decades, but seem to recall the telescoping handles as appearing fairly late in the 19th century, though it's been a while since researching a pair like this - and while the pouch may be original, it's a very simple form and unless bearing a label or perhaps shown/described in period advertising, would be a hard call to determine if offered at purchase or made up later...

~Cheryl

This pair, with no more reliable dating than most any other sales description, says 'early 1900s': http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Ope...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

And this pair, described as 1900-1940: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-ope...773?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3f4e9cf4c5

1908 ad for Iris opera glasses:


1909 ad for LeMaire opera glasses with similar handle:

 

It's the best I could do. As you know these things don't come with serial numbers and it's almost impossible to date them. The dates I give all my opera glasses (I have six, now) are educated guesses at best, except for one, which has the date engraved on it. So until concrete proof pops up, it's 1870. I've seen a similar one by the same company which they dated back to 1850 (not sure about that).

The pouch is most definitely old and looks professionally made on a sewing machine. This thing wasn't something that grandma knocked up on her Singer at home (my gran could, but she was a professional, so...). The man I bought the glasses from said the pouch was part of the price, and that when he bought them in France, the pouch came with them, so he believes they're original to each other.

I'm not sure what's gained by the links and the advertisements, but they are nice to look at.

 

I'm wondering what you consider to be ' concrete proof ' ?

 

I honestly don't know. These things are damn near impossible to date unless you have an intimate knowledge of the manufacturer. The same styles of theater glasses were made for years and years and years.