Shakespeare uses the word “spectacles” 8 times across his works, and talks about glass eyes in King Lear. In A Winter’s Tale Leontes is talking with Camillo when he indicates Camillo should have seen something clearly because of the thickness of his eye glass. It makes sense to think that people in the 16-17th century would have suffered from near sighted ness or farsighted ness and other opthamlogic disorders, but what does the historical record show about how these sight related issues were dealt with in Shakespeare’s lifetime? Were there glasses that people wore on their face, and if so, who was making them, and out of what? To help us explore the history of eye glasses, spectacles, and the science of improving your vision forShakespeare’s lifetime, we are talking today with Dr. Neil Handley who is not only a historian of eye ware specifically, but serves as Curator of the British Optical Association Museum at theCollege of Optometrists in London.
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Ep 179: Tudor Shoes with Juraj Matejik
Ep 178: Shakespeare's Toilet Paper with Tiffany Stern
Ep 177: Shorthand with Kelly McCay
Ep 176: Leicester's Men with Laurie Johnson
Ep 175: The King's Men with Lucy Munro
Ep 174: Elizabethan Hair Care & Wigs with Sue Prichard
Ep 173: Bridewell Prison with Duncan Salkeld
Ep 172: Roderigo Lopez with Susan Abernethy
Ep 171: Joan La Pucelle with Carole Levin
Ep 170: William Bradford with David and Aaron Bradford
Ep 169: Tudor Underwear with Bess Chilver
Ep 168: Court with Natalie Mears
Ep 167: Shareholders with Lucy Munro
Ep 166: Elizabethan Street Fighting with Casey Kaleba
Ep 165: The Broom Besom with Wendy Wall
Ep 164: Iron Gall Ink with Lucas Tucker
Ep 163: Crocodiles and Alligators with Spencer Weinreich
Ep 162: The Grass Snake and the Basilisk with Rob Lenders
Ep 161: The Mermaid Tavern with Michelle O'Callaghan
Ep 160: Characterie and Elizabethan Short Hand with Bryan Crockett
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