Why the anonymous and everyday objects are important: using the Science Museum’s collections to re-write the history of vision aids
The history of nineteenth-century spectacles and eyeglasses is unusual in the extent to which it has incorporated objects and material evidence. However, both collectors and historians have favoured the pristine object or the object with noteworthy providence at the expense of more utilitarian frame...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Science Museum, London
2020-05-01
|
| Series: | Science Museum Group Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.sciencemuseum.ac.uk/browse/issue-13/the-history-of-vision-aids/ |
| _version_ | 1818657086901321728 |
|---|---|
| author | Gemma Almond |
| author_facet | Gemma Almond |
| author_sort | Gemma Almond |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The history of nineteenth-century spectacles and eyeglasses is unusual in the extent to which it has incorporated objects and material evidence. However, both collectors and historians have favoured the pristine object or the object with noteworthy providence at the expense of more utilitarian frames. By drawing upon my experience as a Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) student at the Science Museum, this article reflects on how large anonymous and primarily uncatalogued collections can be fruitfully used in historical research. By case-studying the retail and design of vision aids, it argues that everyday or anonymous objects – the broken, scratched, un-named – are a valuable historical source. It highlights the usefulness of material culture for exploring the experiences of use or of users that otherwise leave little trace and proposes how problems of interpretation can be overcome through the study of a range of additional sources: business records, trade catalogues, advertising material, imagery, popular literature and medical literature. Whilst researching an anonymous collection is labour-intensive, the material evidence of utilitarian and noteworthy spectacles and eyeglasses allowed the experience of nineteenth-century vision aid wear and vision testing to be fully explored and communicated to both an academic and non-academic audience. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T03:35:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-94201122413347029bbd42082d469fe4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-5770 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T03:35:54Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | Science Museum, London |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Science Museum Group Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-94201122413347029bbd42082d469fe42022-12-21T22:05:08ZengScience Museum, LondonScience Museum Group Journal2054-57702020-05-011310.15180/201306Why the anonymous and everyday objects are important: using the Science Museum’s collections to re-write the history of vision aidsGemma Almond0Swansea UniversityThe history of nineteenth-century spectacles and eyeglasses is unusual in the extent to which it has incorporated objects and material evidence. However, both collectors and historians have favoured the pristine object or the object with noteworthy providence at the expense of more utilitarian frames. By drawing upon my experience as a Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) student at the Science Museum, this article reflects on how large anonymous and primarily uncatalogued collections can be fruitfully used in historical research. By case-studying the retail and design of vision aids, it argues that everyday or anonymous objects – the broken, scratched, un-named – are a valuable historical source. It highlights the usefulness of material culture for exploring the experiences of use or of users that otherwise leave little trace and proposes how problems of interpretation can be overcome through the study of a range of additional sources: business records, trade catalogues, advertising material, imagery, popular literature and medical literature. Whilst researching an anonymous collection is labour-intensive, the material evidence of utilitarian and noteworthy spectacles and eyeglasses allowed the experience of nineteenth-century vision aid wear and vision testing to be fully explored and communicated to both an academic and non-academic audience.http://journal.sciencemuseum.ac.uk/browse/issue-13/the-history-of-vision-aids/vision aidsmaterial culturehistorical methodsanonymous collections |
| spellingShingle | Gemma Almond Why the anonymous and everyday objects are important: using the Science Museum’s collections to re-write the history of vision aids Science Museum Group Journal vision aids material culture historical methods anonymous collections |
| title | Why the anonymous and everyday objects are important: using the Science Museum’s collections to re-write the history of vision aids |
| title_full | Why the anonymous and everyday objects are important: using the Science Museum’s collections to re-write the history of vision aids |
| title_fullStr | Why the anonymous and everyday objects are important: using the Science Museum’s collections to re-write the history of vision aids |
| title_full_unstemmed | Why the anonymous and everyday objects are important: using the Science Museum’s collections to re-write the history of vision aids |
| title_short | Why the anonymous and everyday objects are important: using the Science Museum’s collections to re-write the history of vision aids |
| title_sort | why the anonymous and everyday objects are important using the science museum s collections to re write the history of vision aids |
| topic | vision aids material culture historical methods anonymous collections |
| url | http://journal.sciencemuseum.ac.uk/browse/issue-13/the-history-of-vision-aids/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gemmaalmond whytheanonymousandeverydayobjectsareimportantusingthesciencemuseumscollectionstorewritethehistoryofvisionaids |