Report 2 focuses more on these opera glasses’ significance based on historic, aesthetic, economic and research values (Figure 1).
Regarding historic value, binocular opera glasses became the new trend in the 19th century Europe after two spyglasses successfully being attached (The College of Optometrists 2021). More bourgeois audiences were attending the theatre, and the details of stage designs and costumes became essential regarding historical accuracy (V&A Museum 2021). This may have increased the need for opera glasses. However, many theatres were relatively small, so opera glasses were not always needed to see the stage (The College of Optometrists 2021). They became a sumptuous accessory or a way to spy on other audience members or performers (The College of Optometrists 2021).
Essential properties of opera glasses were compactness, portability and fashionableness (Kitchiner 1818). They were considered fairly common when the opera glasses lacked any other decorations regarding the aesthetic value, such as delicate enamels or ivory barrels (The College of Optometrists 2021). However, the mother-of-pearl strips and the golden brass still successfully create a lustrous and sumptuous impression.
Opera glasses are indispensable in the research of the 19th-century people’s recreation regarding opera. They are also optic equipment that has encouraged the development of optical techniques. Additionally, the object has also broadened my knowledge of the conservation and deterioration of organic and inorganic materials.
Some well-known manufacturers’ opera glasses were sold at a high price (Etsy 2021). However, this object’s producer remains unknown. Moreover, this object is not complete because three strips of the mother of pearl were dropped and lost. Its case is also lost. Nevertheless, this object is still structurally sound as no cracks or fractures are present on the surface. Each component is solid and tightly attached to the others, though much dust accumulated on it.
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