Spectacles

Date: 15th century

Accession number: TL74[274]<2216>

Place of collection: Trig Lane, Upper Thames Street EC4 [City of London]

Material: bone

Measurements: H 65 mm; W 65 mm

These bone framed spectacles were originally fitted with convex lenses for reading. The English friar Roger Bacon made the earliest reference to using a lens to enhance the eyesight in 1268. The demand for reading glasses increased after the middle of the 15th century, when printed books began to appear.