Spectacles and the Victorians: Measuring, Defining and Shaping Visual Capacity (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781526194855)

This is the first full-length study of spectacles in the Victorian period. It examines how the Victorians shaped our understanding of functional visual capacity and the concept of 20:20 vision. Demonstrating how this unique assistive device can connect the histories of medicine, technology and disability, it charts how technology has influenced our understanding of sensory perception, both through the diagnostic methods used to measure visual impairment and the utility of spectacles to ameliorate its effects. Taking a material culture approach, the book assesses how the design of spectacles thwarted ophthalmologists' attempts to medicalise their distribution and use, as well as creating a mainstream marketable device on the high street.

Author: Gemma Almond-Brown
ISBN-10: 1526194856
ISBN-13: 9781526194855
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Language: English
Published: 01/20/2026
Pages: 296
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.76lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.62d