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In April 1945, as Hitler sat forlornly in his bunker, and the bulk of the BOA collection was still in safe storage in a Welsh cavern, the museum was negotiating the purchase of a particularly fine pair of spectacles. It was the museum's most important acquisition since the death of its founder, John Sutcliffe, four years earlier and, put simply, it is one of the most beautiful pairs of spectacles in the world. By way of added mystery it bears the name of two (undoubtedly beautiful) women on its sides. We'd just love to know who they might have been.
The spectacles are of solid gold with an unusually ornate bridge and round terminals to the sides with an apparently unique curving spoke design. It was initially thought that they were "Early Victorian" and that the bridge was probably made by a jeweller, not a spectacle maker. On further study and with half a century of increased knowledge to draw upon, we now dispute this idea believing that they are earlier in date, circa 1780-1800, and undoubtedly made by a specialist spectacle maker working to a private commission.
On the right side is inscribed the name ELIZA VICKERIS and on the left ANNE HYAM. Whilst a female maker cannot be ruled out since there were some, mainly widows, who carried on their husbands' businesses, it would be unusual both for a woman to use her own name (as opposed to that of the husband) or to place it in full in this position. Most maker's marks on spectacle frames of the period consist of initials only, placed on the inner surface of the side. Most likely the names were of significance to the male wearer of the spectacles and they were afforded one side each. Is this the optical equivalent of a girl in every port? Perhaps an amateur genealogist would like to try and trace them for us?