If it wasn’t for the Dutch optician Hans Lipperhey, we might not have had either binoculars or opera glasses today. He first started manufacturing simple binoculars in 1608. These were not much more than two telescopes connected by a central bridge, but they led to many further modifications and improvements. His early binoculars had a magnification capability of x3. Within less than a year the Italian mathematician and inventor Galileo Galilee made another drastic stride forward by increasing the magnification ability of telescopes to x30.
Binoculars gave a much wider field of view than telescopes, but since they had 2 convex lenses, the picture that you saw was inverted. It wasn’t until 1617 that Anton Schyrle added an additional lens to re-invert the image. In 1758 John Dollond of England invented the achromatic (color free) lens and thereby solved the problem of color distortion.
One of the final important developments in binocular technology happened when the Italian gunnery officer Ignazio Porro invented prismatic binoculars, thereby once again increasing the field of vision dramatically and making much larger magnification possible.
We don’t find any mention of opera glasses in the printed media before the 1730 – in London. These rather primitive opera glasses were not binoculars – they were mini-sized Galilean telescopes. People used them for decorative purposes as much as to watch opera. The bodies were mostly highly decorated with numerous gems, enamel, mother of pearl and ivory.
Binocular-type opera glasses made their appearance for the first time during the ’20s in Vienna. These early types were basically still only two small telescopes with a connecting bridge. The individual telescopes had to be focused by pulling out the tubes.
These very soon became as much a fashion item as an optical instrument. The designs became more elaborate and had to be worked on by painters, goldsmiths and other artists to create the ultimate fashion accessory. Theater goers not only used this to watch the stage, but also to scrutinize other people in the audience – presumably to see who else had opera glasses!
The design soon improved to allow for the simultaneous adjustment of both lenses. This was another major step forward and only served to increase the popularity of this type of glasses. They also became highly valued gifts – as one can see from the inscriptions found on many opera glasses of the time.
Although there are nowadays a multitude of different types of opera glasses on the market, they fall into two categories: monocular and binocular. Within those categories you get all the colors of the rainbow and all the styles and materials you can think of. You even get opera glasses with handles and reading lights. One of the more unusual types is one with a jealousy glass – so you can unobtrusively watch someone else in the audience!
Before you attend any performance make sure that you have a good pair of opera glasses. Here you can check out Opera Glasses with handle, flashlight, chain and more!
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