From 1880 until 1920, the face à main (also called lorgnette) was popular among the upper classes. Today it seems an even less practical alternative for glasses but back in 1900, there were no cars, no bikes, no computers and so on. Nevertheless, the first owner of this face à main must have been rather handicapped as it's impossible to keep one's arm raised for hours at an end. Needless to say, minus seven calls for full time wear. On the other hand, the famous French actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844 - 1923) had a prescription of minus ten but she never used any visual aid when she appeared in public, let alone on stage! The vast majority of face à main that turn up in antique shops and auctions are fitted with lenses for reading.
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