A friend and I were recently discussing if sunglasses were available ‘back in the day’. So I went to my original 1902 Sears catalog to get the scoop. And the scoop is YES! They are not called sunglasses or sunnies for all you UK types! The catalog sells colored spectacles and eye glasses, scenery or shooting spectacles for tourists, goggles and eye protectors. You can read the descriptions in the pictures below. They are fun!
No magnifying power, just protection from the sun
Go whole hog and wear googles to protect you from the sun. Besides Goggles is a fun word
The friend who started this discussion, well we used to work together at Firestone Farm at Greenfield village, today known as “The Henry Ford”. Well we did field and such and I can say that the sears catalog recommends ‘eye protectors’ for various employments, including harvesting.
These are overlays for your regular glasses.
Shades for your regular glasses, steampunkers would like this.
And the catalog even includes an eye chart to help you select the correct glasses.
The 1902 Sears Catalog includes a reading chart, like the eye doctor has, so that you can select the correct glasses.
Now back to the regular work, dishes, gardening and baking cookies today!
Oh good! They are “pleasant and soothing to the eye”! The goggles for harvesting—brilliant. I can think of other instances where they’d come in handy. My favorite, though, is the reading chart that doubles as an ad.