Pince-nez (/ˈpɑːnsneɪ/,/ˈpɪnsneɪ/, or/ˈpæ̃sneɪ/, plural form same as singular;[1]French pronunciation:[pɛ̃s.ne]) is a style ofglasses, popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that are supported without earpieces, by pinching the bridge of the nose. The name comes fromFrenchpincer ('to pinch') andnez ('nose').
Although pince-nez were used in Europe since the late 14th century, modern ones appeared in the 1840s and reached their peak popularity around 1880 to 1900. Because they did not always stay on the nose when placed, and because of the stigma sometimes attached to the constant wearing of eyeglasses, pince-nez were often connected to the wearer's clothing or ear via a suspension chain, cord, or ribbon so that they could be easily removed and not lost.
The earliest form of eyewear for which any archaeological record exists comes from the middle of the 15th century. It is a primitive pince-nez whose frames were made from two pieces of eithermetacarpal bone from the forelimb of a bull or large pieces of antler. The pieces were paddle-shaped, and joined by an iron rivet which provided the tension over the nose and allowed the lenses to be folded together. The purpose of the three holes at the place where the handle connects to the hinge is uncertain, though they may have been used forpinhole vision, a principle which was known from ancient times. Each paddle was split at one end to allow for the insertion of a lens, with the split closed by a piece of copper wire in normal use. The frames were extremely light, but the tension in the rivet would have loosened over time, making them unable to stay on the nose. Paintings depicting such frames date from as early as 1392 CE.[2]
Later frames were made from cattle horn or from wood, but always with a connecting rivet for tension.[2]
These pince-nez have a C-shaped curved and flexible metal bridge which provides tension to clip the lenses on the wearer's nose. They were in wide use from the 1820s to the 1940s and were available in a variety of styles, ranging from the early nose-padless type of the 19th century to thegutta-percha variety of theAmerican Civil War era and then on to theplaquette variety of the 20th century. An advantage of this variety was that one size would fit any nose. The bridges were subject tometal fatigue from flexing when repeatedly put on and taken off, so would frequently break or lose their tension. The separation between the lenses was not fixed and might not match the user'sinterpupillary distance when flexed to fit, and the lenses would rotate slightly when being placed on the nose, so that the pince-nez could not be used to correct astigmatism. The disadvantages made this type fundamentally flawed for many wearers.[citation needed]
The "astig"—named for its ability to manageastigmatism—or "bar-spring" pince-nez has a sliding bar and spring connecting the lenses, which can be separated by gently pulling the lenses away from each other, then placed on the bridge of the nose and released; the spring then holds the device in place. The nose pads were traditionally made of cork, were attached directly to the frames, and were either hinged or stationary. This variety was popular from the 1890s to the 1930s. They were created and marketed as 'sporting pince-nez', which were claimed to be more difficult to jar from the face than the other varieties, and more comfortable in prolonged wear. Unlike the C-bridge pince-nez, whose lenses rotated slightly as they were placed on the nose, the astig's lenses did not rotate and consequently could correct for astigmatism, but their separation could vary and not match the user's interpupillary distance.[3]
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In 1893 Jules Cottet, a Frenchman, developed and patented a finger-piece eyeglass whose lenses were connected by a rigid bridge, with springs in the nose-rests to clip onto the bridge of the nose. The wearer could squeeze a pair of levers located above or in front of the bridge to open the planquettes, and release them to allow them to close onto the nose. As the lenses did not rotate these devices could correct for astigmatism, and as the distance between the lenses was fixed they could be made to fit the user's inter-pupillary spacing. Cottet registered his patent in France, England, and the United States, but did not pursue production and eventually sold the patent to a London-based eyewear manufacturer, who sold it to an American firm. The design remained unused for years, until it was acquired by American Optical, which successfully marketed it under the brand name "Fits-U", quickly replacing most other pince-nez.[3]
The difference between Oxford spectacles (or "Oxfords" for short) and the pince-nez is not frequently drawn. The style was supposedly developed in the 19th century when a professor atOxford University accidentally broke off the handle from a pair oflorgnette spectacles and reputedly affixed two small nose-pads to the frame and found that he could use the tension in the folding spring to perch them on his nose, though the authenticity of the story has never been verified. Oxfords are descended from the lorgnette, as early examples of them often had handles in addition to nose-pads. In style Oxfords are much like the C-bridge as the tension is provided by a flexible, sprung piece of metal; however, they also resemble the astig, as the spring connecting the two lenses is distinct from the nose-pieces. Oxfords were popular in Europe and the Americas up until the 1930s.[citation needed]
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Pince-nez are central to the murder mystery in theSherlock Holmes storyThe Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez. Another murder mystery,Whose Body? byDorothy L. Sayers, features a victim found dead in a bathtub wearing nothing but a pair of pince-nez.[citation needed]
Numerous fictional characters have been depicted as wearing pince-nez. These includeHercule Poirot in the television seriesAgatha Christie's Poirot, who wears pince-nez that are attached to a cord around his neck;[4]Morpheus in theMatrix film trilogy, who wears reflective-lensed pince-nez sunglasses when he appears in the Matrix;[5]Don Knotts' title-character inThe Incredible Mr. Limpet, who wears them both as a man and a fish; TheWalt Disney cartoon characterScrooge McDuck; Professor Frost in theC. S. Lewis novelThat Hideous Strength, who is identified multiple times by his wearing a pair of pince-nez; Koroviev/Fagott, a member of Satan's entourage inMikhail Bulgakov'sThe Master and Margarita;Mr. Borgin inHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; Roger Swindon inUnder Wildwood, the second novel inColin Meloy's "Wildwood" trilogy; the dastardly villainDr. Eggman/Robotnik fromSonic the Hedgehog; and Mordecai Heller in Tracy J. Butler'sLackadaisy and theLackadaisy short film.[citation needed]
In the pieceSon binocle from his piano suiteLes trois valses distinguées du précieux dégoûté (1914),Erik Satie depicts a jadeddandy cleaning his luxurious pince-nez, which is made from solid gold and smoked glass. Satie himself was a lifelong wearer of pince-nez.[6]
ThroughoutArthur Koestler'sDarkness at Noon reference is made to the fact that the main character, Rubashov, wears pince-nez and uses them to tap on the pipes in his cell to communicate with fellow prisoners. In Darkness at Noon the pince-nez signifies Rubashov's belonging to theintelligentsia where a fellow prisonersmonocle represents their belonging to thearistocracy.[citation needed]
Gomez Addams (The Addams Family) frequently pulled a pair of pince-nez glasses from his inside left jacket pocket including a reference to the spectacles by Doctor Motley in Season 2, Episode 18, "Fester Goes on a Diet."[citation needed]
The prominent Spanish poetFrancisco de Quevedo always wore pince-nez, and was depicted wearing them in well-known paintings such as a portrait byJuan van der Hamen. Pince-nez are so characteristic of Quevedo that they came to be namedquevedos in Spanish.[7][8]
Media related toPince-nez at Wikimedia Commons