Monocle

For other uses, seeMonocle (disambiguation).

Joseph Chamberlainwearing a monocle

Amonocleis a type ofcorrective lensused to correct or enhance thevisual perceptionin only oneeye.It consists of a circularlensplaced in front of the eye and held in place by theeye socketitself. Often, to avoid losing the monocle, a string or wire is connected to the wearer's clothing at one end and, at the other end, to either a hole in the lens or, more often, a wire ring around its circumference.

Origins

The PrussianantiquarianPhilipp von Stoschwore a monocle in Rome in the 1720s, in order to closely examineengravingsand antiqueengraved gems,but the monocle did not become an article of gentlemen's apparel until the 19th century. Thedandy'squizzing glassof the 1790s was an article of high fashion,which differs from the monocle in being held to one's eye with a handle in a fashion similar to alorgnette,rather than being held in place by the eye socket itself.

Styles

A 20th-centurygold platedmonocle with gallery

There are three additional styles of the monocle. The first style consists of a simple loop of metal with a lens that was slotted into the eyeorbit.These were the first monocles worn in England and could be found from the 1830s onwards. The second style, which was developed in the 1890s, was the most elaborate, consisting of a frame with a raised edge-like extension known as thegallery.The gallery was designed to help secure the monocle in place by raising it out of the eye's orbit slightly so that the eyelashes would not jar it. Monocles with galleries were often the most expensive. The wealthy would have the frames custom-made to fit their eye sockets. A sub-category of the galleried monocle was the "sprung gallery", where the gallery was replaced by an incomplete circle of flattened, ridged wire supported by three posts. The ends were pulled together, the monocle was placed in the eye orbit, and the ends were released, causing the gallery to spring out and keep the monocle in place. The third style of monocle was frameless. This consisted of a cut piece of glass, with a serrated edge to provide a grip and sometimes a hole drilled into one side for a cord. Often the frameless monocle had no cord and would be worn freely. This style was popular at the beginning of the 20th century as the lens could be cut to fit any shape eye orbit inexpensively, without the cost of a customized frame.

If customized, monocles can be worn securely with little effort.However, periodic adjustment is common for monocle wearers to keep the monocle from popping. Often only the rich could afford to have a monocle custom-fabricated, while the poor had to settle for ill-fitting monocles that were less comfortable and less secure. In popular perception, a monocle could easily fall off with the wrongfacial expression.A once-standardcomedic deviceexploits this: an upper-class gentleman affects a shocked expression in response to some event, and his monocle falls into his drink or smashes to pieces on the floor.

19th-centurygold-filledquizzing glass

Wearers

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the monocle was generally associated with wealthy upper-class men.Combined with amorning coatand atop hat,the monocle completed the costume of the stereotypical 1890scapitalist.Monocles were also accessories ofGerman militaryofficers from this period, especially fromWorld War IandWorld War II.German military officers known to have worn a monocle includeHelmuth Weidling,Hans Krebs,Werner von Fritsch,Erich Ludendorff,Walter Model,Walter von Reichenau,Dietrich von Saucken,Wilhelm Keitel,Dietrich von Choltiz,Hans von Seeckt,andHugo Sperrle.

Monocles were most prevalent in the late 19th century, but are rarely worn today. This is due in large part to advances inoptometrywhich allow for better measurement ofrefractive error,so thatglassesandcontact lensescan be prescribed with differentstrengthsin each eye.

The monocle did, however, gain a following in the stylishlesbiancircles of the early 20th century, when lesbians would wear a monocle for effect. Such women includedUna Lady Troubridge,Radclyffe Hall,and Weimar German reporterSylvia von Harden;the paintingPortrait of the Journalist Sylvia Von Hardenby German expressionist painterOtto Dixdepicts its subject wearing a monocle.

Monocle wearers have included British politiciansJoseph Chamberlain,his sonAusten,Henry Chaplin,andAngus Maude.Percy Toplis(The Monocled Mutineer), founder of PakistanMohammad Ali Jinnah,Portuguese PresidentAntónio de Spínola,filmmakersFritz LangandErich von Stroheim,19th-century Portuguese writerEça de Queiroz,Soviet writerMikhail Bulgakov,actorConrad Veidt,DadaistsTristan TzaraandRaoul Hausmann,esoteric-fascistJulius Evola,French collaborationist politicianLouis Darquier de Pellepoix,Poet laureateAlfred Lord Tennyson,singerRichard Tauber,diplomatChristopher Ewart-Biggs(a smoked-glass monocle, to disguise his glass eye), MajorJohnnie Cradock,actorsRalph Lynn,George ArlissandMartyn Green,andKarl Marx.In another vein,G. E. M. Anscombewas one of only a few noted women who occasionally wore a monocle.Abstract expressionist painterBarnett Newmanwore a monocle mainly for getting a closer look at artworks.Richard Tauberwore a monocle to mask a squint in one eye. The Irish poetWilliam Butler Yeatswore them at times too.

See also

• Contact lens
• Glasses,traditional lens
• Lorgnette,glasses that are held with a side-handle
• Monocular,a small hand held magnifying telescope
• Pince-nez,glasses that grip the bridge of the nose