A monocle is a type of corrective lens used to correct the vision in only one eye. It consists of a circular lens, generally with a wire ring around the circumference that can be attached to a string. The other end of the string is then connected to the wearer's clothing to avoid losing the monocle. The connoisseur of antiquities Philipp Von Stosch wore a monocle in Rome in the 1720s, in order to closely examine engravings and antique cameos, but the monocle did not become an article of gentlemen's apparel until the nineteenth century, introduced by the dandy's quizzing glass of the 1790s, best remembered in the first cover of The New Yorker, repeated once annually, in February, ever since. A monocle is a corrective lens used to correct the vision in only one eye. ... A bifocal corrective eyeglasses lens A corrective lens is a lens worn on or before the eye, used to treat myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia. ... In psychology, visual perception is the ability to interpret visible light information reaching the eyes which is then made available for planning and action. ... For other uses, see Eye (disambiguation). ... This article is about the optical device. ... Sporty Parisian dandies of the 1830s: a girdle helped one achieve this silhouette. ... Events and Trends French Revolution (1789 - 1799). ... For other uses, see New Yorker. ...

Styles

There are three styles of monocle. The first style consists of a simple loop of metal with a lens which was slotted into the eye orbit. 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 the gallery. The gallery was designed to help secure the monocle in place by raising it out of the eye orbit slightly, so that the eyelashes could not jar it. Monocles with galleries were often the most expensive. The very wealthy would have the frames custom-made to fit their own eye sockets. In anatomy, the orbit is the cavity or socket of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated. ... The 1890s were sometimes referred to as the Mauve Decade, because William Henry Perkins aniline dye allowed the widespread use of that colour in fashion, and also as the Gay Nineties, under the then-current usage of the word gay which referred simply to merriment and frivolity, with no...

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 they could be cut to fit any shape eye orbit cheaply, without the cost of a customized frame.

It is a myth that monocles were uncomfortable to wear. If they were customised then they could be worn securely with no effort, though periodic adjustment is a fact of life for monocle wearers to keep the monocle from popping, as can be seen in films featuring Eric Von Stroheim. Often only the rich could afford to have them custom-manufactured and the poor had to settle for poorly-fitted monocles that were less comfortable and less secure. The popular perception was (and still is) that a monocle could easily fall off with the wrong facial expression. This is true to an extent, as raising the eyebrow too far will allow the monocle to fall. A once-standard comedic device exploits this: an upper-class gentleman makes a shocked expression in response to some event, and his monocle falls into his drink, smashes into pieces on the floor, etc. In visual media, the monocle might also be illustrated, or visually captured mid-flight, with some slack to the string as the glass travels downward. For other uses, see Face (disambiguation). ... A comedic device is used in comedy to write humor in a common structure. ...

The quizzing glass is a sort of monocle held to one's eye with a long handle, in a similar fashion to a lorgnette. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Joseph Chamberlain wearing a monocle

Joseph Chamberlain This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Joseph Chamberlain This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The Rt. ...

Wearers

A monocle was generally associated with rich upper-class men. Combined with a morning coat and top-hat, it completed the costume of the stereotypical 1890s capitalist. Monocles were also stereotypical accessories of German military officers from this period, especially from the First World War, where the stereotypical German Oberst would plot the demise of enemy forces with monocle in place to examine attack charts. German officers who actually wore a monocle include Erich Ludendorff, Walter Von Reichenau, Hans Von Seeckt and Hugo Sperrle. Austin Lane Crothers, former governor of Maryland, wearing a top hat. ... For other uses, see Capitalism (disambiguation). ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... ... Ludendorff in 1918 Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff (sometimes given incorrectly as von Ludendorff) (April 9, 1865–December 20, 1937, Tutzing, Bavaria, Germany) was a German Army officer, Generalquartiermeister during World War I, victor of Liege, and, with Paul von Hindenburg, one of the victors of the battle of Tannenberg. ... Hugo Sperrle Hugo Sperrle (February 7, 1885 - April 2, 1953), was a German Field Marshal of the Luftwaffe during World War II. He joined the German Army in 1903 and transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte (German Army Air Service) at the start of World War I, serving as an observer...

Monocles were most prevalent in the late 19th century but are rarely worn today. This is due in large part to advances in optometry which allow for better measurement of refractive error, so that glasses and contact lenses can be prescribed with different strengths in each eye, and also to a reaction from stereotypes that became associated with them. The monocle did, however, garner a following in the stylish lesbian circles of the mid 20th century, with lesbians donning a monocle for effect. Such women included Una Lady Troubridge, Radclyffe Hall, and Weimar German reporter Sylvia Von Harden. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Optometry (Greek: optos meaning seen or visible and metria meaning measurement) is a health care profession concerned with examination, diagnosis, and treatment of the eyes and related structures and with determination and correction of vision problems using lenses and other optical aids [1]. An optical refractor (also called a foropter... Refraction error is an error in the focussing of light by the human eye. ... A pair of modern glasses Glasses, also called eyeglasses or spectacles are frames, bearing lenses worn in front of the eyes normally for vision correction, eye protection, or for protection from UV rays. ... A pair of contact lenses, positioned with the concave side facing upward. ... Optical power or dioptric power or refractive power is the degree to which a lens or mirror converges or diverges light. ... Una, Lady Troubridge by Romaine Brooks (1924) Una Vincenzo, Lady Troubridge (born Margot Elena Gertrude Taylor; 8 March 1887 – 24 September 1963) was a British sculptor and translator. ... Image:Radclyffe-hall-190x274. ...

The cover of the BBC Gaudy Night video. Edward Petherbridge stars as Lord Peter Wimsey, with monocle and Oxford academic regalia.

Some famous figures who wore a monocle include the British politicians, Joseph Chamberlain, his son Austen and Henry Chaplin. Muslim nationalist Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Portuguese President António de Spínola, filmmakers Fritz Lang and Erich Von Stroheim, actor Conrad Veidt, Dadaists Tristan Tzara and Raoul Hausmann, esotericist Julius Evola, French collaborationist politician Louis Darquier de Pellepoix, Poet laureate Alfred Lord Tennyson, singer Richard Tauber, Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, and Karl Marx. In another vein G. E. M. Anscombe was one of only a few noted women who occasionally wore a monocle.^[1] Famous wearers today include Beverly Hills entrepreneur and certified millionaire Claude Dauman, astronomer Sir Patrick Moore, former boxer Chris Eubank and King Taufa'ahau Tupou V of Tonga. The painting Portrait of the Journalist Sylvia Von Harden by German expressionist painter Otto Dix depicts its subject sporting a monocle. Abstract expressionist painter Barnett Newman wore a monocle mainly for getting a closer look at artworks. Richard Tauber wore a monocle to mask a squint in one eye. Image File history File links Petherbridgeaslordwimsey. ... Image File history File links Petherbridgeaslordwimsey. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Gaudy Night is a 1935 Lord Peter Wimsey detective story by Dorothy L. Sayers. ... Edward Petherbridge (born on August 3, 1936 in Bradford) is a British actor. ... Early paperback edition cover of Murder Must Advertise Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey is a fictional character in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers, in which he solves mysteries — usually murder mysteries. ... The Rt. ... The Rt. ... Henry Chaplin, 1st Viscount Chaplin (1840-1923) was a British politician and sportsman. ... office: 1st Governor-General of Pakistan Term of office: August 14, 1947 – September 11, 1948 Succeeded by: Khawaja Nazimuddin Date of birth: December 25, 1876 Place of birth: Wazir Mansion, Karachi Wives: Emibai 1892–1893, Rattanbai Petit 1918–1929 Children: daughter Dina Wadia Date of Death: September 11, 1948 Place... António Sebastião Ribeiro Spínola, GCTE (pron. ... Friedrich Christian Anton Fritz Lang (December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976) was an Austrian-German-American film director, screenwriter and occasional film producer, one of the best known émigrés from Germanys school of expressionism. ... Erich von Stroheim (September 22, 1885 – May 12, 1957) was an Austrian - American star of the silent film age, lauded for his directional work in which he was a proto-auteur. ... Conrad Veidt in The Spy in Black (1939). ... Cover of the first edition of the publication, Dada. ... Tristan Tzara () (April 16, 1896 – December 25, 1963) was a Romanian poet and essayist. ... Raoul Hausmann (July 12, 1886–February 1, 1971) was an Austrian sculptor and writer. ... Julius Evola born Giulio Cesare Andrea Evola, aka Baron Evola (May 19, 1898-June 11, 1974), was an Italian esotericist and occult author, who wrote extensively on Hermeticism, the metaphysics of sex, Tantra, Buddhism, Taoism, mountaineering, the Holy Grail, militarism, aristocracy, on matters political, philosophical, historical, racial, religious, as well... Louis Darquier de Pellepoix, born in Cahors on December 19, 1897, deceased on August 29, 1980 near Malaga (Spain), was commissionner to Jewish questions under the Vichy Régime. ... A Poet Laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and often expected to compose poems for State occasions and other government events. ... Lord Tennyson, Poet Laureate Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (August 6, 1809 - October 6, 1892) is generally regarded as one of the greatest English poets. ... Richard Tauber (16 May 1891 – 8 January 1948) was an Austrian tenor acclaimed as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. ... Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Russian: , IPA: ) was a Russian short story writer and playwright. ... Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818 – March 14, 1883) was a 19th century philosopher, political economist, and revolutionary. ... Gertrude Elizabeth Margaret Anscombe (March 18, 1919 – January 5, 2001) (known as Elizabeth Anscombe, published as G. E. M. Anscombe) was a British analytic philosopher, a theologian and a pupil of Ludwig Wittgenstein. ... For other uses, see Astronomy (disambiguation). ... Sir Patrick Moore presenting The Sky at Night, October 2005 Sir Alfred Patrick Caldwell-Moore, CBE, HonFRS, FRAS (born 4 March 1923), known as Patrick Moore, is an English amateur astronomer who has attained legendary status in British astronomy as a writer and television presenter of the subject and who... For other senses of these words, see boxing (disambiguation) or boxer (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... King George Tupou V (Tongan: Siaosi Tupou V, full name: Siaosi Tāufaʻāhau Manumataongo TukuÊ»aho Tupou V), (born 4 May 1948) is the current King of Tonga. ... Otto Dix (December 2, 1891 - July 25, 1969) was a German painter and printmaker. ... Barnett Newman (January 29, 1905 – July 4, 1970) was an American artist. ... Richard Tauber (16 May 1891 – 8 January 1948) was an Austrian tenor acclaimed as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. ...

A monocle is a distinctive part of the costume of at least three Gilbert & Sullivan characters: Major-General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance, Sir Joseph Porter in HMS Pinafore, and Reginald Bunthorne in Patience, and composer Sullivan used one himself. In some variant productions numerous other characters sport the distinctive eye-wear, and some noted performers of the "G&S" repertoire also have worn a monocle. Martyn Greene, a leading member of the D'Oyle Carte company during the 1930s and after, wore a monocle and delighting in telling an anecdote about his early days in the company, when the first three person he met-the leading comic Sir Henry Lytton, the company manager and the production stage manager were all wearing monocles. Deciding not to attract any unwanted attention to himself, Greene let the monocle fall from his eye and discetly slipped it into his pocket. Drawing of the Act I finale The Pirates of Penzance, or The Slave of Duty, is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: HMS Pinafore H.M.S. Pinafore, or The Lass that Loved a Sailor, is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Patience (operetta) Patience (video tape cover) Patience (video tape cover) This article refers to the Savoy Opera. ...

Famous fictional wearers include Wilkins Micawber, Mr. Peanut, Edgar Bergen's dummy Charlie McCarthy, Batman's nemesis The Penguin, Colonel Klink (played by actor Werner Klemperer, who once admitted his was held in place with spirit gum), most incarnations of Colonel Mustard from the game Cluedo/Clue. The fictional Lord Peter Wimsey, an amateur detective from an upper-class background, possessed a set of detecting tools disguised as more gentlemanly accessories, including a powerful magnifying glass disguised as a monocle. The DC Comics supervillain The Monocle gains his powers from a mystic version of his namesake. The P.G. Wodehouse character Psmith also has a well-documented fondess for the Monocle. Wilkins Micawber is a fictional character from Charles Dickens novel David Copperfield. ... Mr. ... Sam Bermans caricature of Charlie McCarthy and Edgar Bergen for 1947 NBC promotion book Edgar John Bergen (February 16, 1903 – September 30, 1978) was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist. ... Edgar John Bergen (February 16, 1903 _ September 30, 1978) was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist. ... The Penguin (Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot), is a DC Comics supervillain and is an archenemy of Batman. ... The cast of Hogans Heroes Hogans Heroes was a television sitcom that ran on the CBS television network from 1965 to 1971. ... Klemperer as Colonel Klink on Hogans Heroes Werner Klemperer (March 22 1920Cologne – December 6, 2000) was an Emmy Award-winning comedic actor, best known for his role as Colonel Klink on the television sitcom, Hogans Heroes. ... Spirit gum is an adhesive used for affixing prosthetic applications. ... It has been suggested that the section Characters from the article Clue (book series) be merged into this article or section. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Early paperback edition cover of Murder Must Advertise Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey is a fictional character in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers, in which he solves mysteries — usually murder mysteries. ... A magnifying glass is a single convex lens which is used to see girls better it is wonderful i love eating it is so tasty a mg is used also toproduce a magnified image of an object. ... First appearance: Flash Comics #64 (April-May 1945): The Man with the Magic Monocles Death: Manhunter #9 (June 2005) External Links Unofficial Guide to DC Comics entry Categories: | ... If a person, place, or thing is named after a different person, place, or thing, then one is said to be the namesake of the other. ... Ronald Eustace Psmith (or Rupert Psmith, as his is called in the first two books in which he appears) is a character in several of the comic novels of P. G. Wodehouse. ...

See also

• Glasses
• Pince-nez
• Lorgnette
• Monocular
• Contact lens
• Mr. Peanut.

A pair of modern glasses Glasses, also called eyeglasses or spectacles are frames, bearing lenses worn in front of the eyes normally for vision correction, eye protection, or for protection from UV rays. ... Theodore Roosevelt wearing pince-nez Pince-nez (also known as Oxford glasses) are a style of spectacles, popular in the 19th century, which are supported without earpieces, by pinching the bridge of the nose. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A monocular is a modified refracting telescope used to magnify the images of distant objects by passing light through a series of lenses and prisms; the use of prisms results in a lightweight telescope. ... A pair of contact lenses, positioned with the concave side facing upward. ...

References

Links

• Richard D. Drewry, "What man devised that he might see"
• Monocles