Description
This pair of antique 1900s-1910s wire-rim sunglasses was made by Willson & Company, the leading producer of safety goggles and sunglasses in that era. The round metal frames are silver-tone, possibly nickel, and have their original smoky green glass lenses. This pair of Willson glasses was made as sunglasses during the period, not as optical frames. The first quarter of the arms are rigid, and the other three-quarters of the arms are very flexible, bending to wrap around the ears. The green glass has one tiny flaw on the left lens (see close-up photo). This does not seem visible to the wearer, when I tried them on to check. The hinges are in great working order, and the frames themselves are not warped or crooked. The sunglasses have a tighter profile to the face when worn than modern glasses. The frames are also rather narrow, as you can see on my mannequin head. Please check the measurements carefully. For reference, I have a small-sized head for a modern woman (21 inches) and they fit me fine, but the lenses are closer together than would be typical today. Perfectly steampunk in style, these Victorian or Edwardian antique wire-rim sunglasses are in very good condition, wearable with care, since they are made of glass.
Outer frame width hinge to hinge: 110mm or 4-1/3 inches.
Lens width: 35mm or 1-1/3 inches.
Lens height: 35mm or 1-1/3 inches.
Bridge width: 20mm or 3/4 inches.
Arm length total: 140 mm or 5.5 inches.
Arm length to middle of bend: 102 mm or 4 inches.
Label: The bridge is marked WILLSON.
