Mr. Lincoln's glasses

[Houmes]

(09-09-2014 11:25 AM)L Verge Wrote:  To prove how infinite the ways of studying Lincoln appear to have become, the current issue of The Lincoln Herald (Spring 2014) has an extensive article on Abraham Lincoln's Eyeglasses: A Fresh Look Reveals a World-Class Treasure.

The author, David Fleishman, was in contact with me several years ago regarding Mrs. Surratt's eyeglasses, which are on display at Surratt House Museum. He said at that time that he was tackling the history of Mr. Lincoln's eyesight and corrective measures. And, boy, has he ever! This article is 27 pages long, and the editor explains that they have standard page and photo limits. He suggests that those wanting more details should visit Dr. Fleishman's website at http://www.antiquespectacles.com

That website is devoted to the history of eyeglasses, thousands of photos, as well as his studies on Lincoln. Dr. Fleishman is a retired ophthalmologist. The Lincoln family donated the objects in Lincoln's possession at the time of the assassination to the Library of Congress in 1937, but it was not until 1974, that several renowned optometrists were allowed to examine the eyeglasses. On October 30, 2011, Dr. Fleishman was allowed the same privilege and has determined that both sets are unique treasures, but that the smaller of the two pair that Lincoln is known to have is indeed wonderful. It is the smaller pair that appears in the only three photos of Mr. Lincoln that show evidence of eyeglasses.

One of the pair was a gift to Lincoln from Ward Hill Lamon, but it appears that the smaller pair, manufactured by Burt and Willard, is the rarest and likely the favorite of Lincoln. There are other claims of Lincoln eyeglasses floating around the country, but these two are the only ones that can be verified as Lincoln's since they were with him at the time of the assassination.

It's a nice article by Dr. Fleishman, but I question his criticism of the glasses in the Lattimer auction. They were given with a letter of provenance by Mary Harlan Lincoln with a handwritten letter in the 1890s, and despite the later date and whatever her feelings may have been for her deceased mother-in-law, Robert Todd Lincoln was still alive, well, and available to identify them. I doubt she would have called them Abraham Lincoln's if she wasn't completely certain. Plus, Dr. Fleishman evidently is not aware there's an additional pair of glasses not mentioned in his article. They're in the state historical museum in Iowa, also with a letter of provenance by Mary Harlan Lincoln.