Spectacle case

This flip-top tortoise shell case is for a pair of silver framed spectacles. The wearing of spectacles became more commonplace in the course of the eighteenth century. Greater numbers were learning to read and Londoners had access to cheap printed material, such as broadsheets and the first daily newspapers. Many people experienced deteriorating eyesight owing to the dimly lit conditions in which they lived and worked. A market developed for spectacles that were affordable to working people. The wealthy followed fashion trends and purchased frames and cases made of expensive materials. Imported tortoise shell was widely used in the manufacture of fine quality spectacle frames and cases in this period owing to its durability.