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. Monocles were most prevalent in the late 19th century, but are rarely worn today. German military officers known to have worn a monocle include Hans Krebs, Werner von Fritsch, Erich Ludendorff, Walter Model, Walter von Reichenau, Dietrich von Saucken, Wilhelm Keitel, Hans von Seeckt, and Hugo Sperrle. Monocles were also accessories of German military officers from this period especially from World War I and World War II. Combined with a morning coat and a top hat, the monocle completed the costume of the stereotypical 1890s capitalist. A quizzing glass is not held by the eye socket itself.ĭuring the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the monocle was generally associated with wealthy upper-class men. The quizzing glass should not be confused with a monocle, since it is held to one's eye with a handle in a fashion similar to a lorgnette. This is true to an extent, for example raising the eyebrow too far will allow the monocle to fall.Ī once-standard comedic device exploits 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, etc.Ībraham Lincoln was not known to wear a monocle, although it has also been said that he created his own style of monocle and wore it when he was away from the public. The popular perception was (and still is) that a monocle could easily fall off with the wrong facial expression. 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. However, periodic adjustment is common for monocle wearers to keep the monocle from popping, as can be seen in films featuring Erich von Stroheim. If customised, monocles could be worn securely with little effort. Wearing a monocle is generally not uncomfortable. 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. Often the frameless monocle had no cord and would be worn freely. 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. The third style of monocle was frameless. The ends were pulled together, the monocle was placed in the eye orbit, and the ends released, causing the gallery to spring out and keep the monocle in place. 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 wealthy would have the frames custom-made to fit their eye sockets. Monocles with galleries were often the most expensive. 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. 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. These were the first monocles worn in England and could be found from the 1830s onwards. The first style consists of a simple loop of metal with a lens which was slotted into the eye orbit. There are three additional styles of monocle. An early-20th-century gold-filled monocle with gallery