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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Pince-Nez Spectacles and Case Used by Franklin Roosevelt
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Pince-Nez Spectacles and Case Used by Franklin Roosevelt

Artifact IDMO 2010.5a-c
Object Type Eyeglasses
Maker (American)
Dateca. 1933
Mediummetal (brass), leather, glass, cloth
Dimensionspart a (pince-nez glasses) H 1 1/2 in x W 4 in x D 3/8 in (3.8 cm x 10.2 cm x 1 cm )
 part b (case) H 2 in x W 4 1/2 in x D 3/4 in (5.1 cm x 11.4 cm x 1.9 cm )
 part c (cleaning cloth) H 5 1/2 in x W 3 1/2 in (14 cm x 8.9 cm )
Physical Description(a) A pair of bifocal pince-nez spectacles consisting of rimless glass eyepieces joined by a brass nose bridge with nose pads.

(b) A black, leather-wrapped metal eyeglass case with a small engraved plaque on the cover inscribed: F.D.R. / 3-4-33.

(c) A salmon-colored "wonder" cleaning cloth stamped with the optician's information: MAYFLOWER OPTICAL CO. / 908 Seventeenth St. / WASHINGTON, D.C. The cloth is stored inside the eyeglass case (b).
Historical NoteFranklin Roosevelt wore these distinctive pince-nez spectacles on Inauguration Day in 1933. A small metal plate was later affixed to the case for the spectacles and inscribed to indicate that they were used on March 4, 1944. The spectacles are on display in the INAUGURATION DAY exhibit in the Museum’s THE PROMISE OF CHANGE gallery.
Additional Details
Credit LineGift of Henry Morgenthau III
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesPersonal Possessions of the Roosevelt Family (National Archives Identifier 782689)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
On view
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