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Benjamin Franklin, F. R. S., Sir Joshua Reynolds, F. R. S., P. R. A., Benjamin West, P. R. A. and the invention of bifocals
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For nearly two centuries now, the invention of bifocal spectacles has been almost exclusively attributed to Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790). Pieces of evidence exist, however, that make such sole attribution for such a simple, yet so important, an invention, questionable or even improbable. The aim of this paper is to review the evidence and to examine the principal roles, interrelationships and influences, of three persons involved in the early history of bifocals, namely Benjamin Franklin, and two famous artists, Sir Joshua Reynolds and Benjamin West.
Title: Benjamin Franklin, F. R. S., Sir Joshua Reynolds, F. R. S., P. R. A., Benjamin West, P. R. A. and the invention of bifocals
Description:
For nearly two centuries now, the invention of bifocal spectacles has been almost exclusively attributed to Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790).
Pieces of evidence exist, however, that make such sole attribution for such a simple, yet so important, an invention, questionable or even improbable.
The aim of this paper is to review the evidence and to examine the principal roles, interrelationships and influences, of three persons involved in the early history of bifocals, namely Benjamin Franklin, and two famous artists, Sir Joshua Reynolds and Benjamin West.
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