Name/Title
EyeglassesEntry/Object ID
2019.22.1Description
Cardboard viewer to safely view the 1932 eclipse. Patented by Derick Studio in Orleans, Vt.
One side has a map showing where in New England and New York the best views will be, with the total eclipse forecast for the Northeastern corner of Vermont. The other side explains why an eclipse takes place and notes the safety of the filter for viewing the sun for extended periods without damage to the eyes.Use
For use to look at an eclipse.Context
Here is a 2017 write-up about the eclipse of 1932. The path of totality ran across the Northeast.
From: https://streetsofsalem.com/2017/08/20/the-great-new-england-eclipse-of-1932/
"This eclipse cut a diagonal swath through New England from Montreal to Provincetown, and people converged in the White Mountains, Cape Ann and Cape Cod for viewing: there were special eclipse “packages” and special eclipse trains, and more than one observer pointed out that the frenzy was serving as a distraction from the Depression. In Salem, the shops closed at 1:00 in the afternoon on the 31st (which was a Wednesday), as everyone departed for Gloucester–apparently not content to be in the 99% zone! The headlines leading up to the 1932 eclipse were not too different than those today: watch out for your eyes, watch out for your chickens (perhaps there was more emphasis on chickens then), the best viewing places, why the scientists are so excited. I do think there was more “eclipse ephemera” produced then, but it was a period of paper.
The viewing experience seems to have been uneven across New England on August 31, 1932: clouds and rain prevailed in some places, inspiring my favorite September 1 headlines: Long Awaited Eclipse is Partially Eclipsed (or some variation thereof). I have no doubt that people had fun on the New Haven Railroad’s special Eclipse Train, however, on which they could see night-time when it’s day in New England as you play. Strange things were reported for days afterwards: chickens (very sensitive to eclipses, apparently) laid eggs that bore an imprint of the corona, which appeared on several glass windows around the region as well. In my hometown of York Harbor, Maine, the artist Henry Russell Butler, who had traveled across the country in order to capture the previous three eclipses on canvas, was thrilled to see one appear in his backyard. Photography had long been able to capture eclipses, but paint still worked too."Acquisition
Accession
2019.22Source or Donor
VHS LibraryAcquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Manufacturer
Derick StudioDate made
1932Lexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
EyeglassesNomenclature Primary Object Term
Device, VisionNomenclature Sub-Class
Personal Assistive ObjectsNomenclature Class
Personal GearNomenclature Category
Category 03: Personal ObjectsMaterial
Cardboard, PlasticRelationships
Related Places
Place
* Untyped Place
Northeast Kingdom