Historically, wearing eyeglasses was viewed as indicative of old age or ill health. As a compromise of necessity, lorgnettes were adopted by fashionable ladies from the late eighteenth century through the Art Deco period. Lorgnettes are eyeglasses that have no earpieces and are held to the eyes by a handle. When not in use they folded to a more compact form and the more ornate models stored the lenses in the handle. Made in a variety of materials including gold, silver, and platinum many lorgnettes were intricately worked and often hung from long chains as decorative pendants.

A similar 18th-century affectation by Macaronis and Incroyables was the quizzing glass. Usually a single lens similar to a magnifying glass, set in an ornate frame with an equally ornate handle. These pompous gentlemen used their ‘quizzers’ to ogle the crowd not to read the menu.