Opera fans would often purchase a pair of opera glasses, which are a magnifying glasses with a set of fixed lenses, for a closer look at the faces of the singers. Opera singers were often international stars and major celebrities of their day, in the same way as Hollywood actors today. These glasses were the owner's mothers personal pair.
Opera glasses
Contributed by Antiques Roadshow - Tatton
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Comments
These glasses are lovely for any opera fans to see. Anybody interested in these may also like to see the portait of Maestro Andrea Bocelli on the site. It was signed by him in England in 2009.
The lenses are often focusable, not fixed. I would describe opera glasses as small, low powered binoculars. Opera singers still are international stars, more international than ever, though not usually such major celebrities nowadays. Pavarotti was pretty famous though and Domingo still is.