Reçu e-mail de Nicolas qui nous apporte quelques précieuses informations sur la mystérieuse genèse des lunettes de soleil...
A propos des lunettes de soleil, voir ce qui est dit dans le wiki anglophone :
"James Ayscough began experimenting with tinted lenses in spectacles in the mid-18th century. These were not "sunglasses" as such; Ayscough believed blue- or green-tinted glass could correct for specific vision impairments. Protection from the sun's rays was not a concern of his. Yellow/Amber and brown-tinted spectacles were also a commonly-prescribed item for people with syphilis in the 19th and early 20th centuries because of the sensitivity to light that was one of the symptoms of the disease.
Modern developments
In the early 1900s, the use of sunglasses started to become more widespread, especially among the pioneering stars of silent movies. It is commonly believed that this was to avoid recognition by fans, but the real reason was they often had perennially sore eyes from the powerful arc lights that were needed due to the extremely slow speed film stocks used. The stereotype persisted long after improvements in film quality and the introduction of ultraviolet filters had eliminated this problem. Inexpensive mass-produced sunglasses were introduced to America by Sam Foster in 1929. Foster found a ready market on the beaches of Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he began selling sunglasses under the name Foster Grant from a Woolworth on the Boardwalk."
Article je pense éclairant qui tend plusieurs branches, et m'a d'ailleurs fait penser au fameux tableau de Giorgio de Chirico (image ci-jointe) "Portrait prémonitoire de Guillaume Apollinaire" peint en 1914, image envoûtante, mais ici s'agit-il plutôt de lunettes opaques d'aveugle ?
