This Bausch & Lomb Magnifying Glass from the 1940s is a delightful example of how functional optical instruments were sometimes elevated into decorative objects of genuine beauty. Made from Lucite — the brand name for acrylic glass that became widely available in the early 1940s and was embraced by designers and manufacturers for its clarity, lightness, and versatility — this hand magnifier represents the intersection of wartime material innovation and American consumer craft traditions.
What makes this piece truly exceptional is its hand-painted and bejeweled decoration. The handle is painted in gold and green with what appear to be three pink amethyst stones set into the Lucite, transforming a practical optical tool into a luxurious personal accessory. Such decorated magnifiers were produced for the upscale consumer market, appealing to ladies who needed magnification for reading fine print, examining needlework, or reading coupons and menus — the kind of refined everyday use that called for an elegant rather than purely clinical instrument.
The lens itself carries approximately 10 diopters of power, providing around 3.5X magnification — a useful level for close work and reading small print. As Bausch & Lomb noted, magnification can be calculated by dividing the diopter power by 4 and adding 1. This formula remains useful today for anyone comparing magnifier strengths. A beautifully preserved example of 1940s American decorative optical craft, this piece is as much a collector’s decorative object as it is a functional instrument.
