Folding magnifier with horn case 1790
This is a folding magnifier composed of a horn case and a biconvex magnifying glass. It appears to be between 4X and 5X in power (20 diopters).
Folding magnifiers with horn case were in common use in the late 1700’s.
The instrument is held together by 3 brass studs. Two studs are at the base and go through a horn separating piece. One brass stud is at the opposite end and acts as a hinge.
There are a total of five components. There are two side pieces. There is the separating base piece. There is the piece that surrounds and contains the glass lens. Lastly, there is the glass lens.
Because of its age, there is a tiny piece of the lens support missing on one side. It does not appear to affect the function in any way. Probably a good jeweler could repair this easily.
