Antique Mother of Pearl and Brass LeMaire French Opera Glasses with Napoleonic Bee. The bee, a symbol chosen by the First Emperor Napoleon, appears on the inner bar, along with the number 63. The words "LeMaire Fi" and "Paris" encircle both viewing lenses. 

Condition: Some scuffing and wear to brass and glass. Commensurate with age and use. 

Size: 4 1/8 x 2 1/2 x 1 1/2 in. 

#4551 . 

Opera glasses, also known as theater binoculars or Galilean binoculars, are compact, low-power optical magnification devices, usually used at performance events, whose name is derived from traditional usage at opera performances. Lower magnification power is usually desired in these circumstances in order to minimize image shake and maintain a large enough field of view. The design of many modern opera glasses of the ornamental variety is based on the popular lorgnettes of the 19th Century. In addition to the more stereotypical binocular type, folding opera glasses were another common design. They were made mostly of metal and glass, with a leatherette cover for grip and color. Although folding glasses have existed in one form or another since the 1890s, they were most popular in the mid-20th Century. The design can still be purchased new, although the most common contemporary designs are now almost entirely plastic.

Some scuffing and wear to brass and glass. Commensurate with age and use.