Sunglasses

From prehistoric times, Inuit “snow goggles” (“Ilgaak”), often made of bone, ivory, or split wood, were worn in front of the eyes to reduce the glare of the ice fields (using a principle similar to that of later arrow slits). In 12th-century China, tinted lenses made of smoky quartz appeared, used to conceal judges’ facial expressions, while in Venice during the Renaissance, optics began to develop with a corrective purpose. In 1752, English optician James Ayscough created tinted lenses with the aim of treating certain visual disorders. However, it was not until 1929 that Sam Foster marketed the first true mass-produced sunglasses in Atlantic City (New Jersey, USA). An iconic accessory of popular culture—especially in rock—sunglasses were celebrated in 1958 by rockabilly singer Dwight Pullen in the track Sunglasses After Dark, later covered by The Cramps on their debut album Songs the Lord Taught Us (1980).