Upcoming Ocular Heritage Society Meetings

The Ocular Heritage Society 2010 Meeting

New York, New York
March 18-20, 2010 

       Partial tentative list of events in New York:

        Thursday, 3/18/10....State University Optometric Center Library to see 

                                                display of antique diagnostic instruments

        Friday, 3/19/10.....New York Historical Society for optical collection tour 

                                                with curator

                                    ....New York Academy of Medicine Rare Book Room 

                                                to see rare optical and ophthalmic books and artifacts

                                    ....Federal Reserve Bank of New York for Gold Vault tour 

                                                and American Numismatic Society Exhibit

        Saturday, 3/20/10.....Annual Meeting with presentation of research papers held  

                                                at American Numismatic Society headquarters.

2009 Meeting - The 2009 meeting was hosted by Alan and Suzanne McBrayer in Charleston, South Carolina, at the Francis Marion Hotel in downtown Charleston.  The events started with a guided carriage ride of the historic sections of the city.  There were plenty of things to do and see in Charleston and our members had plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and activities.  Grahame Long, Chief Curator of History at the Charleston Museum, brought out many artifacts of optical interest for a private, hands-on display.  Also included were tours of the Waring Historical Library and the Macaulay Museum of Dental History.  As usual, the Society dined in high style.  The annual meeting included historical talks on the lens perfector of Henry M. Paine, medallic art featuring blind and one-eyed individuals, the Murine Eye Remedy Company, an update on the Alcon Museum of Vision, new information on lens grinding, a presentation on nose spectacles (aka pince-nez), and finished with a presentation on mirrors by John Tull. 

2008 Meeting - Jenny Benjamin, Director of the Museum of Vision of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, graciously hosted our 25th annual meeting. The membership received a special 25th Anniversary silver medal to commemorate the occasion. Events included a white-glove tour of spectacles in the collections of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, a visit to the Society of California Pioneers, a viewing of ophthalmoscopes at the Koret Vision Research Laboratory, a tour of the Guide Dogs Facility, as well as  other tours and visits. The most important part of the festivities was, as usual, the enjoyment of the company and camaraderie of the members. There was a  special tribute to founding member Bill Rosenthal, the dean of spectacle and vision aids research, who died in June, 2007. His friendship, leadership, unflagging spirit and immense knowledge is greatly missed - he was a one-of a -kind gentleman that can never be equaled. 

2007 Meeting - Jean and Terry Marshall hosted the 24th Ocular Heritage Society gathering in beautiful St. Augustine, Florida. Highlights of the meeting included tours of the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Alligator Zoological park, a fascinating tour of St. Augustine by an extremely knowledgeable local historian, and a visit to Castillo de San Marcos, a massive Spanish fort dating to 1672. A visit to Flagler College allowed members to view the largest collection of Tiffany stained glass windows in the world, and the eclectic collections of the Lightner Museum delighted the attendees. Also included were tours of Native American artifacts and a huge live butterfly exhibit at the University of Florida. To top off these events, a relaxing harbor cruise and visit to the Marshall's beach house gave member a chance to visit and socialize. We enjoyed our usual fine dining, and viewed the incredible ophthalmic collections of Terry Marshall. Historical talks included such diverse topics as the Florida School for the Blind, numismatic items related to seeing eye dogs, electro-magnetic spectacles, the extended lawsuits regarding Englishman "William the Rich", early American spectacle maker John Benson, the use of tortoiseshell in eyeglass frames and cases, quizzers and monocles and spectacle case inscriptions. Troy King and Cheri Wolfe updated the group on exciting plans for the the expansion of the Alcon Museum collections and exhibits. The day ended with an auction of items generously donated by Bill Rosenthal, and the annual banquet ended the event

2006 Meeting - The Renaissance Worthington Hotel in Fort Worth Worth, Texas was the location of the 23rd annual meeting of the Ocular Heritage Society. The Alcon Museum of Ophthalmology extended us a gracious welcome. The displays included professionally displayed exhibits from the collections of OHS members. A visit to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History allowed us to view an Alcon exhibit on cararacts. Other activities included the Main Street Arts Festival and the Texas Frontier Museum. Historical talks on Saturday included subjects as diverse as the history of orbital implants and artificial eyes, museum conservation techniques, historical perspectives on emmetropia, and medallions related to the rehabilitation of the blind. Plus, the usual friendships enjoyed among members - a fine time enjoyed by all.

2005 Meeting - The Duke Mansion in Charlotte, North Carolina was the site of the22th meeting of the Ocular Heritage Society. Members toured the museum and underground tunnels at the Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site, site of the first discovery of gold in North America. A trip to Winston-Salem, N.C. took in the outstanding collections of the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) and the the historic builds of Old Salem, a Moravian town of the late 18th - early 19th centuries. This year speakers covered topics as diverse as The Uppsala Art Cabinet, American photographic visionary Arthur Mole, Boston jeweler and spectacle maker Thomas Pons, a history of holography,  the OHS spectacle coin and medal exhibit and an update on the Alcon Laboratories Museum of Ophthalmology. An update on the website www.antiquespectacles.com was presented, and a presentation on European museum collections rounded out the talks.

2004 Meeting - Chicago, Illinois hosted the annual meeting of the Ocular Heritage Society.  Members viewed the Rosenthal Collection on display at the International College of Surgical Science. This collection was donated to the College by OHS member and author Bill Rosenthal. Also on the agenda was the Architectural Tour cruise on the Chicago River. The meeting culminated on Saturday with the annual Show, Tell, and Sell, followed by historical talks and papers presented by OHS members. Among the topics this year included presentations about advertising trade signs used in the eye care profession, Benjamin Martin's visual glasses, symbolism on Chinese spectacles and spectacle cases, and a report about the auction of the Hugh Orr collection at Sotheby's.

2003 Meeting - The 20th annual meeting of the Ocular Heritage Society was held in Ft. Worth, Texas March 27-29. Highlights of this event includes a tour of the Alcon Museum. Featured in this tour were items from the collection of Ocular Heritage Society member Bill Rosenthal. Papers were presented on topics as diverse as spectacle usage in the Spanish colonies of the New World, ophthalmic-related numismatics, decorative eyeglass cases, and the "Eye Normalizer", a quack medical device of the early 1900's.

2002 Meeting - The former facilities of the American Optical Company in Southbridge, Massachusetts was an appropriate location for the OHS convention this year. Among the many highlights of this meeting were private displays of ophthalmic antiques by the Peabody-Essex Museum, Old Sturbridge Village, and an unforgettable tour of the warehouse facilities of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. 

Other Ocular Heritage Society meetings:

2001 - Traviso, Italy
2000 - Washington, D.C.
1999 - Lindsborg, Kansas
1998 - Petaluma, California
1997 - New Orleans, Louisiana
1996 - York, Pennsylvania
1995 - London, England
1994 - Bloomington, Indiana
1993 - Mexico City, Mexico
1992 - Gainesville, Florida
1991 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1990 - New York City, New York
1989 - Waterloo, Canada
1988 - St. Louis, Missouri
1987 - San Francisco, California
1986 - New Orleans, Louisiana
1985 - Sturbridge, Massachusetts
1984 - Washington, D.C.