Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Glasses, Field |
Catalog Number |
0985.08.00009 |
Description |
Binocular optic device, made of black enameled brass. Silver presentation plate on optic engraved, "To Gen'l Sterling Price / From lady friends / of Memphis / Tenn. / Jany 1st 1863". With case (.9a). |
Material |
Metal/Glass |
Dimensions |
W-5 L-8 inches |
Owned |
Sterling Price |
Owner Regiment |
Governor of Missouri; Commander, Missouri State Troops |
Provenance |
Maj. Gen. Sterling Price used these field glasses during the war. Apparently presented to him by the ladies of Memphis, Tennessee, on January 1, 1863. They were loaned to the Government in the Spanish-American and First World War. There was a shortage of optic devices during WWI dur to the main manufacturers being based in Germany and France, so supplies were cut off at the outbreak of war. Field glasses were needed so that field commanders could see onto the field, into trenches, and to scan for submarines. The "Eyes for the Navy" campaign asked U.S. citizens to donate their binoculars, telescopes and spy-glasses. Willing donors were asked to send their binoculars, spyglasses, and other useful navigational equipment to the Naval Observatory in Washington D.C. |
People |
Price, Sterling unidentified women |
Search Terms |
WWI Optics |
Subjects |
Optical devices World War I |