Seeing history through Battlestar Galactica glasses

Editor’s Note: Don’t miss this video of museum technician Drew Robarge examining a mysterious pair of eyeglasses for clues about their origins. This history mystery is presented in American Sign Language (ASL).

When an inventory specialist working in the museum’s medicine collection announced that she had discovered a pair of Battlestar Galactica glasses, I—a huge science fiction fan who often likes to imagine that he defends the human race against the Cylons—quickly commandeered the glasses for a closer look.

The museum’s Medicine and Science collections hold approximately 1,000 historical eyeglasses that range widely in shape, size, color, and style, representing the vast diversity of methods of vision correction developed over the centuries. These objects allow historians to study not only the development of vision correction and its many forms, but also the cultural significance of the eyewear used. We’ve got everything from your standard nose-propped eyeglasses and lorgnettes(that is, spectacles with handles), to artificial eyes and modern-day contact lenses. But never did I think that we had Battlestar Galactica glasses.

At first glance, the brown glasses appeared rather uninteresting, but its intriguing elements began to shine in the little details. On the outside of each of the temples near the hinges, there lies a small rectangular, metal Battlestar Galactica logo plate. The words “Battlestar Galactica Universal Studios” are printed in white on the inside of the left temple. The lenses are non-prescription, and the glasses come with a red plastic case with a cloth-lined interior.

My encounter with the object brought to mind the peculiarity of owning a pair of glasses inscribed with something so specific. The glasses people wear are typically not accessories customized to show support for, say, a sports team, an organization, or a favorite television series. Glasses vary enough that they can reflect the wearer’s identity, but rarely do we view glasses as arenas for declaring one’s specific interests.

After closely examining the glasses, I hoped to gain more insight from the pair’s provenance (essentially the life history of an object, including its historical, social, and economic contexts). Using the catalog number marked on top of the bridge, I located the file that was created when the object was donated to the museum. According to the documents in the file, the object came to the museum as part of a 1982 donation from Dr. J. William Rosenthal that included 36 eyeglasses and 26 lenses considered modern at the time. The files had no details regarding the object’s original owner, or how Rosenthal—who had donated about 20 times to the museum’s medicine collection—had obtained the glasses in the first place.

I know for certain that the glasses have been in existence since 1982, but what is the earliest possible date at which the glasses could have been made? The world of Battlestar Galactica first premiered on television in 1978, and the American science fiction show documented the travails of an extraterrestrial human civilization warring with a cybernetic race. After one season, Battlestar Galactica was cancelled, a move loudly protested by loyal viewers. The show remained popular, and that same year, the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in Los Angeles debuted a staged event for its studio tour entitled “Battle of Galactica,” which took visitors on a tram ride through a Cylon base as the crew of the Galactica fought against the evil Cylons. In 1980, Battlestar Galactica returned with six new episodes, and the show was reimagined with a different storyline from 2003 to 2009, attracting a new cadre of fans (including me). Given the year of the donation, the owner’s interest in Battlestar Galactica most likely concentrated on the earlier series.

A search for the glasses on eBay and other merchandise websites revealed no similar objects, which could mean that the glasses are rare. I thought that perhaps the glasses were a limited edition promotional item or merchandise purchased from the Universal Studios gift shop, but the latter hypothesis became harder to verify when Universal Studios Hollywood informed me that it does not have a comprehensive list of merchandise on sale during the time “Battle for Galactica” was in operation.

There are more questions than answers about this object, and I hope that with further research, I’ll be able to piece together its unique story. Do you own an unusual pair of glasses? Tell us your story below!

Drew P. Robarge is Museum Technician in the Division of Medicine and Science at the National Museum of American History.

Comments

[Menachem Lifshitz]

The Battlestar Galactica glasses I assume are museum collections, right? It would be great if someone from the mainstream media can feature it in one of their shows. Discovery Channel perhaps.

[Jonathan]

I wonder where I can find these glasses in my country...

[Derek]

I personally didn't have these glasses, but I remember a friend that did have some. I always was jealous too, they seemed quite special even at the time (1980?). I'm quite sure my friend doesn't have them any longer, oh what a story they would tell though...lol

[Devlin Thompson]

Those same spring-hinged glasses had been offered previously with a "BIONIC" nameplate (which I had, not because of the Six Million Dollar Man's implied endorsement, but because I was breaking my frames 3 or 4 times a year, and the springs made them slightly less destructible). Both shows were made by Universal Pictures, so it was presumably an easy transition between licenses.For the record, mine definitely came from Pearle Vision Center.

[Sara]

If folks out there remember these glasses being available through their optometrists and wearing them, then at one point the design may not have been that "rare" but since it's been 30 years, and they're not readily availble on eBay or elsewhere online, then they must be collectibles now, and more so if, over the years, they were discarded leaving only a few around today.

What interests me is that if the lenses for the SI piece are non-prescription, they may have been store display pieces or worn for fashion (?!?!) and this leads to further questions about appeal and the reasons why we choose certain looks or styles for something that is essentially compensation for what we do not like to admit is a disability (the need to wear glasses)...

[David]

I owned a pair of these glasses circa 1981 or 82. I don't know whatever happened to them. I didn't wear them long because I would get teased about them. On the video it shows what look like initials scratched inside the left stem. They appear to be DL which are my initials. This could just be wishful thinking, though.

[Geoduck]

I had a pair of these as well, 30-odd years ago. The glasses are long gone, but I still have the flimsy Battlestar Galactica-themed "protective" case that came with them.

[Tim]

Eric, thanks for the validation - while my parents don't remember them, I do, and I especially remembered the spring hinges. They were definitely a good thing for a young kid, and most of my glasses in the 30 subsequent years have had some sort of spring mechanism.

I think we've pretty much established these were a commodity item available in optical stores at the time. Strange there isn't less information about them on the Web, though!

[Chris Ware]

These glasses have long existed as a punchline to a personal anecdote revolving around 8th grade inter-school "dance classes" I suffered through in 1980s Omaha, Nebraska. As an avowed and thoroughly reviled science fiction fan with little hope of ever making contact with the opposite sex, I one night nonetheless found myself shuffling through the steps of the "Kansas City" with an attractive, mysterious visiting girl to an instructional disco record in our beguilingly transformed (read: at night, not day) school gymnasium. My moist, uncertain hands clasped hers while I awkwardly, heroically stumbled back and forth, and she suddenly, probably out of charity, whispered something encouraging in my ear. Stunned, I recoiled just far enough to bring the engraved inscription on her brown glasses into focus. Seeing the name of a television show I'd watched and worshipped on a weekly basis in such an unlikely place and circumstance (yes, on a girl!) sent me into inner paroxysms of rapture, and I stammered out something like "you ... you like 'Battlestar Galactica TOO?!'" Sadly, this involuntary confession shattered not only my cover but also my divine vision -- she had no idea what I was talking about; her parents had bought the glasses to temporarily and cheaply replace ones that'd recently broken, and she'd never bothered to look at their make.

Since then, I've worried I fabricated the memory, but thanks to the Smithsonian and Mr. Robarge, I can rest assured.

[Rob Scott]

I had a pair of these glasses as a child. If I remember correctly they were purchased from the glasses sales area of Woodward's Department Store (which has been out of business for many years now) in late 1981 or early 1982 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

[Frank]

Had the video been more about the glasses and less about the kid, you would likely have received more useful responses.

The briefly displayed '130' on the temple likely corresponds to the temple arm length in mm

There are likely other numbers on the inside of the temple arms that could yield information about their manufacture.

Also, are the lenses prescription, or plano (no power) and what is the distance between the optical centers of the lenses. This might give you a clue as to who *could* have worn them.

Is there a logo under the BSG plate (probably not as glasses of that era usually didn't), but we don't know.

We need to see the glasses in detail, sans sappy music and cute kid.
IMHO

[Rodolfo Del Toro Colberg MD]

Those were used as prescription glasses in the late 70's and early 80's.
As a kid I wanted a pair, but alas did not get them. After a finished ophthalmology, I joined a practice were a back room filled with old medical equipment had a rack of unsold glasses, and there was a pair similar to those. I'm sorry I didn't have the foresight to keep them, as the practice no longer exist. Might I suggest you check with prescription glasses manufacturers of the era , as this will be your best bet to id them.
Best of luck!

[GoldCylon]

I have a Galactica fan site on Face Book, and I asked this question on Thursday Aug 25th Quote " Can anyone name the 1978 release of an BSG item that could only be purchased with a prescription." The link to this posting was sent to me today. I have in my personal collection 3 pair of the Galactica glasses. I believe all 3 are different in size, shape, style, and color. I would be more than willing to let the Museum inspect them.
Dale

[Eric]

These glasses were sold in regular optometry stores. I had a pair back in '78 and probably still have them in a drawer someplace. I was a fan of the show but being a kid back then what was unique is they had springs in the frame hinges that allowed you to bend them outward so they would not break. A big plus when you are a 10 year kid. So they are not as 'unique' as you might think.

[Brent Parker]

I had a pair of those glasses! I got them as a boy of about nine years. I was a big fan of the show and wore those frames long after they fit properly. I may have a picture of me wearing them. I'll begin a search and let you know.

[sporkfoo]

These frames are very similar to my first pair of frames. Mine were BSG Branded, and made out of the same plastic, but they were a different shape.

I could have gotten my frames as late as 81, and I think I got them from Pearle Vision, if I remember correctly.

https://img.skitch.com/20110829-c633b46ptpx63unuhg22nbheix.jpg

[gregorio ortiz garza]

ohhh.. another thing check the academy awards this show got alot of awards back than. i remember loarn green accepting or giving a speech with glasses. they could of made them for him that special day a one time thing .remember elders did not like wearing glasses in public back than he might of worn them to infesize that its ok to where glasses he was a star many followed and admired in his time and fashion was beginning to b copied by admired celebrities and the glasses he wore could of been a trend to an ok thing to ware

[gregorio ortiz garza]

i posted on here allready i hope u recieved my opinion i watched i believe most emposoides of battlestar gallactica im 41years old and i was glued to it lol. loarn green wore glasses im sure of it i seen it in one of his eposodes dont recall which one and i dont know if it was the same ones . glasses at that time were worn in secrecie not public so much so i bet it was like an advertisement to get people to ware glasses and dont be ashamed of it.i also made a comment who might of made them check the franklyn mint i bought several china picture dinner plates in the rim was painted with real gold or silver.my point is i saw that style of metal plate on several merchandise artifacts. ther is another company like franklyn mint that does this stuff also they made a monoply board game out of gold and silver pieces.with a name plate like that one on there board that came with a table.THERE IS a store i saw in mall of america with pieces of merchandise with metal plates like this not sure if it was franklyn mint store or the other one i cant remember its name sorry. OH one more thing i looked at the ur video of the glasses.im not sure but look real... close at the plate unscrew the arm look at the end of the plate where the arm ends it looks like to sliding grooves to where if u press and push and slide the plate out .it might reveal in the back who made it or intials .because its not glued i see to tabs one on top but i dont know if the bootom has one u didnt turn the glasses upside down.this similiar reminds me when u take a head light bulb out there is plastic tabs groved it the housing u have press push in and slice it out. dont forget to un screw the arm why because u see at the end of the arm the glass frame acts as a stopper of the 2 grooves to slide the plate out well i hope i helped i wonder if i will ever no i helped

[Tim]

I'll have to contact the parents tonight to verify, but this post jogged my memory - and I swear I had these exact frames around the fifth grade, which would have been about 1978.

If true, then these would have been for sale in any optical store of the time.

[Tim]

It may be the inner geek in me wishing it to be so, but I SWEAR that I had a pair of glasses frames pretty much the same color and with that same logo on them when I was a kid, likely about 5th grade, which would put that at 1978.

If that's true, then these aren't rare, they would have been picked out at a normal optical center of the time. I'll ask the parents tonight if they remember them and check back.