Q. Where can I find technical and historical information on reproducing glass eyes?

Hello! Thank you for your question! We've received a number of questions about glass eyes from visitors to our Curious and Curiouser exhibition, and we are happy to share information from our collections.

We have books and articles on the practice of glass-eye making, trade catalogs of glass-eye and medical instrument sales, and a few videos.

We'll list online sources first, so you can explore now, and also include a few things that you may be able to borrow from a library.

Online Resources

• Flameworking/Lampworking. Rakow Library Research Guide.
• Glass eye smuggling? Yes, it was a thing! CMoG blog post, June 16, 2017.
• Glass eyes for fish?! CMoG blog post, March 14, 2018.
• [Advertising poster for glass eyes]. Philadelphia, PA: Queens & Co., 1891.
• Price list of artificial glass eyes for taxidermists and manufacturers, January 1, 1904. Hyde Park, MA: Frank Blake Webster Company, 1904. Catalog of glass eyes for taxidermy and humans.

Articles

A terrific starting point would be the following article:

• Goldschmidt, Eric. “The Curious Glass Eye: An Historical Tutorial.” The Flow 15, no. 3 (Autumn 2017): 58-61.

These articles might be useful as well:

• Bledsoe-Fuchs, Bonnie. “Addendum: ‘...Glass Eyes for Your Museum.’” The Glass Club Bulletin, no. 173 (Summer 1994): 7+. Note: 19th-century published sources regarding the making of glass eyes for humans, animal taxonomy, and dolls.
• “The Eyes Have It.” Glass, Monthly Journal of the European Glass Industry 66, no. 9 (Sept. 1989): 360. Note: Artificial eyes made at Lauscha glassworks.
• McClarin, Paul. "The Manufacture of Glass Ocular Prosthesis." Hot Gas 2, no. 3 (Aug. 1995): 6-8.
• Unger, Jörg M. “The History of Flameworked Glass Eyes: An Homage to Ludwig Müller-Uri.” Glass Art 21, no. 2 (Jan./Feb. 2006): pp. 56-57, ill.

Links are to Library catalog records unless otherwise noted.

Additional Resources

• Artificial Eyes: Enameled Eyes in Assorted Natural Colors: Price List. New York: Demuth Brothers, [1880?]. Trade catalog.
• [Billhead dated March 1894 for ingredients for glass eyes]. Billhead, or invoice, listing numerous ingredients including sand, lead, pearl ash, salts, soda, arsenic, etc. on Profs. J. T. & A. H. Davis letterhead. The Davises developed a new type of artificial eye. In 1850, J. T. Davis arrived to America from London, after learning the glass business at his father's shop. "Eyes not exchanged after six week" printed along upper edge.
• Boissonneau, M. "Moveable Artificial Eyes, Carefully Modelled in Enamel." ca. 1851.
• Hughes, Michael O. Eye Making: A Brief History of Artificial Eyes Made in Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Surrounding Areas. Vienna, Virginia: M.O. Hughes, 2000.
• J. Kannofsky, the oldest and largest manufacturer of glass eyes in the world, manufacturer of artificial eyes a specialty, artificial skulls and heads for taxidermists and furriers and full line of supplies for all kinds of fur trade. New York, 1938. Catalog. Glass eyes for taxidermy. Includes prices.
• Practical Glass-Blowers, Manufacturers of Enamel Colored Artificial Eyes. Jersey City, NJ: F. Schumacher & Sons, 1920. Catalog. Includes glass eyes.
• Preis-Liste über Emaille-Augen mit schwarzer Pupille = Prix courant d’yeux emaillés à pupille noire. Dresden: L. W. Schaufuss, 1866. Catalog in French and German. Includes glass eyes.
• “Steps in making glass eyes.” [1935-1943?] Photograph is of case displaying various steps during process of making glass eyes; twelve glass eyes are used to demonstrate the steps and glass rods are displayed as well."Compliments of E. & S. Danz, New York, N.Y." -- on plaque on lower right corner of case.

Links are to Library catalog records unless otherwise noted.

Borrowing Library Materials

If you wish to borrow copies of library items, please contact your local library. The Rakow Research Library will lend designated books from its collection and will send copies of articles requested by other libraries. Your library can request items through the OCLC WorldShare Interlibrary Loan (ILL) system or by direct request through email at ill@cmog.org. For more information, please see our ILL policies and procedures.

Please don't hesitate to contact us with your glass-related questions in the future!