Throughout the 19th and 20th century, opera glasses were in popular use for the wealthy. It was a very fashionable pastime to visit the opera and ballet, and a fine pair of opera glasses would be a necessity. For ladies these came in several materials, from mother of pearl and silver, to very fine enamelled glasses. For gentleman, these would be more robust and were usually covered in various leathers and could sometimes double up as field glasses.
 
This is a fine pair of opera glasses, beautifully made with a casing of polished mother of pearl panels. The optics are altered using the centre wheel. The lenses are also incased in mother of pearl and are inscribed "Lacomb Fab Paris". They are a perfect size to fit into a ladies purse, although they are substantial enough to be used by a gentleman who liked ornate things. These would have been used by a lady or gentleman of middle to upper income.
 
The opera glasses are in good working order and both lenses are in good condition. The wheel oporates freely and their is no damage to the mother of pearl panels. 
 
Dimensions: 10cm x 7.5cm