Daily Herald Photograph: Making glass eyes

Daily Herald Photograph: Making glass eyes Daily Herald Photograph: Making glass eyes

Daily Herald Photograph: Making glass eyes
Science Museum Group
© Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Daily Herald Photograph: Making glass eyes
Science Museum Group
© Hulton Archive/Getty Images

One photograph depicting Mollie Surman in her studio, matching an eye from her stock, titled 'Up to her eyes in work'. Caption on back reads: 'The unusual "line" of Mrs. Mollie Surman of Kingston (Surrey) is making glass eyes - a very skilled craft which she learned from her hather, the late Mr. G. Taylor. Mrs. Surman, who believes there is only one other woman glass-eye blower in the country, first started to learn this craft at the age of 12, during her school holidays and to date, she estimates that she has made some 12,000-to 15,000 eyes. This has been a family craft for about 160 years. Mrs. Surman's grandfather made glass eyes for the 2nd Duke of Wellington and her father one [sic] made an eye for a pedigree Chow which won a 1st Prize at Crufts'.

Details

Category:
Photographs
Collection:
Daily Herald Archive
Object Number:
1983-5236/55255
Materials:
paper
type:
photographic print