Riding in open motorcars back in the early 1900s, people tended to get a lot of dust and grit in their eyes. And steel and emery, too, apparently.So the Novel-Idea Company invented this Magnetic Eye Cleaner, which you would pass over your eyelid in the hope that it would (somehow) get the bits out of your eye.
They have made it look rather like a magician's tool. But even though it was so exotic-looking, and came in a leather case, I would not have wanted to use this thing - would you?
From Popular Mechanics, March 1909.
7 comments:
I don't know why, but the drawn eye in the ad reminds me of an old machine in a Popeye cartoon.
P.S. - I would give it a try as long as there was nothing sharp on it. Sometimes I mess around with tungsten powder and metal shavings, so I can see how it might be useful :)
Those old pictures of drivers wearing goggles make sense after seeing this ad!
Eric - I think goggles would probably be better, but it might have worked better than I first thought. The eye in the middle makes it look a little - Masonic.
Hairball - Absolutely. And the hats with veils.
Here we go with the magnets again. Just slap the word magnetic on a health care product, and folks couldn't get enough of it.
Then again, I'd probably try about anything to get emery out of my eyeball.
Bill - More magnets, yes. The Victorians loved them - magnets and electricity. And I love the Victorians for being so magnet-crazy! (I know this is 1909 but they had been Victorian only 8 years earlier, so it still relates).
Emery is not something you want in your eye. How the heck did it get in there? Why is it on the road? Why?
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Pam - I know, it really looks painful to use!
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