"Seeing" The War of 1812

The War of 1812 played a pivotal role in the history of eyeglasses!

 From glassescrafter:

The first optical shop was established in Philadelphia in 1799 by John McAllister, Sr. Before the War of 1812, McAllister imported all the eyeglasses sold in his optical shop. Due to the trade embargo with Great Britain, he began making his own eyeglass frames in 1815. He and his son John McAllister, Jr., distributed the first astigmatic lenses in the United States.

An image of 1812-era Canadian/British soldier's eyeglasses here.