The Forgotten Eyewear Museum: “History is reflected in the design”

It started with stamps as a child. Then hot wheel cars and a college display of antique board games.

Now, 25 years into his career as an optician, Miami collector, Mark Jensen, has more than 2000 pairs of eyewear in his personal collection.

Mr Jensen presented a carefully curated selection of 200 frames at 100% Optical in his Forgotten Eyewear Museum.  

Frames worn by Elton John, Vanilla Ice, Whitney Houston and Jimi Hendrix were on display at the optical event.

Mr Jensen told OT that eyewear was selected for the collection to represent the best designs from the 1950s to the 1990s.

“I think history is reflected in the design,” he shared.

For example, a culture of experimentation is reflected in the frames of the 1960s, while the glitz and glam of the 1970s also comes through in the eyewear on display.

Disillusionment following the Vietnam war is echoed in angular shapes within the designs of the 1980s.

“It tracks the eras and what took place in those eras,” Mr Jensen said.