Antique French Silver Virgin popular Mother Lourdes, Stanhope Silver Lourdes, Antique Stanhope Mary, French Lourdes Stanhope

popular Antique French 1920's silver pendant of the Virgin Mary with a Stanhope lens showing three black and white pictures of Lourdes. The Apparition, The Sanctuary, The Lourdes Grotto. They are not perfect because the photo's are a hundred years old but they can still be seen with the names. Probably bought on a Lourdes pilgrimage. A wonderful and rare pendant for the discerning collector or a gift for someone special.
The pendant is hallmarked on the top ring.

Height - 1.3/8" or 3.5cm
Diameter - 3/8" or 9mm
1.6 gram

The term “Stanhope” comes from the inventor of the Stanhope Lens, Lord Charles Stanhope (1753-1816) (Note: Lord Charles died before photography had been invented). The name “Stanhope” is somewhat of a misnomer because the actual lens used in the objects known as “Stanhopes” is not actually a Stanhope lens. It is actually called the Codding Magnifier, invented by Sir David Brewster (1781-1868).
If you are not familiar with Stanhope items, here is a brief description. Stanhopes are tiny viewers that were extremely popular in the late 1800's and early 1900's. They can be found in everything from letter openers to rosaries to little charms. When you hold a Stanhope viewer to your eye you can see a tiny black and white image. These were very popular souvenirs from famous sites. Thus it is with the Stanhope rosaries and crosses. There may be a picture of the Blessed Virgin, a religious site or Cathedral inside the viewer. These are fascinating items and all are about 100 years old, some a little older, some a little younger. The tiny picture sometimes deteriorates over time or becomes crooked. It is hard to find one with a perfectly intact picture.

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