Echoes of the Past: History in the making

Historical interest is clearly not a new phenomenon for Optician readers as the article from August 1975 proves.

This piece charts the history of the BOA museum and the apparent distain students of the time were paying to its founder as they toured the Brook Street Museum. The man in question was JH Sutcliffe, a founding father of the British optometry profession and secretary of the BOA between 1895 and 1940.

His dedication and vision for a London home for optical products, past and present, was to be achieved despite opposition from the medical profession and the outbreak of two World Wars. He visualised this home not only as a historical collection but also a place in which new technologies and fashion could be displayed.