Artificial Glass Eye Vintage Advertisement Vinyl Sticker

This beautiful 1880s logo work advertises A.L. Ellis & Co., the Pawtucket, Rhode Island importers of artificial glass eyes for taxidermists, jewelers, and presumably people who were missing eyes.

In the early 1900s, glass eyes were a booming business and the finest among them were handmade in Germany. American importers faced a hefty 60% import duty, however, so a grifter named Bruno Schulze made the smuggling of glass eyes his specialty for over a decade. He's estimated to have smuggled about 100,000 eyes and raked in profits that would amount to about $21.6 million in today's dollars.

Why are we telling you this story? Because when he was arrested a local newspaper published a story which protested, "But He's Handsome and Distinguished Looking"! Just like you'll be when you slap this sticker on something!

If you're not into glass eyes yourself, this is a terrific gift for prosthetists, ocularists, taxidermists, fans of medical history, oddities collectors, and people who just really love Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

These stickers are 100% vinyl and printed with high-quality water-based latex ink; they're scratch and weather resistant, dishwasher safe, and sun and UV resistant, which means they'll hold up for years, even in the sun, rain, and snow. They're also removable with no residue, so you can reposition them if you didn't get it quite right the first time.