Emil Bruno Meyrowitz, born October 20, 1852 in Greifenhagen in Prussia (today, Gryfino in Poland), studied optician in Saint Petersburg before becoming a pioneer of optics in the USA and Europe.

He began as a street vendor on the streets of New York City.

He created the griffin and theattaches to his signature EB Meyrowitz. This eagle-headed lion, proudly leaning on a spectacle, illustrates the mastery of the optician's profession.

Meyrowitz opens its first store in Albany (NY).

At that time, Emil Meyrowitz chose to associate his signature, which had become a brand, with the griffin, the emblem of his hometown. The mythical animal, half lion, half eagle, proudly holds a pair of glasses which it dominates. The symbolism of the power of the lion is combined with that of the eagle's good eyesight to evoke the ability of the company and its staff to master eyewear in general and optics in particular.

Meyrowitz invents and develops the famous Goggle. Glasses first created to protect the eyes of aviators during the First World War, and later the eyes of motor racing drivers.

In 1922, opening of the Parisian boutique at 5 rue de Castiglione in the 1st arrondissement of Paris

In May 1927, aviator Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic. As a precaution, he wears a Goggle around his neck because the Spirit of St Louis does not have a windshield. The pilot looked through a periscope. It is in Hispano-Suiza that he arrives at 5, rue de Castiglione to celebrate his feat.

February 2006

Life often has good surprises in store; for opticians, these surprises are, of course, linked to glasses. In 2006, we had a visit from a new client in the person of Mr. Allain. This gentleman's father was an eyewear maker and once made eyeglass frames in acetate of different colors, and in the case that interests us, in black acetate. Mr. Allain senior worked for the optician of Marcel Achard, a former director of a Meyrowitz boutique (it's a small world!). Round glasses, worn by the writer, remain a fascination and a permanent quest for the optician and many glasses wearers. Mr. Allain fils was kind enough to offer us a copy, today in a prominent place in our museum window. The style of this frame is expressed by its thickness, its volume and gives an unparalleled strength of character to the look. It was an unforgettable moment to take these glasses in hand and admire the work of the craftsman through the quality of the milling, adjustment and polishing of all the elements that make up a glasses frame. Today, we can offer you the opportunity to achieve this dream by creating a replica of this frame through all the imitation tortoiseshell references available in our workshop.

April 2006

Sacha Guitry was a loyal customer of Meyrowitz and owned many eyeglass frames and in particular a round design which we had lost track of. By chance, a great artist of French theater and cinema, Jean-Claude Brialy, was offered by a friend one of the round glasses that belonged to Sacha Guitry. He was able to find the origin of these glasses since they were in their original aluminum case signed “Meyrowitz”. A few years later, we had to restore the same model, this time, in real tortoiseshell. The frame bore the Meyrowitz signature and its new owner assured us that it had belonged to Georges Mandel. Period photos confirm this. Mr Jean-Claude Brialy has kindly authorized us to re-issue the replica of this “collector” model. We remember his surprise when he discovered the frame renovated by our workshop technicians.

The Sacha glasses are available in many imitation tortoiseshell colors and in black.

Slack is evolving in partnership with Transitions®, the world leader in photosensitive lenses. Indeed, Olivier Lapidus chose the different acetate colors based on the lens tints to create: Slack-Transitions.

Meyrowitz pays tribute to its loyal customer, Henri Salvador, by launching the Henri model.

This rectangular frame from the 80s has taken its place in the Vintage Spirit collection. Henri Salvador with his timeless charm loved this drawing, especially in black. He came as a neighbor from his apartment on Place Vendôme, most often on foot. But his trips in the always colorful Cadillac were epic.

Meyrowitz's oldest remember seeing him get out of his Cadillac convertible and slam the door with his foot with mock carelessness and a loud burst of laughter. This laughter, so personal and so contagious, spread good humor along its path. Then, it was a joy to hear him whistle a jazz tune while we adjusted his glasses, usually in sets of three!

In 2015, Meyrowitz celebrates 140 years of dedicated service to its customers.
The authentic Cuban mahogany woodwork of this historic place gave rise to the idea of ​​hosting an evening on the theme of the 1920s. For the occasion, the entire Meyrowitz team was dressed in period costumes, and the boutique designed to tell the story of its long history.

3D printing is making its appearance in the world of optics.

Meyrowitz joins forces with Impressio to create the Goggle of the 505st century, the XNUMX model, which combines protection, lightness, solidity, technicality and exclusivity.

Meyrowitz has managed to assert itself over the centuries by offering its own line of optical and medical products to its national and international customers.