Anna Estelle Glancy
Personal Information
Born: 1883
Died: 1975
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: White
Education
Wellesley College BA Astronomy & Mathematics 1905; UC Berkeley PhD Astronomy 1913
"“After an idle period of nearly a year and no success in selling my poor talents at an eastern observatory, I launched a far distant appeal to the Berkeley Astronomical Department …I was invited to come as a computer provided I would also work toward a PhD degree; a thought which would never have entered my mind.”(astro.berkeley.edu); “I had no illusions about the difficulty of transfer from Astronomy to Optics but knew also that there was no better background than computing in astronomical problems. So I elected to start once more from scratch. Trigonometry, calculus, the art of computing and something, which is best called insight, which developed under the inspired teaching of Professor Leuschner, was my stock in trade. In exchange, the new job could give me association with top-flight leaders and a chance to grow….” (astro.berkeley.edu); “When the war ended, I began the long and repetitious calculations on which the Tillyer spectacle lens is based. In principle, this lens aims to give marginal vision as nearly like vision through the center of the lens as possible. The larger part of ten years was occupied in this major project which no other company than the American Optical Company was ready to undertake.” (astro.berkeley.edu); "It's really very simple - two things. First, don't ever take a job for money. Second, only work at what you enjoy" (mthamilton.ucolick.org); "
— Anna Estelle Glancy
Professional Life
Field of Study: Astronomy; Optics
Institution/Corporation: American Optical
Degrees & Memberships: None found
Awards & Achievements
Awards: None found
Achievements: filed the patent for the first progressive lens (patent granted 1923); her work with Edgar Tillyer at the American Optical Company (now part of Carl Zeiss Vision) improved the optics of eyeglasses, cameras, telescopes, and military optical instruments; worked as a geometric optician with Tillyer for nearly 10 years, doing the mathematical work to develop the Tillyer corrected curve lens but didn't receive credit for her work; developed a breakthrough camera lens; 1946 she published a paper on "Practical Methods of Computing Finite Throw Schmidt Systems;" did considerable mathematical research on the theory of iseikonic systems especially focused on investigating the theory of variable magnification systems without change in focal power and applied this theory to variable size lenses;
was born & died in Waltham Massachusetts
her patents are filed under the name A. E. Glancy
received thirteen patents for her innovations during the period from 1929-1945
worked at an observatory in Argentina for 4 or 5 years (time varies with different sources) because she couldn't find work as a female astronomer in the U.S.
as of 1950 was still the only woman lens designer in the world
experts in the field of television drew on her research in creating larger screens
was discouraged of ever finding a job in astronomy in the U.S.& considered taking a job in an airplane factory
her work on tracking the comet Morehouse inspired the 2012 film 1908 c
is known as the first lady of optics
a record of her observer’s notebooks and instrument logbooks are archived at the Lick Observatory
is considered the first woman to do her own research at Lick Observatory
her groundbreaking achievement was a series of glass-plate photographs she made from Mt. Hamilton of comet Morehouse (but they were attributed to a male colleague) in 1908 using the Crocker telescope
in retirement she cited her progressive deafness as a factor in her success
held 17 patents