A. It was a wartime measure during the Second World War. The Library of Congress says:

The latest in eye shields – for desert warfare. A shortage of non-inflammable celluloid has prompted the Union of South Africa government to utilize old photographic negatives to make eye shields needed for use in desert warfare. The original images in the shield can be seen by turning the picture upside down. The emulsion is washed off the negatives to make the shields transparent. More than a million such shields have been produced to protect United Nations soldier's eyes from wind, sand and dust. Margaret Bucci of Washington, D.C., demonstrated the shield in 1943.

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31.07.23 Front Page

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