a fading implement?

In “The Whisperer in Darkness,” Wilmarth uses a magnifying glass to look at the photos.

Is it just me, or does it seem like the magnifying glass is passing more and more out of the standard human toolbox?

My grandparents always had one, but my parents never did as far as I know. And I seem to remember my grandparents treating it as a fairly standard piece of household equipment. For my part, I have never owned one nor even considered buying one. Nor would I immediately know where to buy one if I wished to do so.

I suppose you might have a magnifying glass in the case of certain hobbies: stamp collecting, for instance. But I don’t know anybody in my age group who has ever owned one.

Alternatively, I suppose it could be something that everyone drifts into using with advanced age and failing eyesight. In that case it would be somewhat like an umbrella. When I was in my early 20’s I never owned an umbrella, and wrongly thought that no one used them anymore, simply because my friends and I at that age didn’t see the point of avoiding getting a little bit wet with a dash down the street.