February 07, 2015
Archive: Tura Deco ca.1950
From the Hicks Brunson Eyewear Vault:
Recently looking through the antique frames in our personal collection, I found a pretty cool kit that showcases Tura's highly ornate aluminum cat-eye glasses circa 1950.
Looking at this collection I'm transported back in time to a dinner party on New Year's Eve where I'm having a conversation with a woman about Cold War politics while sipping champagne and gazing about a newly remodeled kitchen with its black and white checkered tiled floor and the matching mint-green appliances. She turns to say something to someone who is cutting a slice of cake over by the counter and the light catches the accent on the corner of her eyeglasses, which draws my attention to the fine detail of the decoration. I compliment her on her frames and she thanks me and laughs. We turn our attention to the radio for a moment as the broadcaster quickly interrupts the drama that was playing to let the listeners know that we could tune our television sets to CBS if we wished to watch the ball drop in Times Square of New York City...
At the top of the kit there are samples of the available frame colors; similar to one of our favorite collections: TD Tom Davies.
Ornate decorations are fixed to the aluminum frame front and sides by way of small rivets. The decorations have a jewelry-like quality and were available in many styles. The examples here include leaves, vines, and feathers (My favorite. See picture of the blue frame below).
Frame colors available were Satin Ebony, Satin Blue, Satin Pink, Satin Silver, Satin Bronze, Satin Mink, Oxford Green, After Five (a kind of dark brown), and Pearl.
The hinge section doubles as an eye-wire barrel, allowing the frame to part to insert the prescription lenses, while the decoration on the corners of the front hides most traces of the seam and creates a more fluid look to the frame.
We're proud to have this piece of optical history in our archive, which reminds us of the past while inspiring us for the future.
Gallery:
Recently looking through the antique frames in our personal collection, I found a pretty cool kit that showcases Tura's highly ornate aluminum cat-eye glasses circa 1950.
Looking at this collection I'm transported back in time to a dinner party on New Year's Eve where I'm having a conversation with a woman about Cold War politics while sipping champagne and gazing about a newly remodeled kitchen with its black and white checkered tiled floor and the matching mint-green appliances. She turns to say something to someone who is cutting a slice of cake over by the counter and the light catches the accent on the corner of her eyeglasses, which draws my attention to the fine detail of the decoration. I compliment her on her frames and she thanks me and laughs. We turn our attention to the radio for a moment as the broadcaster quickly interrupts the drama that was playing to let the listeners know that we could tune our television sets to CBS if we wished to watch the ball drop in Times Square of New York City...
At the top of the kit there are samples of the available frame colors; similar to one of our favorite collections: TD Tom Davies.
Ornate decorations are fixed to the aluminum frame front and sides by way of small rivets. The decorations have a jewelry-like quality and were available in many styles. The examples here include leaves, vines, and feathers (My favorite. See picture of the blue frame below).
Frame colors available were Satin Ebony, Satin Blue, Satin Pink, Satin Silver, Satin Bronze, Satin Mink, Oxford Green, After Five (a kind of dark brown), and Pearl.
The hinge section doubles as an eye-wire barrel, allowing the frame to part to insert the prescription lenses, while the decoration on the corners of the front hides most traces of the seam and creates a more fluid look to the frame.
We're proud to have this piece of optical history in our archive, which reminds us of the past while inspiring us for the future.
Gallery:
2 comments
These are beautiful frames from the glamorous, golden age. The detail and quality is stunning. Kudos on this well written post. I felt like I was in that kitchen standing on that checkered floor next to those mint appliances.
Daniel Brunson
February 25, 2016
What a wonderful story. Thank you Derek for taking us back in time through your descriptive writing and attention to detail. Speaking of detail, those frames are gorgeous!
Alisha
February 25, 2016