The seller of these way cool sunglasses (Vintage Luxury) doesn’t know who designed or manufactured them, and a fairly thorough web search yielded no results. All that is known for sure is that they’re from the 1950s and are very rare and unique.
Not only do they look like wow when worn, they also collapse/fold into rather artistic shapes making for a great conversation piece. These one-of-a-kinders are up for grabs at 1stdibs marketplace. If you have an extra $225 to spare, you can find them here.
They have a kind of retro-sci-fi super hero goggle look.
Apart from the design shape they might seem like any other kind of sunglasses. But…
When they are folded, they assume an oddly interesting appearance. Here the sunglasses take on an alien-like look.
Just imagine them on a transparent being from another dimension.
If you have any info about these please feel free to mention it in the comments.
It’s the Chicago Auto Show in 1953, the dream car Lincoln XL-500 is presented for the first time.
Advanced sports car styling is combined with practicability and dignity In Ford Motor Company’s experimental design model – the XL-500. Newest in the continuous flow of models constantly being developed by the Company’s engineer staff, the XL-500 offers a glimpse of what is ahead in automotive styling and mechanical features. First public appearance of the model will be in the Lincoln-Mercury exhibit at the Chicago Automobile Show, March 14 – 22.
Lincoln-Mercury News Bureau Press Release, March 12, 1953
Designed to fit comfortably four adult passengers, the XL-500 has a scarlet fiberglass body and all-glass roof. (March 1953 Press Release)
1953 Lincoln XL-500
Less than 57 inches high, it has arched rear fenders which permit the frame to ride closer to the road. (March 1953 Press Release)
1953 Lincoln XL-500 – (Side-view)
The XL-500 had push-button transmission in the steering wheel.
LINCOLN XL-500 – Push-Button Transmission On Steering Wheel.
The XL-500 also featured a radio telephone and dictaphone, an electronic calendar, and a power-operated hood and decklid.
1953 XL-500 – Telephone and Dictaphone
Three separate bumpers protect the rear section…(t)he main rear bumper protrudes from the body deck, the two other vertical bumpers integrated from each of the tail light assemblies. (March 1953 Press Release)
1953 LINCOLN XL-500 Rear Bumper
Scarlet fiberglass body with scarlet and white leather seats: The Lincoln-Mercury exhibit at the Chicago Automobile Show, March 14 – 22, 1953:
Scarlet fiberglass body with scarlet and white leather seats.
1953 Lincoln XL-500 with Benson Ford and William Clay Ford, and XL-100 with Henry Ford II
Today women can wear glasses proudly thanks to the color and subtlety of modern design.
In some of today’s fashion circles vintage is in. 1950s-60s eye wear is particularly popular, either as wearables or simply as collectables. Images and advertising that feature the legendary ‘cat eye’ look are sometimes reposted and reblogged hundreds of times on sites like Pinterest and Tumblr.
This 1960 Ray Ban advert is particularly popular:
Ray Ban’s color and modern design, 1960
Below are two entertaining videos from the British Pathé vintage fashion collection that showcase some of the fantastic designs introduced during the 1950s. The first is a tutorial demonstrating ‘how glasses can be fashionable and glamourous, (with) tips on choosing the right pair of specs in terms of frame colour and shape for a woman’s face.’ The second takes the viewer into a class for models at the Lucy Clayton school where they are learning about the available styles and designs of glasses and how to wear them. It’s all great fun.
From 1948 until 1971, Sunday nights were vaudeville nights on televisions across the U.S.. For twenty-three years Americans tuned in to CBS for Ed Sullivan’s ‘really big shooo…‘ From circus acts to ballet dancers, from ventriloquists to opera singers, from Elvis Presley and the Supremes, to the Beatles and The Doors, from classic vaudevillians to Broadway musicals, The Ed Sullivan Show meant variety.
Still, no one was prepared for the night of May 27, 1956. Scheduled to appear on the show were entertainment favorites like singer Kate Smith, and ventriloquist Senor Wences, as well as The Haslevs (tumblers & trampoline artists). Pretty normal fair for Sunday night – it would turn out to be anything but.
… I’m gonna tell you if you have youngsters in the living room tell them not to be alarmed at this ‘cause it’s a fantasy, the whole thing is animated…It is grim, but I think we can all stand it to realize that in war there is no winner. – Ed Sullivan, 27 May 1956
After referencing the first test drop of an H-bomb the week previous, and giving a subtle hint of what was to come to the parents who might have been viewing the show with their children, Sullivan introduced the animated short film, A Short Vision. The live television audience were then shown the horrific vision of a nuclear apocalypse created by husband and wife team, Peter and Joan Folde:
A Short Vision (1956) | BFI National Archives
Needless to say, the airing of the film sent a shock wave across the country. The next morning the news and entertainment media enthusiastically covered the event and the reactions from the public. The New York World-Telegram and Sun reported that, (f)or some it was ‘seven minutes of terror.’ For others it was ‘the best piece of anti-war propaganda ever shown.’
With how tightly television is controlled these days, it’s highly unlikely that such a stunning surprise would ever be allowed to jump out at viewers today. The images played over and over again on September 11, 2001 were/are indeed ghastly, but that event was an unpredicted disaster. What occurred during The Ed Sullivan Show in May of 1956 was a grim warning about the all too predictable horror and destruction that awaits the world with the release of that Thing.
If you have any info about these please feel free to mention it in the comments.
Atomic Flash Deluxe 