Horn-rimmed glasses
Encyclopedia
Horn-rimmed glasses are a type of eyeglasses. Originally made out of either horn
or tortoise shell
, for most of their history they have actually been constructed out of thick plastics designed to imitate those materials. They are characterized by their bold appearance on the wearer's face, in contrast to metal frames, which appear less pronounced.
Horn-rimmed glasses were one of the first style of eyeglasses to become a popular fashion
item, after comedian Harold Lloyd
began wearing a round pair in his films. The glasses have enjoyed various periods of popularity throughout the 20th century, being considered especially fashionable in the early 1900s and in the 1950s-1960s in particular. The style enjoyed a renaissance in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, with influence from the emo
and hipster
subcultures, which embraced geek chic
; and from the television series Mad Men
, which repopularized 1960s fashions in general.
's wearing of rimless eyeglasses
had only recently begun to eliminate the stigma, albeit with glasses designed to minimize their appearance.
Lloyd named the character "The Glasses Character" or "The Glass Character" after the frames; the lenses themselves had in fact been removed, both because Lloyd did not require glasses to see, and because studio lights reflecting off of the lenses obscured Lloyd's eyes on film. The character proved to be a tremendous success with audiences and resulted in an unexpected rise in popularity of horn-rimmed glasses: Sales around the world rose as the popular Lloyd's appearance wearing glasses helped to dispel negative stereotypes of glasses wearers; when Lloyd ultimately broke the frames and attempted to order a new pair from the manufacturer, his check was returned along with an order of twenty frames and a note from the company thanking him for his endorsement. Explaining his reasons for the glasses, as well as their sartorial advantages, Lloyd said: "They make low-comedy clothes unnecessary, permit enough romantic appeal to catch the feminine eye, usually diverted from comedies, and they hold me down to no particular type or range of story."
Horn-rimmed glasses continued to be popular into the 1920s but steadily lost their appeal as their popularity was supplanted by sturdier metal styles: Exposure to heat and sunlight rendered the plastic brittle and prone to breakage, often to the point that they would break should an optician attempt to install new lenses.
A variant of horn-rimmed glasses, Browline glasses
, became one of the defining eyeglass styles of the 1940s and 1950s. Invented in 1947, the style combined the aesthetics of horn-rimmed glasses with the stability of metal frames by fitting prominent plastic "brows" over the tops of metal frames, creating a distinctive look that was also sturdier than solid plastic frames. Browlines quickly became popular in post-World War II
America, and composed half of all eyeglass sales throughout the 1950s.
Plastic eyeglasses mounted in popularity throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s, ultimately supplanting metal as the most popular material for eyeglass frames. The trend died out in the 1970s, as oversized metal glasses in the style of the Ray-Ban Aviator became popular. Semi-round horn-rimmed glasses came back into fashion in the 1980s, with tortoiseshell being fashionable amongst entrepreneurs and "yuppies". Colored variants also became popular amongst New Wave
musicians.
Horn-rimmed glasses fell back out of fashion in the 1990s but returned to popularity with the rise of the emo and hipster subcultures in the early 2000s. Many glasses manufactured during this period tended to imitate popular metal eyeglass styles, with significantly thinner frames and vertically smaller lenses. The popularization of 1960s styles by the television show Mad Men led to horn-rimmed frames produced in the 2010s being more traditional, with large lenses and thick, heavy frames.
In mainstream culture, the glasses are often associated with being "nerdy". Thus, they became popular in emo
, punk
, indie, hipster
, goth
, and generally counter-culture fashion. Some trend followers wear the glasses without prescriptive lenses, purely as a fashion statement. Hot Topic
, a clothing chain that markets to a counter-culture/alternative consumer base, sells the frames without prescriptive lenses. The design has long been popular for sunglasses frames, as well, perhaps most notably worn by The Blues Brothers
; this style is known as Ray Ban Wayfarer
.
Horn (anatomy)
A horn is a pointed projection of the skin on the head of various animals, consisting of a covering of horn surrounding a core of living bone. True horns are found mainly among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the families Antilocapridae and Bovidae...
or tortoise shell
Tortoiseshell material
Tortoiseshell or tortoise shell is a material produced mainly from the shell of the hawksbill turtle, an endangered species. It was widely used in the 1960s and 1970s in the manufacture of items such as combs, sunglasses, guitar picks and knitting needles...
, for most of their history they have actually been constructed out of thick plastics designed to imitate those materials. They are characterized by their bold appearance on the wearer's face, in contrast to metal frames, which appear less pronounced.
Horn-rimmed glasses were one of the first style of eyeglasses to become a popular fashion
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
item, after comedian Harold Lloyd
Harold Lloyd
Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. was an American film actor and producer, most famous for his silent comedies....
began wearing a round pair in his films. The glasses have enjoyed various periods of popularity throughout the 20th century, being considered especially fashionable in the early 1900s and in the 1950s-1960s in particular. The style enjoyed a renaissance in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, with influence from the emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
and hipster
Hipster
Hipster may refer to:* Hipster * Hipster * Hipster PDA, a paper-based personal organizer* Low-rise * Hipsters * Hipster...
subcultures, which embraced geek chic
Geek Chic
Geek Chic: The Ultimate Guide to Geek Culture is a book co-written by Neil Feinman, Rob Davis and Chelseah Kalberloh. The book charts the history of the geek from Ancient Greece to the Xbox. It is published by Thames and Hudson , BIS Publishing and Ginko Press ....
; and from the television series Mad Men
Mad Men
Mad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
, which repopularized 1960s fashions in general.
History
Horn rim glasses were initially popularized by comedian Harold Lloyd after he wore them in his 1917 comedy short Over the Fence. Lloyd had risen to fame playing an eccentric named Lonesome Luke, characterized by an ostentatious appearance. In an effort to break away from the character and revitalize his career, Lloyd crafted a new character who would be Luke's opposite and made distinct by a nondescript appearance. Lloyd outfitted himself in clothing popular amongst Americans in the 1910s, completing the ensemble with a pair of round, horn-rimmed glasses that would solidify the character's status as "ordinary." Glasses wearing had long been stigmatized, with wearers stereotyped as physically weak intellectuals, , members of the clergy, or simply elderly; President Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
's wearing of rimless eyeglasses
Rimless eyeglasses
Rimless eyeglasses, are a type of eyeglasses in which the lenses are mounted directly to the bridge and/or temples by way of a series of screws, rather than the lenses being secured inside of frames which encircle the lens...
had only recently begun to eliminate the stigma, albeit with glasses designed to minimize their appearance.
Lloyd named the character "The Glasses Character" or "The Glass Character" after the frames; the lenses themselves had in fact been removed, both because Lloyd did not require glasses to see, and because studio lights reflecting off of the lenses obscured Lloyd's eyes on film. The character proved to be a tremendous success with audiences and resulted in an unexpected rise in popularity of horn-rimmed glasses: Sales around the world rose as the popular Lloyd's appearance wearing glasses helped to dispel negative stereotypes of glasses wearers; when Lloyd ultimately broke the frames and attempted to order a new pair from the manufacturer, his check was returned along with an order of twenty frames and a note from the company thanking him for his endorsement. Explaining his reasons for the glasses, as well as their sartorial advantages, Lloyd said: "They make low-comedy clothes unnecessary, permit enough romantic appeal to catch the feminine eye, usually diverted from comedies, and they hold me down to no particular type or range of story."
Horn-rimmed glasses continued to be popular into the 1920s but steadily lost their appeal as their popularity was supplanted by sturdier metal styles: Exposure to heat and sunlight rendered the plastic brittle and prone to breakage, often to the point that they would break should an optician attempt to install new lenses.
Browline glasses
Browline glasses are a style of eyeglass frames which were very popular during the 1950s, especially in the United States. The name derives from the fact that the bold upper part of the frames frame the lenses in the same way that eyebrows frame the eyes...
, became one of the defining eyeglass styles of the 1940s and 1950s. Invented in 1947, the style combined the aesthetics of horn-rimmed glasses with the stability of metal frames by fitting prominent plastic "brows" over the tops of metal frames, creating a distinctive look that was also sturdier than solid plastic frames. Browlines quickly became popular in post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
America, and composed half of all eyeglass sales throughout the 1950s.
Plastic eyeglasses mounted in popularity throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s, ultimately supplanting metal as the most popular material for eyeglass frames. The trend died out in the 1970s, as oversized metal glasses in the style of the Ray-Ban Aviator became popular. Semi-round horn-rimmed glasses came back into fashion in the 1980s, with tortoiseshell being fashionable amongst entrepreneurs and "yuppies". Colored variants also became popular amongst New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
musicians.
In mainstream culture, the glasses are often associated with being "nerdy". Thus, they became popular in emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
, punk
Punk fashion
Punk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewelry, and body modifications of the punk subculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited. The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including...
, indie, hipster
Hipster (contemporary subculture)
Hipsters are a subculture of young, recently settled urban middle class adults and older teenagers with musical interests mainly in alternative rock that appeared in the 1990s...
, goth
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
, and generally counter-culture fashion. Some trend followers wear the glasses without prescriptive lenses, purely as a fashion statement. Hot Topic
Hot Topic
Hot Topic is an American retail chain specializing in music and pop culture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music on CD. The majority of the stores are located in regional shopping malls. The first Hot Topic store was opened in 1988 by Orv Madden, who retired as CEO in 2000...
, a clothing chain that markets to a counter-culture/alternative consumer base, sells the frames without prescriptive lenses. The design has long been popular for sunglasses frames, as well, perhaps most notably worn by The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedy actors Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on Saturday Night Live...
; this style is known as Ray Ban Wayfarer
Ray Ban Wayfarer
Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses have been manufactured by Ray-Ban since 1956, when their design was a revolutionary break from the metal eyewear of the past. Wayfarers enjoyed early popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the sunglasses had faded from the limelight by the 1970s, a lucrative 1982...
.
External links
- Horn-rimmed definition at The Free Dictionary
- "Harold Lloyd: The Glasses" by Annette M. D'Agostino
- Eyeglass frame Enotes.com
- Timeless Eyeglasses AskMen.com
- http://www.allvintageglasses.com/iconicframes.html AllVintageGlasses.com