4th August 2023 Mumbai: Google Doodle on Altina Schinasi: The American sculptor, artist and filmmaker is perhaps best known for creating the iconic Harlequin eyeglass frame that became all the rage in the 1930s.
Altina Schinasi was born on August 4, 1907 in Manhattan, New York. Today would have been her 116th birthday. The daughter of immigrant parents – her mother was from Salonica while her father was a Sephardic Jewish Turk – Schinasi studied art at The Art Students League in New York. She began her career as a window dresser for several stores on the iconic Fifth Avenue.
Cat-eye glasses
Altina Schinasi was a prolific inventor who would go on to register many patents throughout her life, but her breakthrough came early with the Harlequin glasses frame. She was walking down the street when the inspiration struck her as she was underwhelmed by eyeglass frames options for women. The only options for women were round frames, so Schinasi came up with her own design of cat-eye frames.
Making of a designer
Altina was born to Jewish parents in America in 1907. After being tutored at home, Altina attended Horace Mann School and left home at age twelve to board at Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Massachusetes
Shortly after her graduation, Altina’s mother took her to Paris. There, Altina studied painting with her cousin, Rene Bensussan. While spending more time with Benussan, she developed a deeper appreciation for art. When she returned to New York, she studied with Samuel Halpert at the Roerich Museum.
From designing windows to creating iconic ‘cat-eye’ frames
Altina’s first job after learning design was with Peter Copeland. She worked with him on a project to design windows for Fifth Avenue stores. It was in this job that she found herself working alongside Salvador Dali.
She created and marketed the Harlequin eyeglass frame or the ‘cat-eye’ frame that defined glamour in the late 1930s.
The idea of these eyeglass frames came when Altina encountered lacklustre frames in an optician’s window. She found them underwhelming and set out to create something romantic and whimsical.
Works and Achievements
During her job at The Art Students League in New York City, Altina Schinasi collaborated with famous artistic figures like Salvador Dalí and George Grosz, whose teachings and works played an important role in building her creative vision.
It was during her duty as a window display designer that Schinasi thought of the popular “cat-eye” eyeglass frame. She noticed that women’s eyeglasses were only limited to round frames with boring designs. So she thought of eyeglass designs that are unique and creative.
She discovered eyeglass frames with pointed edges after being inspired by the interesting shape of Harlequin masks worn during the Carnevale festival in Venice, Italy.
by ASC Priya