Today’s Google Doodle honors the legacy of Altina “Tina” Schinasi, an accomplished American artist, designer, and inventor, renowned for creating the iconic Harlequin eyeglass frame, now commonly known as the “cat-eye” frame. Throughout her career, Schinasi also patented several other inventions and produced documentaries.
Altina Schinasi was born on this day in 1907 in Manhattan, New York, to immigrant parents. Her mother hailed from Salonica (then part of the Ottoman Empire), and her father was a Sephardic Jewish Turk. After completing high school, Schinasi pursued painting in Paris, an experience that fueled her passion for the arts. Upon returning to the US, she studied art at The Art Students League in New York and worked as a window dresser for various stores on Fifth Avenue. During this time, she had the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from renowned artists like Salvador Dalí and George Grosz, whom she deeply admired.
The concept for the famous “cat-eye” frames was born during Schinasi’s time as a window display designer. She noticed that women’s glasses typically featured round frames with uninspired designs. This observation motivated her to create a distinctive alternative, drawing inspiration from the Harlequin masks she had seen in Venice during the Carnevale festival. She found the pointed edges of the masks to be flattering to the face and began crafting paper prototypes of her innovative frame design.
Despite facing rejections from major manufacturers who deemed her design too daring, Schinasi persisted. Her breakthrough came when a local shop owner believed in her vision and requested an exclusive design for six months. The Harlequin glasses quickly gained popularity, earning Schinasi significant recognition and publicity. By the late 1930s and through the 1940s, the Harlequin glasses became a coveted fashion accessory among American women. In 1939, Schinasi received the prestigious Lord & Taylor American Design Award for her invention, and her work was featured in major magazines like Vogue and Life.
Aside from her success in the world of art and design, Schinasi delved into filmmaking. In 1960, she produced a documentary titled “George Grosz’ Interregnum” about her former teacher, the celebrated artist George Grosz. The documentary received an Academy Award nomination and won first place at the Venice Film Festival.
Even in her later years, Altina Schinasi remained creatively active. She authored and published her memoir “The Road I Have Traveled” in 1995, volunteered as an art therapist, and continued inventing, creating unique portrait chairs and benches she called “Chairacters.”
Today, nearly a century after its inception, Altina’s “cat-eye” design continues to exert its influence on fashion accessory trends worldwide. Happy birthday to the visionary woman whose impact has transcended time.
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