Altina Schinasi is an American artist who also went by other titles, including an inventor, designer, entrepreneur, and businesswoman. She was born on August 4th, 1907, and Schinasi was a woman who established herself in the eyeglasses industry due to her invention of the eye frame that was well decorated with a colorful Harlequin. Schinasi was a painter and a sculptor, and she painted and sculpted numerous artworks throughout her life. It does not state when she passed on, but she passed in the year 1999 from natural causes at the age of 92.
The groundwork of Schinasi’s art education was laid in the best private schools in Manhattan, and it continued later in Paris. This time, it helped her polish her talent and develop a fresh vision of art. When she returned to the United States, she apprenticed with Jean Carlu, a famous poster artist, which impacted her work.
In the late 1930s, Schinasi popularized the world with the Harlequin eyeglass frames, also known as the “cat-eye “glasses. These frames with the upswept edges became a fashion hit, and girls adored those models for their tenderness and elegance. The change that Schinasi introduced made wearing glasses go from being a set necessity to an extraordinary trend.
Schinasi proved to be very talented not just in eyewear design but in other fields as well. They include a few well-known documentaries she directed during her artistic career as a filmmaker. The proof of her professionalism and desire is her cinema of “George Grosz’ Interregnum,” which received an Academy Award nomination.
Despite being a businessman by profession, Schinasi was a philanthropist and participated in social fights for justice, such as black rights. She was a strong social justice warrior who illustrated this through her art and tribal activism, indicating she was a woman of substance in both fields.
The film Harlequin Glass, designed by Altina Schinasi, remains an impressive example and reference point in fashion. Her life and work are still significant to society, and she showcases the importance and contribution of creativity to society via design.
Google Doodle Celebrates Altina Schinasi, Inventor of Harlequin Eyeglass Frames.
It is part of Google Doodle to celebrate Altina Schinasi, the talented designer of the famous Harlequin glasses frame. Schinasi, born in Manhattan to Sephardic Jewish immigrants, greatly impacted fashion and art.
Apart from her green spectacle’s invention, Schinasi was an artist and a filmmaker of versatile nature. She created many successful documentaries, including “George Grosz’s Interregnum,” which was nominated for an Academy Award. Her works were affectionate to social justice since she depicted political and social transformation.
Presented by Google, the homage focuses on the numerous achievements of Altina Schinasi in art, fashion, and changing people’s lives. The Doodle also appreciates her creativity, strong will, determination, and contributions to society, which paved the way for today’s women.
