Biographies

Altina Schinasi Wiki, Age, Bio, Google Doodle, Designer

Altina Schinasi Wiki – Altina Schinasi Bio

Altina Schinasi was a US-based sculptor, filmmaker, businesswoman, window dresser, designer, and inventor. She was primarily recognized for inventing the “Harlequin eyeglass frame,” sometimes known as cat-eye spectacles.

Today’s Google Doodle honors the life of Altina Schinasi, a designer located in the United States. She is most recognized for popularizing the ‘cat-eye’ eyeglass frame style. Google honors the American designer’s 116th birthday with a doodle featuring Altina within a cat-eye framed eyeglass.

Altina Schinasi Age

Schinasi was the Schinasi family’s youngest child. On August 4, 1907, she was born in the Schinasi Mansion on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. She died on August 19, 1999, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. Schinasi died at the age of 92.

Who was Altina Schinasi
Who was Altina Schinasi

Career

Altina was born in America in 1907 to Jewish parents. Altina attended Horace Mann School after being schooled at home and left home at the age of twelve to board at Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Altina’s mother brought her to Paris shortly after she graduated. Altina studied painting with her cousin Rene Bensussan there. She gained a greater appreciation for art as she spent more time with Benussan. When she returned to New York, she studied at the Roerich Museum under Samuel Halpert.

Altina’s first employment after graduating from design school was with Peter Copeland. She collaborated with him on a project to create storefront displays for Fifth Avenue retailers. She met Salvador Dali while working on this project.

Altina later registers many patents for her design-related discoveries. Her success came early on, however, when she invented and popularized the Harlequin eyeglass frame, sometimes known as the ‘cat-eye’ frame, which epitomized glamour in the late 1930s.

Altina got the concept for these eyeglass frames after seeing some drab frames in an optician’s window. She disliked them and set out to create something beautiful and whimsical.

“Surely there must be a way to design eyeglasses that are appealing!” What looks decent on a person’s face? What makes a face unique? “What could a woman put on her face to look romantic?” she asked.

Altina chose the Harlequin mask as her starting point and began cutting masks into the frames she imagined. She built an office where she supervised marketing and distribution after setting up manufacturing and negotiating partnerships with department retailers.

Altina received the Lord & Taylor Annual American Design Award in 1939 for her avant-garde reworking of the eyeglass frame into a fashionable accessory.

In addition to her larger body of work, Altina Schinasi designed several notable pieces, including the “Altina Schinasi” rug for the Knoll Textile Company in 1955, the “Aphrodite” ceramic vase for the Steuben Glass Company in 1960, and the “Opus II” necklace for the Steuben Glass Company in 1965. These items demonstrate her creative skills and inventive approach to design even more.

Google Doodle

Today’s Google Doodle honors the life of Altina Schinasi, a designer located in the United States. She is most recognized for popularizing the ‘cat-eye’ eyeglass frame style. Google honors the American designer’s 116th birthday with a doodle featuring Altina within a cat-eye framed eyeglass.

 
 
 
 
 
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Altina was born on August 4, 1907, in Manhattan, New York to immigrant parents, according to the Google Doodle blog article. Her creative path carried her from Manhattan’s streets to Paris’ lively art galleries, where she continued her passion for painting.

With a Doodle that stated, “Happy birthday to the woman who was a visionary in more ways than one.” Terry Sanders, Tina’s son, assisted with it and offered a greeting on her behalf: “Happy Birthday, Tina! Thank you for being brave, kind, and inspiring. Always with love.”

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