Maria 007

Maria took directions quite well but there is always plenty of room for initiatives by the model and here is a fine example of spontaneity. This is good posing indeed, testifying that there is nothing wrong with wearing glasses if one can find the proper pair. I brought some ninety glasses along for the trip to Sweden and Maria selected the glasses with great care. It's always my pleasure to witness the selection process and to give the model a bit of a lecture about the history of glasses. Witnessing the model's reaction on the glasses also gives an indication of the posing that she has in store.

Maria 006

Probably only used as readers, these nameless cat eye glasses were a find in the central part of Ireland. The style of the frame is clearly late 1950's but the cat eye style remained popular among elderly Irish ladies until the seventies and even the 1980's. On the continent, cat eye glasses became unfashionable in 1964 when Beatlemania set in. This version of the portrait is edited in black and white to add to the nostalgic feel. Color photography only became available to amateurs in the late 1960's.

Maria 005

Glasses: Gan Aimh, late 1950's (style) double cat eye glasses
[L: +1.50 / R: +1.00]

Maria 004

These most remarkable thing about these Lozza glasses is that they were bought at all. The Rx of the lenses is ultra mild, even by present day standards. My guess is that the first owner simply liked her looks in glasses and perhaps the +0.50 prescription helped her to relax her eyes. In my childhood, glasses were expensive and there was also the issue of vanity. A timeless issue in itself but be it remembered that the cat eye era represented the dawn of glasses as a fashion statement. Most girls only got their first pair of glasses after reaching minus two and full time wear was only considered necessary above minus three. My life partner Nel got her first glasses when she was nine and according to her mother, the lenses were minus four or minus five. For Maria with her prescription for mild short sight, these +0.50 lenses worked in the wrong direction but the camera was only a few feet away.

Maria 003

Maria overlooking Lundagard Park through lenses with the glare that was a common phenomenon in all portrait photography of the late 1950's. Effective anti-reflective coating was an invention of the late 1960's and not in general use before the 1980's. Careful editing techniques were applied to take away some of the glare but not all. Here the hint of glare is in balance with the light on the model's face and the general feel of this portrait.  

Maria 002

The earliest pair selected by Maria, these Lozza glasses from the late 1950's were acquired at the shores of Lake Geneva, some ten years ago. My collection once hosted dozens of vintage cat eye glasses but alas, the primitive plastics used in the 1950's tend to crumble at the nose piece. Apparently this Lozza pair was rarely used and subsequently well kept, which explains its survival. The main damage is that the frame is slightly warped and the nose piece has a brownish hue. Signs of old age, not uncommon among humans in their mid fifties either :). The glasses are twice the model's age so this portrait is a nice mixture of the young and the old.

Maria 001

Photo shoot: October 11th, 2014

Location: Gamla Bibliotheket (Kongshuset), Lundagard Park, Lund, Sweden

Glasses: Lozza, late 1950's
[L: +0.25; c+0.50 h / R: +0.50]

Rx model: L=R: -1.25