Sunglasses

1940s sunglasses come in round, oval, aviator, and slight cat-eye shapes. Bausch and Lomb started development on aviator sunglasses in 1929. Their classic Rayban “Aviator” sunglasses came out in 1937. The style was quickly adopted by American pilots.  Germans and British soldiers tended to wear round, wire-frame or plastic sunglasses.  Bakelite / plastic frames, clip-ons and flip-ups were  available on both sides of the pond. Flip ups were even stitched into the brim of a USAAF flying cap made for the south pacific. While military and utilitarian styles influenced sunglass fashion, Many people think of cat eye glasses as a 1950’s trend, but we’ve seen pictures of women in the mid-1940s wearing slightly tear-dropped or cat-eye shaped sunglasses glasses.

While military and utilitarian styles influenced 1940s sunglasses fashion, crazy colors and whimsical shapes also appeared. Many people think of cat eye glasses as a 1950’s trend, but we’ve seen pictures of women in the mid-1940s wearing slightly tear-dropped or cat-eye shaped sunglasses and regular eyewear.

Although they weren’t as frequently worn as they are today, 1940s sunglasses were a popular accessory in sunny California, Florida, and other vacation spots.  Sunglasses of the 1940s typically had green glass, but some had brown or smoke black tint. Vintage 1940s sunglasses are just colored glass and have little to no UV protection. Try our reproduction 1940s sunglasses instead.