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info This pair is marked WO C° which stands for Willson Optical Company, established in 1870 in Reading, PA. By the 1920s when this pair was made Willson were manufacturing vast numbers of optical frames and sunglasses, they were particularly known for safety and work eyewear. This is a pair of what was called 'sun goggles' at the time, unisex and marketed for those who liked the outdoors, especially driving which was becoming more popular. Here is a catalogue page of Willson's from 1922, the N65 centre left is the same as ours but a slightly larger model. Theirs is a 1⅞" lens whilst ours measures up as 1½". Ours are what was called the 'smoke' coloured lenses and as was common at the time, the tints differ slightly from each other (see light transmissions above) but not so much so that you would notice when the are being worn: it is only more apparent against our white backdrop. The lenses are rare these days as they are made completely flat, which started to change in the 1930s when lenses started to adapt a curve. Sadly Willson no longer exist as a company, they went fully into safety wear in the 1980s and were later purchased by a larger company and eventually dissolved. — klasik |
KlasikVintageEyewear |
product code : k5484 : £ 115 1920s silver metal frame marked WO C° Original mid-grey glass sun lenses condition lenses : excellent - 9 frame : very good fit : very good - cable arms size face : 115mm lens width : 40mm lens height : 40mm arms : n/a - cable arms lens spec uv transmission % : L=3 ; R=5 light transmission (LTF) % : L=29 ; R=34 uv protection y/n : y |
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