Our browline glasses are original frames from the 1950s, offering no better way to add authentic vintage style to your wardrobe, costume, or film or theater production. At Eyeglasses Warehouse, we find browline eyeglasses produced and worn in the 1950s and restore them to wearable condition. The glasses you see in our inventory below are ready to be fitted with your prescription lenses or sunglass lenses. Come see all our men’s (and women’s) browline glasses, available at Eyeglasses Warehouse, and if you don’t see the style you’d like, we are constantly updating our inventory so check back to see if we’ve brought one in.
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Yellow Browline Glasses Combination Vintage 1960s Style Glasses Malcolm X$78.00
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Brown Browline Glasses Combination Vintage 1960s Style Glasses Malcolm X$78.00
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Gray Browline Glasses Combination Vintage 1960s Style Glasses Malcolm X$134.00
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Tortoise Browline Glasses Combination Vintage 1960s Style Glasses Malcolm X$134.00
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Brown Gray Browline Glasses Retro Vintage 1960s Style Glasses$124.00
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Gray Browline Glasses Combination Vintage 1960s Style Glasses Malcolm X$134.00
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Tortoise Browline Glasses Combination Vintage 1960s Style Glasses Malcolm X$134.00
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Yellow Browline Glasses Combination Vintage 1960s Style Glasses Malcolm X$78.00
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Graysmoke Browline Glasses Combination Vintage 1960s Style Glasses Malcolm X$78.00
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Brown Browline Glasses Combination Vintage 1960s Style Glasses Malcolm X$78.00
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Tortoise Browline Glasses 1950s Style Glasses Malcolm X$134.00
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Beige Browline Glasses 1950s Style Glasses Malcolm X$134.00
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Black Browline Glasses Combination 1960s Style Glasses Malcolm X$134.00
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Demi Amber Browline Glasses 1950s Style Glasses Malcolm X$134.00
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Honey Tortoise Browline Glasses Combination 1960s Style Glasses Malcolm X$134.00
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Black Gold Browline Glasses Combination 1960s Style Glasses Malcolm X$134.00
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Gold Tortoise Browline Glasses Combination 1960s Style Glasses Malcolm X$134.00
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US Optical Aluminum Vintage Browline 1960s Glasses Malcolm X glasses$94.00
About Our Vintage 1950s Browline Glasses
When it came to eyeglasses in the 1950s, browline glasses were the prevailing style for men and a few women. Shuron first introduced their “Ronsir” model in 1947, a unique frame style that used a heavy frame on top of the lens and a thin wire for the lower frame and temples. The result was a pair of glasses that emphasized the wearer’s browline – a look that characterized much of the 1950s.
Browline glasses are also known as Clubmaster glasses after the model that Bausch and Lomb produced. Malcolm X glasses are another common name for browline glasses since Malcolm X was well known for wearing a variety of browline glasses in different colors.
Styles and Materials Available
A major appeal of browline glasses was that they offered more customization than other contemporary styles like horn rimmed glasses that used a single colored frame. Browline eyeglasses were often made with gold or silver frames and black “brow” pieces, but there were also options for colored or wood grain brow pieces.
Originally made from new plastics available following WWII, manufacturers began offering aluminum brow pieces in the later half of the 1950s. These were lighter than the plastic and easier to wear. Today, plastic browline glasses are rarer than metal since the plastic was more likely to shrink or crack.
Original Browline Glasses Brands
In addition to the Shuron Ronsirs, other popular glasses manufacturers produced browline glasses for men and occasionally women during the 1950s. Notable names include:
- Bausch and Lomb
- Art-Craft Optical
- American Optical
- Victory Optical
Our inventory of 1950s browline glasses and 1960s browline glasses can include original frames from all these manufacturers and more. Even if you do not see the right pair of glasses for you, we encourage you to check back regularly as we find and restore browline glasses in more sizes, colors, and styles.