Eyeglasses Warehouse is the number one place to buy vintage 1940s glasses for men and women. With a more unique style than glasses from earlier decades but without the boldness of 1950s glasses, WWII glasses are available in a variety of frame styles. We offer authentic women’s and men’s glasses from the 1940s for daily wear with prescription or sunglass lenses, or for use as a stylish accessory, prop, or WWII reenactment.
Find our entire selection of 1940s glasses below. Even if you do not see the size or style you want today, we recommend checking back as we find and restore more 1940s eyeglasses.
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Vintage Eyeglasses B&L Balgrip Tension 1/10 12k Rimless Antique Frames 42-20$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses AO Fulvue 1/10 12k Rimless Numont Antique Frames 42-22$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses Shuron Shurset 1/10 12k Rimless Antique Frames 46-20$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses Shurset Shurset 1/10 12k Rimless Antique Frames 42-20$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses AO Numont 1/10 12k Semi Rimless Antique Frames 42-20$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses B&L 1/10 12k Rimless Rimway Fulvue Antique Frames 44-22$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses COC 1/10 12k Rimless Antique Frames 44-20$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses Benson 1/10 12k Rimless Rimway Fulvue Antique Frames 44-20$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses Shuron Numont 1/10 12k Semi Rimless Antique Frames 44-22$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses AO 1/10 12k Rimless Rimway Fulvue Antique Frames 42-22$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses AO Fulvue 1/10 12k Rimless Antique Frames 42-20$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses B&L Rimway Numont 1/10 12k Semi Rimless Antique Frames 42-20$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses Silver Tone Ovid Antique Spectacles$145.00
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Small Antique Eyeglasses Frames 41X38 1940s Ful-Vue AO Vintage Glasses$155.00
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Antique Eyeglasses Frames 43X40mm 1940s Shuron Ful-Vue Vintage Glasses$155.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses Silver Tone Ovid Antique Spectacles$145.00
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Antique Eyeglasses Frames 43X40 1940s Ful-Vue Shuron Vintage Glasses$155.00
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Antique Eyeglasses Frames 43X40mm 1930s American Optical Ful-Vue Vintage Glasses$165.00
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Small Antique Eyeglasses Frames 38X35 1940s Ful-Vue AO Vintage Glasses$155.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses 1/10 12k Gold Filled Antique Spectacles$155.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses Shuron Gold Tone Ful-Vue Antique Spectacles$155.00
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Round Rimless Glasses Classic Retro Eyeglass Frames Gold Men Women Steve Jobs$248.00
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Round Rimless Glasses Classic Retro Eyeglass Gunmetal Men Women Steve Jobs$248.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses B&L Balgrip Tension 1/10 12k Rimless Antique Frames 42-20$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses AO Fulvue 1/10 12k Rimless Numont Antique Frames 42-22$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses Shuron Shurset 1/10 12k Rimless Antique Frames 46-20$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses Shurset Shurset 1/10 12k Rimless Antique Frames 42-20$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses AO Numont 1/10 12k Semi Rimless Antique Frames 42-20$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses B&L 1/10 12k Rimless Rimway Fulvue Antique Frames 44-22$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses COC 1/10 12k Rimless Antique Frames 44-20$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses Benson 1/10 12k Rimless Rimway Fulvue Antique Frames 44-20$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses Shuron Numont 1/10 12k Semi Rimless Antique Frames 44-22$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses AO 1/10 12k Rimless Rimway Fulvue Antique Frames 42-22$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses AO Fulvue 1/10 12k Rimless Antique Frames 42-20$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses B&L Rimway Numont 1/10 12k Semi Rimless Antique Frames 42-20$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses AO 1/10 12k Rimless Rimway Fulvue Antique Frames 44-20$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses BSO Numont 1/10 12k Semi Rimless Antique Frames 42-22$175.00
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Vintage Eyeglasses AO Fulvue 1/10 12k Rimless Antique Frames 44-22$175.00
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Black Rimless Glasses Oval Minimalist Frameless Eyeglass Frames Retro$144.00
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Brown Rimless Glasses Oval Minimalist Frameless Eyeglass Frames Retro$144.00
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Black Rimless Glasses Rectangle Minimalist Style Frameless Eyeglass Frames Retro$144.00
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Silver Rimless Glasses Rectangle Minimalist Style Frameless Eyeglass Frames Retro$144.00
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Gunmetal Rimless Glasses Rectangle Minimalist Style Frameless Eyeglass Frames Retro$144.00
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Brown Rimless Glasses Rectangle Minimalist Style Frameless Eyeglass Frames Retro$144.00
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Gold Rimless Glasses 52X49 Retro Vintage Style Eyewear$124.00
About 1940s Glasses Frames at Eyeglasses Warehouse
The 1940s was a transitional decade for eyeglasses and sunglasses. Gold wire frames and horn-rimmed glasses held over from earlier years of the 20th century, but new plastics and changing fashions encouraged manufacturers to introduce new eyeglasses. This led to the 1940s having a large number of styles customers could choose from, and those looking for vintage 1940s glasses can find today.
Glasses Styles Popular in the 1940s
With the world in the midst of WWII for most of the decade, fashion was not a priority for most Americans. Many kept with the styles of glasses they had been using for the past decades, although new materials and technologies – some a result of wartime invention – were starting to make eyeglasses into more of an accessory than their historic counterparts had been.
Frames for Men’s and women’s glasses in the 1940s included:
- Windsor Glasses – These vintage circular glasses have perfectly round frames, a saddle bridge over the nose, and temples that extend back from the midpoint on the frames. During the 1940s, they were generally relatively small on the face.
- Gold Wire Glasses – This older style, specifically the Marshwood style, was still popular with men and women. The thin wire frames were subtle and preferred for reading glasses or when the wearer did not want to call attention to their glasses.
- Horn Rimmed Glasses – Unlike the thin wire frames, horn rimmed glasses had thick frames. They were available as men’s glasses during the 1940s, but were not at the height of style.
- Rimless Glasses – Rimless glasses with gold hardware had been developed earlier in the century and were liked for having a similar subtlety as gold wire rim glasses. They were the preferred style amongst professionals.
- Rimway Glasses – Also called semi rimless glasses, they had a thin wire across the top of the lens to provide a better structure than rimless glasses, but with a very similar appearance.
- 1940s Cat Eye Glasses – After their invention in the 1930s, cat eye glasses were becoming more prevalent. They were also known as Harlequin glasses and had thick frames with embellishments in the corners.
The new styles also brought a range of new shapes. While the vintage circular glasses frames were very fashionable, oval lenses all but disappeared during the decade. They were replaced by rectangular glasses frames, octagonal glasses frames, and frames with a triangular taper at the bottom.
The manufacturers at the time included Bausch and Lomb, Art-Craft, Shuron, and American Optical, all of whose designs were prominent throughout the 1900s.
1940s Sunglasses
Sunglasses were also transitioning from a medical implement to a fashion accessory, primarily for women. As pin-up girls and beach going looks became all the rage, women’s sunglasses became popular as well. The most common style was small, circular lenses, often with grey tint and white frames. But brightly colored plastics also made other colors possible, including:
Other shapes also included early cat eye sunglasses or squared glasses with tapered bottoms. Vintage 1940s sunglasses were often available in five and dime stores for a low price, but the plastics were not durable. As a result, these early plastic sunglasses are rare.
While some of the styles from the 1940s are still produced today, or made as reproductions, only original 1940s glasses have the retro look you need. See all the glasses we have available here and check back as we add new vintage glasses to our collection.