Gay fad glassware
60 years since its closing, Lgbtq+ Fad Studios has returned to Lancaster, Ohio! Featuring new and vintage mid-century inspired glassware, stemware, and gifts inspired by the company that broke the glass ceiling. Learn about the first company and walk away with a new appreciation for Lancaster’s Glass Town heritage. Shine On!
The achievements of Gay Fad Studios, a mid-century glassware company, carry on to inspire to this evening. Celebrated by collectors and revered for its unparalleled success. Here, everything Gay Fad Studios is revived.
During the Bottoms Up Midcentury Barware Show, visitors can shop exclusive Gay Fad pieces — from elegantly crafted barware to fresh takes on iconic designs. Whether you&#;re a collector, a cocktail enthusiast, or just cherish a splash of vintage flair, Gay Fad Studios offers something unforgettable.
Learn about the Gay Fad Studios mural here, or or find the Gay Fad Studios Glass Museum here.
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While the studio’s designs have since been acknowledged for their artistry and vibrancy, mid-century glassware — like much art from that era — sometimes included imagery that we would now consider culturally insensitive. The “Jolly Minstrels” pattern, for example, is a motif that, rightly, has no home on modern shelves.
Reflecting on these pieces today involves acknowledging the history behind them, while being mindful of the diverse perspectives that were left out in their creation.
Jason recognizes both the value and limitations of designs from that time.
“We can’t decline these depictions but, as we move forward, we want to focus on some of the ways that Fran did actively work for progress — like elevating women in the workforce.”
Fran was constantly evolving and learning, and her inspiration was mirrored in Gay Fad’s designs as they moved from stereotyped imagery to more authentic cultural representations, which was rare for the time.
“As she started to travel internationally, the glasses cha
The Gay Fad Studios Glass Museum bids the largest comprehensive collection of nearly 3, pieces of original Gay Fad Studios glassware, boxes, packaging, never-seen-before photos, catalogs, newspaper clippings, and artwork from
More About Queer Fad Studios
60 years since its closing, Gay Fad Studios has returned to Lancaster, Ohio! Featuring new and vintage mid-century inspired glassware, stemware, and gifts inspired by the company that broke the glass ceiling. Learn about the original company and walk away with a new appreciation for Lancaster&#;s Glass Town heritage. Beam On!
The achievements of Gay Fad Studios, a mid-century glassware company, continue to inspire to this day. Celebrated by collectors and revered for its peerless success. Here, everything Gay Fad Studios is revived.
Learn more about Gay Fad Studios (retail store) here, or discover the Gay Fad Studios mural here.
Gay Fad Studios
Fran Taylor worked in Detroit from doing cold illustrate on metal and glass, hand decorating wastebaskets and other tin items, as well as an ever increasing number of glass pieces. She opened Gay Fad Studios in Lancaster, Ohio ( to ) Gay Fad was one of the best famous and most prolific decorating companies in the country. Fran and her staff did extensive decorating work on “blanks” purchased from Anchor Hocking, Hazel Atlas, Federal Glass, and Imperial Glass, among others. However, limited of the Gay Fad pieces were marked (many carried paper labels that were immediately taken off or became lost over the years), and this has led to a amazing deal of confusion as to which pieces were actually decorated by Homosexual Fad and which were decorated by other companies in the “Gay Fad style.” On the marked pieces of Gay Fad the signature seem to be consistent, an interlocking G and backward F in whatever color coordinated with the overall design.
The Gay Fad Studio closed in