Gay fad studios

Fran Taylor worked in Detroit from 1938-1945 doing chilly paint 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 (1945 to 1963) Gay Fad was one of the leading known and most prolific decorating companies in the country. Fran and her staff did extensive decorating serve on “blanks” purchased from Anchor Hocking, Hazel Atlas, Federal Glass, and Imperial Glass, among others. However, few of the Male lover 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 great deal of confusion as to which pieces were actually decorated by Gay Fad and which were decorated by other companies in the “Gay Fad style.” On the marked pieces of Same-sex attracted Fad the signature appear to be consistent, an interlocking G and backward F in whatever tint coordinated with the overall design.

The Gay Fad Studio closed in 1962.

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Continued from above

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While the studio’s designs own since been acknowledged for their artistry and vibrancy, mid-century glassware — fancy 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 dwelling on modern shelves.

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Reflecting on these pieces today involves acknowledging the history behind them, while entity mindful of the diverse perspectives that were left out in their creation.

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Jason recognizes both the value and limitations of designs from that time.

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“We can’t deny these depictions but, as we move forward, we want to focus on some of the ways that Fran did actively work for progress — prefer elevating women in the workforce.”

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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 infrequent for the day.

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“As she started to travel internationally, the glasses changed,” says Jason. “We have a Tunisian set where the dancers look as if they’re captured mid-movemen

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