Hello! Thank you for your question! Below is an excerpt from an article in The Weirton Daily Times (Weirton, West Virginia), from May 28, 1958, entitled “The Inner You,” by Anna Heywood:
Back in 1939, Fran Taylor was a housewife doing her share of entertaining. She had a modern and contemporary spirit and liked to do things informally. But when she looked for a certain kind of glassware, hors d’oevres dishes and general buffet serving pieces, she found only heavy, formal, Victorian-type things. They were designed for home with staffs of servants.
The article continues,
Instead of bewailing her bad luck and the general stupidity of manufacturers, Fran Taylor set out to do something about it. She had no art training, but she knew what she wanted and was willing to work extremely hard to find a way of producing it.
That was 19 years ago. Today, Gay Fad Studios is one of the leading manufacturers of beautiful contemporary accessories for entertaining. Fran Taylor has never lost her touch with the young housewife who wants chic, attractive, practical and yet inexpensive accessories.
For a more recent take on Gay Fad and Fran Taylor, the February 17, 2020, issue of AntiqueWeek (Eastern Edition) featured an article by Kelley Summers Jent entitled, "Fran Taylor Brought Art and Talent to Gay Fad," which you can read on the AntiqueWeek site.
Books, Articles, and Trade Catalogs
Below is a list of additional books, articles, and trade catalogs that you might find useful in your research (links are to the Rakow Research Library catalog, unless otherwise noted):
- Gaytime glassware by Gay Fad for giving...for living. Trade catalog. Lancaster, Ohio: Gay Fad Studios, 1953. Includes decorated pitcher and glasses sets, luncheon sets; souvenir type glasses.
- Hanson, Kitty. “A Beginner’s Guide to Gay Fad.” All About Glass 11, no. 4 (Jan. 2014): 8-14, ill.
- Hopper, Philip. Decorated Glassware: Dispelling the Gay Fad Myth. Volume 2. The Washington Company. Book on CD-ROM. San Antonio: Anchor Hocking Glass Museum, 2007. Includes advertisements, sales brochures, deeds and historical documents, glassware and boxed sets.
- Hopper, Philip. Decorated Glassware: Dispelling the Gay Fad Myth. Volume 3. Hansetta-Artware, United Glass Industries, and Other Decorating Companies. Book on CD-ROM. San Antonio: Anchor Hocking Glass Museum, 2007.
- Hopper, Philip. Hand-Painted Glassware: Dispelling the Gay Fad Myth. Book on CD-ROM. San Antonio: Anchor Hocking Glass Museum, 2007. Includes magazine ads, sales brochures, price lists, deeds, historical documents, glassware and boxed sets, and several Gay Fad catalogs.
- Keller, Joe. Fire-King: An Information and Price Guide. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub. Ltd., 2002. Includes chapter on Gay Fad.
- McGrady, Donna, and Kitty Hanson. Gay Fad: Fran Taylor’s Extraordinary Legacy. [S.l.]: SantaFeTradingPost.com, 2011. 2 vols.
- Piña, Leslie A. "’50s & ’60s Glass, Ceramic & Enamel Wares: Designed & Signed by Georges Briard, Sascha B., Bellaire, Higgins--." Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub., 1996. Includes Gay Fad.
- Six, Dean. Decorated Glass of the 1950s: Original Advertisements. Weston, W. Va.: West Virginia Museum of American Glass, 2000. Includes Gay Fad Studios.
- Six, Dean. Mid-Century Modern Glass in America. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2014. Includes Fran Taylor/Gay Fad.
We also have a folder of materials on the Gay Fad Studio in our J. Stanley Brothers collection. The folder is divided into two parts: history and ware. The contents of this folder are on microfilm and may be borrowed via Interlibrary Loan.
Borrowing Library Materials
The Rakow Library will lend designated books and send copies of articles to libraries via Interlibrary Loan. If you would like to borrow materials listed here, contact your local library for assistance.
Museum Collections
The Corning Museum of Glass has a few pieces of Gay Fad Studio glass, which were gifts of Gay Fad Studio. You can find more examples of Gay Fad Studio glass in the collection of The Museum of American Glass in West Virginia.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with your glass-related questions in the future!
