U.S. Patent #2,893,149
Is my aluminum Christmas tree tacky, a relic unlike the towering fake green tree, decorated to the nines, overpowering my condo building’s lobby? If trees can be compared to celebs, the bejeweled lobby tree is perhaps the late Liz Taylor, while my stubby 4’ model comes off as Danny DeVito, round and firm and full of attitude.
Each shining branch of my tree (purchased at an antique shop) came packed in waxed paper tubes nestled in the original box, stamped “Evergleam Deluxe 58 branch stainless aluminum, complete with Deluxe Stand.” Made by the Aluminum Specialty Company (Manufacturers of Aluminum Ware) in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, it’s said to be non-inflammable, i.e. “the safety tree.” I’m advised: “For added beauty, use with turbo color projection and colored stand.”
Beneath the branches of my tree are arrangements of small photographs of aluminum trees, taken by Lawrence University art educators J. Shimon and J. Lindemann and sent to me at Christmas time. On a nearby easel, another of their images depicts the designer of the tree that made Manitowoc famous.
Another of their myriad of successes is captured on the pages of their book, Season’s Gleamings. Jacketed in pink and green, inside you’ll find sixty color photographs of the sparklers that reigned supreme during the modernist 60s.
For many years they’ve been part of the Film Studies Department at Lawrence University, which recently received generous monies to expand. Open facebook.com/lawrenceart and see what they’re up to. Fully engaged with both the digital age and the historical aspects of photography, they’re way more than tweedy professors.
An aluminum Christmas tree has such lovely “foilage”. lol
Edward – I love the pun.
[…] get calls from writers to talk about the trees from publications like Der Spiegel in Hamburg or Third Coast Digest Milwaukee. The trip […]