Home  ›  A Dark Family Secret: the Artificial Christmas Tree

A Dark Family Secret: the Artificial Christmas Tree

Written By الخميس، 3 مارس 2022 Add Comment Edit

Blazon of artificial Christmas tree

A vintage aluminum Christmas tree

An aluminum Christmas tree is a type of artificial Christmas tree that was popular in the United States from 1958 until about the mid-1960s. Every bit its proper noun suggests, the tree is made of aluminum, featuring foil needles and illumination from below via a rotating color wheel.

The aluminum Christmas tree was used as a symbol of the commercialization of Christmas in the 1965 boob tube special, A Charlie Dark-brown Christmas, which discredited its suitability equally a holiday ornamentation. By the mid-2000s aluminum copse found a secondary market online, often selling for high premiums. The copse accept also appeared in museum collections.

History [edit]

Manufacturing [edit]

Aluminum trees have been said to be the start bogus Christmas trees that were not green in color.[i] It is more authentic to say that aluminum Christmas trees were the first nongreen Christmas trees commercially successful on a grand calibration. Long before aluminum Christmas copse were commercially bachelor at least by the late 1800s, white "Christmas trees" were made at abode by wrapping strips of cotton wool batting around leafless branches, making what appeared to be snow-laden copse that stayed white in the abode. These not-dark-green trees made perfect displays for ornaments and dropped no needles. After Christmas, the cotton was unwrapped and stored with the ornaments for the next yr while the branches were burnt or otherwise discarded. Flocked copse, real or artificial, to which flocking was practical became stylish for the wealthy during the 1930s and take been commercially available since. A 1937 issue of Popular Science advocated spraying aluminum paint using an insect spray gun to coat Christmas trees causing it to appear as if "fashioned of molten silver".[ii]

Aluminum Christmas trees were first commercially manufactured onetime effectually 1955, remained popular into the 1960s, and were manufactured into the 1970s.[3] [iv] The trees were beginning manufactured past Modern Coatings, Inc. of Chicago.[4] [5] Between 1959 and 1969, the majority of aluminum Christmas copse were produced in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, by the Aluminum Specialty Company;[6] [5] in that decade the company produced more than ane million aluminum trees.[iv] At the time they were produced in Manitowoc the copse, including the company'south flagship product the "Evergleam", retailed for $25 and wholesaled for $xi.25.[4]

Popularity [edit]

An aluminum Christmas tree on display in Washington land

During the 1960s, the aluminum Christmas tree enjoyed its most popular period of usage.[1] Equally the mid-1960s passed, the aluminum Christmas tree began to fall out of favor, with many thrown away or relegated to basements and attics.[3] [7] The airing of A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965 has been credited with ending the era of the aluminum tree,[4] [6] [7] and by 1967 their time had almost completely passed.[eight]

At the height of the aluminum tree's popularity, the trees were sold in the Sears catalog.[vii]

Whether you decorate with bluish or red balls . . . or use the tree without ornaments - this exquisite tree is sure to be the talk of your neighborhood. Loftier luster aluminum gives a dazzling brilliance. Shimmering silvery branches are swirled and tapered to a handsome realistic fullness. It's really durable . . needles are glued and mechanically locked on. Fireproof . . you can use it year afterwards year.

— Sears, 1963 Christmas Volume [nine]

Re-emergence [edit]

By 1989, information technology was not uncommon to find aluminum Christmas trees for sale in yard sales or at estate sales being sold for every bit little equally 25 cents.[8] In recent years the aluminum Christmas tree has seen a re-emergence in popularity. Collectors began buying and selling the trees, particularly on online auction web sites.[3] A rare 7-pes-alpine pink aluminum Christmas tree sold on the Internet for $three,600 in 2005.[3]

Design [edit]

Many aluminum trees utilized a rotating color wheel which projected colored light upwardly through the tree from the flooring.

Aluminum Christmas copse consisted of aluminum branches attached to a wooden or aluminum key pole.[1] The primal pole had holes drilled into at angles and so when the aluminum foil branches were attached they formed a tree shape.[four] The foil branches had woven aluminum "needles" likewise.[8] Each tree took about 15 minutes to assemble.[four]

The first aluminum trees could not be illuminated in the manner traditional for natural Christmas trees or other artificial trees. Burn safety concerns prevented lights from being strung through the tree's branches;[4] draping electrical lights through an aluminum tree could crusade a curt circuit.[8] The mutual method of illumination was a floor-based "colour wheel" which was placed under the tree.[8] The color wheel featured diverse colored segments on a clear plastic wheel; when the wheel rotated a light shone through the clear plastic casting an array of colors throughout the tree'due south metallic branches.[7] Sometimes this spectacle was enhanced past a rotating Christmas tree stand.[8]

Aluminum Christmas trees have been variously described equally futuristic or equally cast in a mode which evoked the glitter of the space age.[3] [6] [vii] A Money mag article published on the CNN website in 2004 called the design of aluminum Christmas copse "clever".[8] The same article asserted that in one case the trees overcame their cultural baggage every bit icons of bad-taste, that aluminum Christmas copse were actually beautiful decor.[8] The Space Historic period-feel of the copse made them especially suited to the streamlined abode decor of the time menses.[9]

Cultural significance [edit]

A colour wheel for use with an aluminum Christmas tree, from the drove of the Children'due south Museum of Indianapolis.

The aluminum Christmas tree was used as a symbol of the over-commercialization of Christmas in the 1965 Peanuts holiday special, A Charlie Brown Christmas.[iv] The program is considered a archetype amongst Christmas specials,[viii] and its mention of the aluminum tree solidified the tree's legendary status while satirizing it as well.[3] In the special, Lucy van Pelt implored Charlie Brown to go a "big, shiny aluminum tree...possibly painted pink" for the group'due south nativity play.[three] Charlie Brown lamented the commercialization of Christmas and, in a lot surrounded by many huge aluminum trees (much larger than most aluminum trees of the era), purchased a pocket-size, scrawny natural tree on a whim instead.[seven]

The re-emergent popularity of aluminum Christmas trees has allowed them to find their style into museum collections. I example is the Aluminum Christmas Tree Museum (officially known as the Aluminum Tree and Aesthetically Challenged Seasonal Ornament Museum and Research Heart).[10] The museum, variously located in Brevard or Asheville, North Carolina was called "campy" past Fodor'due south in 2009.[11] The Children's Museum of Indianapolis holds a vintage aluminum Christmas tree and colour wheel in its collections.[12] The Wisconsin Historical Museum has held the "'Tis the Season" exhibition at least twice, featuring a collection of vintage aluminum Christmas trees.[13]

See also [edit]

  • Plume Christmas tree
  • Festivus

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b c Hewitt, James. The Christmas Tree, (Google Books), Lulu.com, 2007, p. 34, (ISBN 1-4303-0820-6).
  2. ^ Keith, K.F., "Sprays Aluminum Paint on Christmas Tree", (Google Books link), Popular Science, January 1937, p.xc. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d east f one thousand Pinto, Barbara. "Town Leads Aluminum Christmas Tree Revival Archived 2010-03-25 at the Wayback Car", ABC News, December 18, 2005, accessed Dec 13, 2008.
  4. ^ a b c d due east f g h i Fortin, Cassandra A. (October 26, 2008). "Information technology's beginning to look a lot like Christmas (1958)". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved December 13, 2008.
  5. ^ a b Skrabec, Quentin R. (6 February 2017). Aluminum in America: A History. McFarland. p. 204. ISBN9781476625645. Archived from the original on 2018-12-26. Retrieved 2018-12-25 .
  6. ^ a b c Andrews, Candice Gaukel. Great Wisconsin Winter Weekends, (Google Books), Big Earth Publishing, 2006, p. 178, (ISBN 1-931599-71-eight)
  7. ^ a b c d eastward f "A dark family unit clandestine: the artificial Christmas tree", Oakland Tribune, December 24, 2006, via findarticles.com, accessed December 13, 2008.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lukas, Paul. "Trees Made of Tinsel Archived 2012-07-17 at archive.today", Money Mag, via CNNMoney.com December one, 2004, accessed December 13, 2008.
  9. ^ a b "Aluminum Christmas Copse Archived 2008-12-23 at the Wayback Automobile", Cool Things, Kansas Country Historical Society, official site, accessed December 13, 2008.
  10. ^ Priestly, Kent and Elliston, Jon. North Carolina Curiosities, 4th: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff, (Google Books link), World Pequot, 2011, pp. 32-33, (ISBN 076275995X), (ISBN 9780762759958).
  11. ^ Fodor'south. Fodor's The Carolinas & Georgia, Random Business firm Digital, Inc., 2009, p. 149, (ISBN 1400008085), (ISBN 9781400008087).
  12. ^ "Aluminum Christmas Tree and Colour Wheel", Digital Collections, Indianapolis Public Library, Artifacts at the Children'southward Museum of Indianapolis, accessed September 23, 2012.
  13. ^ "'Tis the Flavour for Aluminum Christmas Copse", Wisconsin Historical Gild, Highlights Archives, November 23, 2009, accessed September 23, 2012.

Further reading [edit]

  • Brownish, Darren. "Aluminum Christmas Trees Making a Comeback", (includes video and photos), News9.com, December eighteen, 2008, updated Dec 22, 2008, accessed September 23, 2012.
  • "How to Decorate Your New Aluminum Christmas Tree" (pdf, Brochure), ALCOA, 1959, accessed September 23, 2012. http://aluminumchristmastrees.net/how-to-decorate-your-aluminum-christmas-tree/
  • J. Shimon & J. Lindemann. Season's Gleamings: The Fine art of the Aluminum Christmas Tree, (Google Books), Melcher Media, 2004, (ISBN 0-9717935-3-0)
  • McKee, Bradford. "Dumpster, Spare That Tree", The New York Times, Nov 25, 2004, accessed September 23, 2012.
  • Georges, Theron. The Evergleam Book: 60th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, ([one]), Evergleam Press, 2019, (ISBN 978-0-578-50262-five)

External links [edit]

  • Hansen, Liane. "Aluminum Christmas Tree Museum", Weekend Edition Sunday, (audio), National Public Radio, December 3, 2000, accessed December 12, 2008.
  • Martin, Emma. "Vintage Aluminum Christmas Copse - Caring for Your Aluminum Christmas Tree Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine", American Chronicle, November 29, 2007, accessed December 12, 2008.
  • Murray, Patty. "Aluminum Trees Brand a Comeback", (audio), NPR, "All Things Considered", Dec viii, 2004, accessed September 23, 2012.
  • Robinson, Tom, "Aluminum Christmas Trees Come up to Canada", On This Twenty-four hour period, (Audio/Visual), CBC Radio, December 22, 1960, accessed December 13, 2008.
  • Wisconsin Historical Society. "Pink Evergleam Aluminum Christmas Tree" (Museum object #2005.174.one.1), Wisconsin Historical Society - Curators' Favorites, December 15, 2005. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  • Kitsch pink Christmas decorations including a history of aluminum Christmas trees.

dashandsor.blogspot.com

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminum_Christmas_tree

0 Response to "A Dark Family Secret: the Artificial Christmas Tree"

إرسال تعليق

الاشتراك في: تعليقات الرسالة (Atom)

Iklan Atas Artikel

Iklan Tengah Artikel 1

Iklan Tengah Artikel 2

Iklan Bawah Artikel