Our frame "Claire W" is made for old photographs, which find in it an ideal home that fits them in time - and yet in a "modern", not old-fashioned way. In general, narrow strips like this are very well suited for photos, graphics and the like - also gladly supplemented by a passe-partout - while for large paintings and the like, wider, more expansive strips come into question in the first place. Claire W" can also be set up to DIN A4 size.
But now to the namesake of the frame between historicism and modernism: Claire Waldoff comes to Berlin in 1906 and counts in the following years to the firm component of the queer Berlin subculture. As a singer with a Berlin dialect and the reproach of lacking talent, she nevertheless successfully asserted herself. Provocative, courageous, with a lot of humor and self-irony, she is a pioneer of openly lived queer life as well as performing arts. Unique and unmistakable - and often wearing a shirt and tie. Rumor has it that Anita Berber must have crossed her path. We also dedicate a picture frame to her contemporary (see Anita B).
The Claire W picture frame stylistically belongs to the period at the beginning of the 20th century. As in Claire Waldoff herself, it combines qualities such as simplicity, playfulness, but also courage, as well as the oscillation between seemingly masculine and feminine attributes. Against the backdrop of the diverse currents of the time, the fine pearl bar hints at the historical revival of the Rococo, while the curved lines of the bar (cross-section), its comparatively narrow width, as well as the shiny silvery finish anticipate Art Nouveau.
With the mixture of playful and clear elements, "Claire W" succeeds in a precision landing when it comes to the classification between stylish and magnificent. In contrast to overloaded, pompous baroque moldings, whose stucco ornamentation is rarely noticed in detail, the delicate pearl ornamentation, the rich gold and silver tones of the oil gilding and the unobtrusive reflection of the light from the comparatively unadorned frame are pleasantly eye-catching without being overbearing.