American Classic 1931 P-3 FUL-VUE (Military Specs) Unisex

In their “Gold Filled Frames and Mountings catalog, Fall and Winter 1931”  American Optical Company debuted their FUL-VUE line of frames and mountings and advertised them as “The most advanced style change in glasses in a generation.”  As they say, “The rest is History.” 

The Ful-Vue style relocated the joint connection of the temple to the frame front from the midsection of the lens eye wire to the upper portion of the lens eye wire, enabling the wearer to look to the side without the temple obstructing peripheral vision. This advancement set the standard in frame style that continues to this day. The improvement it seems, was for the person viewing the glasses wearer. The wearer appearing more attractive to the viewer, their eyes unobstructed by the eyeglass frame.The first advertised FUL-VUE style was the P-3. It was popular enough for the US Military to adopt it as a designated eyeglass for for soldiers requiring vision correction.

Worn by US Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt & Harry Truman, John Denver, Mash’s “Radar O’Reilly” and most famously by John Lennon. This style is often referred to as  “John Lennon” glasses.