Tiffany & Co. Streamerica Airframe Picture Frames in Stainless Steel

Tiffany & Co. introduced the Streamerica collection of personal accessories and watches in 1990 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its New York headquarters.

Tiffany & Co.’s Streamerica is inspired by the aerodynamic principles of the 1939 New York World’s Fair, the Streamlined designed collection evolved from the profile of a DC-3 wing and the bolted metal sheeting of airplane construction.  Steel and Industry symbolize America’s aspirations for progress and prosperity.  A Timeless expression of Man’s fascination with speed and technology – and his desire to forge a better tomorrow. 

The soaring form of an airplane wing inspired the Airframe Picture Frames and Airframe Perpetual Calendar.

The Airframe Picture Frame Collection consists of three different sizes of photo frames.

The largest and the medium size are very similar in that they have a special lid at the top that keeps the items in place, while the small frame just has a very nice steel clip at the top to hold the glass planes in order.  All three pieces are held upright by squeezing their way into the base that has an opening covered in black rubber that securely hold the vertical frame in place.

This is the largest piece in the Streamerica collection, measuring 5.25” high x 4.5” wide, while the base measures 6.25” across x 2” wide.  It’s interesting that the bottom plate of both the this photo frame and the perpetual calendar are exactly the same piece. This large size makes the price of this item rather high at $500 US dollars.

The medium sized Streamerica Airframe Photo frame is about 3.5″ high, with a base of 5″ accross x 1.30″ wide.  The photo it can hold should measure 2.75″ x 3″ high.  In my opinion, I would have gotten the larger picture frame for $60 more, since it gives you a larger photo size for only this much money.  The original retail price in 1993 for the medium photo frame was $425, later the price was raised to $440.

The smallest sized Streamerica Airframe Photo frame is about 3.25″ high.  The photo it can hold should measure 2.75″ x 3″ high, which is about the same size as the Medium sized photo frame.  This was a much more economical version of the three photo frames, since it retailed for more than $200 over the next size of frame.  I do not personally own this model, but would have definately purchased this over the medium sized frame, since they are about the same size.  Instead of the steel vertical columns that hold the medium sized glass planes, this smaller model uses a clip at the top to secure the photograph.

Each piece in the Streamerica line is designed to complement each other to form a cohesive statement in stainless steel. These accesories are meant to be used everyday to the users enjoyment.  This item looks ideal in an office setting.