Child Actress Shirley Temple wearing Bakelite sunglasses (I think)

In Radio Girl, Cecelia packages promotional Bakelite sunglasses for listeners of the radio program, Our Gal Sunday. So what is Bakelite? It’s one of the earliest kinds of plastic.

Bakelite, or polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, is an early plastic that was quite sturdy and could withstand high temperatures. It is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from an elimination reaction of phenol with formaldehyde, usually with a wood flour filler. (WikiAnswers, Science)

Can’t imagine life without plastic.

Bakelite Radio Case

Bakelite Napkin Ring (Klassy)

Bakelite (?) Sunglasses from the 1930s

Bakelite Billiard Balls

Bakelite Bracelet

Bakelite Brooch

Bakelite Pin

Bakelite Die

Another Bakelite Radio