Countess
Glasses
1968 (made)
1968 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The eyewear firm Oliver Goldsmith created this glasses frame, titled ‘Countess’, in 1968. Philip Oliver Goldsmith, a salesman for a small optical firm, founded his eyewear company in London in 1926. In 1935 his son Charles Goldsmith entered the firm with the aim of transforming glasses from a medical necessity to a fashion item. From the company’s offices in Poland Street, his sons A. Oliver and Ray Goldsmith built upon the company’s reputation for attention-grabbing designs and solicited celebrity endorsement for their products. Key clients included Lord Snowdon, the actor Diana Dors, Princess Grace of Monaco and Diana, Princess of Wales.
The firm created this frame at a time when materials were cut and shaped by hand in the company workshop. The Countess’s asymmetrical pentagonal eye opening made it a distinctive design which took advantage of fashion’s taste for stylised geometry at this time. This frame’s selling points were its light tortoiseshell effect, popular upswept eye shape and comfort.
The firm created this frame at a time when materials were cut and shaped by hand in the company workshop. The Countess’s asymmetrical pentagonal eye opening made it a distinctive design which took advantage of fashion’s taste for stylised geometry at this time. This frame’s selling points were its light tortoiseshell effect, popular upswept eye shape and comfort.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Countess (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Acetate |
| Brief description | Tortoiseshell effect acetate framed glasses 'Countess', made by Oliver Goldsmith Eyewear, Great Britain, 1968 |
| Physical description | Tortoiseshell effect acetate framed glasses with a slightly upswept eye shape and asymmetrical pentagonal eye opening. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Given by A. Oliver Goldsmith, in memory of his father, Charles Oliver Goldsmith |
| Object history | Registered File number 1990/200. These glasses form part of a design archive of the British eyewear company Oliver Goldsmith. The archive, which consists of approximately 70 glasses frames from the 1930s to the late 1980s, was donated by A. Oliver Goldsmith, grandson of the founder, and former chief designer at the firm. A. Oliver Goldsmith donated the material to the V & A in memory of his father Charles Goldsmith. |
| Summary | The eyewear firm Oliver Goldsmith created this glasses frame, titled ‘Countess’, in 1968. Philip Oliver Goldsmith, a salesman for a small optical firm, founded his eyewear company in London in 1926. In 1935 his son Charles Goldsmith entered the firm with the aim of transforming glasses from a medical necessity to a fashion item. From the company’s offices in Poland Street, his sons A. Oliver and Ray Goldsmith built upon the company’s reputation for attention-grabbing designs and solicited celebrity endorsement for their products. Key clients included Lord Snowdon, the actor Diana Dors, Princess Grace of Monaco and Diana, Princess of Wales. The firm created this frame at a time when materials were cut and shaped by hand in the company workshop. The Countess’s asymmetrical pentagonal eye opening made it a distinctive design which took advantage of fashion’s taste for stylised geometry at this time. This frame’s selling points were its light tortoiseshell effect, popular upswept eye shape and comfort. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.245I-1990 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | December 8, 2008 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
