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Glasses - Murphy

Murphy

  • Object:

    Glasses

  • Place of origin:

    Great Britain, United Kingdom (made)

  • Date:

    1982 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Oliver Goldsmith Eyewear (manufacturer)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Plastic

  • Credit Line:

    Given by A. Oliver Goldsmith, in memory of his father, Charles Oliver Goldsmith

  • Museum number:

    T.245U-1990

  • Gallery location:

    In Storage

  • Image in copyright

Philip Oliver Goldsmith, a salesman for a small optical firm, founded the Oliver Goldsmith eyewear company in London in 1926. In 1935 his son Charles Goldsmith entered the firm with the aim of making glasses 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 actress Diana Dors, Princess Grace of Monaco.

A. Oliver Goldsmith created this glasses frame in 1982. It remained a key style for the company for a number of years. Mr Goldsmith himself wore this frame. He designed it at the same time as another similar style, called 'Kelly'.

Physical description

Red plastic glasses with off-centre round frames.

Place of Origin

Great Britain, United Kingdom (made)

Date

1982 (made)

Artist/maker

Oliver Goldsmith Eyewear (manufacturer)

Materials and Techniques

Plastic

Dimensions

Width: 13 cm, Height: 5.5 cm

Object history note

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.

Descriptive line

Plastic glasses 'Murphy' with off-centre round frames, made by Oliver Goldsmith Eyewear, Great Britain, 1982

Materials

Plastic

Categories

Fashion; Accessories; Plastic

Collection code

T&F

Qr_O294067
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