Spectacles' frame worn by Barry Humphries as Dame Edna Everage in 'Dame Edna's Work Experience', BBC television 1997
Spectacle Frames
1997 (made)
1997 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
These glasses were worn by the character Dame Edna Everage created by Barry Humphries in an episode of the 1997 television programme Dame Edna's Work Experience in which she was visiting workers in the H.J. Heinz and Company baked beans' factory in Kitt Green, near Wigan. They were designed by Barry Humphries' costume designer Stephen Adnitt who also added to resin 'baked beans' to co-ordinate her so-called Breakfast Dress worn on that occasion.
Dame Edna Everage's oversized and increasingly flamboyant glasses became a hallmark of her style over her years in the public eye. Made by the north London firm Anglo-American Optical, the majority of the glasses created as accessories for her costumes were based on the flame shape or the curly shape. These are an example of the flame shape, and like all the glasses created for her, have no lenses.
Dame Edna Everage's oversized and increasingly flamboyant glasses became a hallmark of her style over her years in the public eye. Made by the north London firm Anglo-American Optical, the majority of the glasses created as accessories for her costumes were based on the flame shape or the curly shape. These are an example of the flame shape, and like all the glasses created for her, have no lenses.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Spectacles' frame worn by Barry Humphries as Dame Edna Everage in 'Dame Edna's Work Experience', BBC television 1997 (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | acrylic and rhinestones. moulded, set and glued |
| Brief description | Spectacles' frame worn by Barry Humphries as Dame Edna Everage in Dame Edna's Work Experience, BBC television 1997. Plastic, diamanté and acrylic, designed by Stephen Adnitt, made by Anglo-American Optical |
| Physical description | Golden yellow and royal blue acrylic wrap-around spectacles' frames without lenses, pierced and inlaid with rhinestones. The golden yellow acrylic at the bridge and towards the outer edge of each lens blank changes to blue at the outer edges of the lens blanks and the flame-shaped finials. The finials were originally decorated with six acrylic 'baked beans' on each side, and although three beans are missing, their original positions are evident from remnants of glue. |
| Credit line | Given by Barry Humphries |
| Object history | The spectacles' frames have been in the possession of Barry Humphries since he wore them for the 1997 television programme to the date of donation to the V&A, 2016 |
| Summary | These glasses were worn by the character Dame Edna Everage created by Barry Humphries in an episode of the 1997 television programme Dame Edna's Work Experience in which she was visiting workers in the H.J. Heinz and Company baked beans' factory in Kitt Green, near Wigan. They were designed by Barry Humphries' costume designer Stephen Adnitt who also added to resin 'baked beans' to co-ordinate her so-called Breakfast Dress worn on that occasion. Dame Edna Everage's oversized and increasingly flamboyant glasses became a hallmark of her style over her years in the public eye. Made by the north London firm Anglo-American Optical, the majority of the glasses created as accessories for her costumes were based on the flame shape or the curly shape. These are an example of the flame shape, and like all the glasses created for her, have no lenses. |
| Associated objects |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.155-2017 |
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| Record created | January 25, 2017 |
| Record URL |
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