Horses
Glasses
1985 (made)
1985 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
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 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 and Diana, Princess of Wales.
A. Oliver Goldsmith created 'Horses' using the outline of two horse heads. The frame was one of a series of animal-inspired shapes the company produced around this time, which also included dogs and ducks. This dramatic design was consistent with Goldsmith's taste for bold, often whimsical eyewear and reflects the company's promotion of glasses not as a medical necessity, but as a fashionable accessory.
A. Oliver Goldsmith created 'Horses' using the outline of two horse heads. The frame was one of a series of animal-inspired shapes the company produced around this time, which also included dogs and ducks. This dramatic design was consistent with Goldsmith's taste for bold, often whimsical eyewear and reflects the company's promotion of glasses not as a medical necessity, but as a fashionable accessory.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Horses (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Acetate |
| Brief description | Acetate eyeglasses 'Horses', made by Oliver Goldsmith Eyewear, Great Britain, 1985 |
| Physical description | Eyeglasses of acetate with frames in the shape of horse heads. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Prototype |
| 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. |
| Production | Attribution note: Made in the company's Potters Bar workshop |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | 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 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 and Diana, Princess of Wales. A. Oliver Goldsmith created 'Horses' using the outline of two horse heads. The frame was one of a series of animal-inspired shapes the company produced around this time, which also included dogs and ducks. This dramatic design was consistent with Goldsmith's taste for bold, often whimsical eyewear and reflects the company's promotion of glasses not as a medical necessity, but as a fashionable accessory. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.245V-1990 |
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| Record created | October 8, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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