The Kiss
Sunglasses
1958 (made)
1958 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The eyewear firm Oliver Goldsmith created this glasses frame, titled ‘The Kiss’, in 1958. 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.
Charles Oliver Goldsmith designed this frame at a time when materials were cut and shaped by hand in the company workshop. The frame’s unusual form is created by two undulating lines which curve round from the sides to cup the frame’s lenses. The company offered this distinctive style in numerous colours.
Charles Oliver Goldsmith designed this frame at a time when materials were cut and shaped by hand in the company workshop. The frame’s unusual form is created by two undulating lines which curve round from the sides to cup the frame’s lenses. The company offered this distinctive style in numerous colours.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Kiss (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Plastic veneer on acetate |
| Brief description | Sunglasses 'The Kiss' with the frame formed of two undulating crosses of acetate around the lenses, made by Oliver Goldsmith Eyewear, Great Britain, 1958 |
| Physical description | Sunglasses with the frame formed of two undulating crosses of black acetate which wrap around the lenses. |
| Dimensions |
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| 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 ‘The Kiss’, in 1958. 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. Charles Oliver Goldsmith designed this frame at a time when materials were cut and shaped by hand in the company workshop. The frame’s unusual form is created by two undulating lines which curve round from the sides to cup the frame’s lenses. The company offered this distinctive style in numerous colours. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.243H-1990 |
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| Record created | December 8, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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