Casper thumbnail 1
Casper thumbnail 2
Not on display

Casper

Glasses
1972 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Philip Oliver Goldsmith, a salesman for a small optical firm, founded Oliver Goldsmith in London in 1926. In 1935 his son Charles 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 actor Diana Dors, Princess Grace of Monaco and Diana, Princess of Wales.

A. Oliver Goldsmith designed this frame, titled 'Casper', in 1972 at a time when materials were still was cut and shaped by hand in the company workshop. The frame’s rounded eyes and exaggerated keyhole shape under the nose bridge reference the glasses worn by the 1920s film comedian Harold Lloyd.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleCasper (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Acetate
Brief description
Acetate glasses 'Casper' with a round eye shape, made by Oliver Goldsmith Eyewear, Great Britain, 1972
Physical description
Acetate glasses with a round eye shape and with a tortoiseshell finish.
Dimensions
  • Width: 15cm
  • Height: 5.5cm
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
Philip Oliver Goldsmith, a salesman for a small optical firm, founded Oliver Goldsmith in London in 1926. In 1935 his son Charles 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 actor Diana Dors, Princess Grace of Monaco and Diana, Princess of Wales.

A. Oliver Goldsmith designed this frame, titled 'Casper', in 1972 at a time when materials were still was cut and shaped by hand in the company workshop. The frame’s rounded eyes and exaggerated keyhole shape under the nose bridge reference the glasses worn by the 1920s film comedian Harold Lloyd.
Collection
Accession number
T.245J-1990

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
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