Zodiac
Glasses
1989 (made)
1989 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Philip Oliver Goldsmith, a salesman for a small optical firm, founded this 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.
The distinctive feature of this frame is the thin black line detailing around the edges and on the arms or sides. ‘Zodiac’ sold as eyeglasses frames but most often as sunglasses. They were named after the family car, at that time a Ford Zodiac. However, the design inspiration came from the lined bumpers of a Volvo, which the company advertised as damage-resistant.
The distinctive feature of this frame is the thin black line detailing around the edges and on the arms or sides. ‘Zodiac’ sold as eyeglasses frames but most often as sunglasses. They were named after the family car, at that time a Ford Zodiac. However, the design inspiration came from the lined bumpers of a Volvo, which the company advertised as damage-resistant.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Zodiac (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Plastic |
| Brief description | White plastic framed glasses 'Zodiac', made by Oliver Goldsmith Eyewear, Great Britain, 1989 |
| Physical description | White plastic framed glasses with a fine black line detail around the edges. The lines continues onto the sides which are very wide. The frame has a slight protrusion at the bridge. |
| Dimensions |
|
| 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 this 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. The distinctive feature of this frame is the thin black line detailing around the edges and on the arms or sides. ‘Zodiac’ sold as eyeglasses frames but most often as sunglasses. They were named after the family car, at that time a Ford Zodiac. However, the design inspiration came from the lined bumpers of a Volvo, which the company advertised as damage-resistant. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.245O-1990 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
