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Fariba

Glasses
1960s (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 actor Diana Dors, Princess Grace of Monaco and Diana, Princess of Wales.

A. Oliver Goldsmith created this glasses frame, titled 'Miss Dexter' in the mid-1960s. He designed it with a Vogue fashion editor of that name in mind. The Vogue offices were just around the corner from the Oliver Goldsmith workshop; its editors would often come by to select glasses for photo shoots. At the time this frame was designed, Oliver Goldsmith had started to make lighter frames and experiment with new veneer techniques. This design gains its vibrant colour from a thin layer of plastic veneer applied to the frame.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleFariba (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Plastic
Brief description
Plastic framed glasses 'Fariba', made by Oliver Goldsmith Eyewear, Great Britain, 1960s
Physical description
Green plastic framed glasses with a slight cat-eye shape.
Dimensions
  • Height: 5cm
  • Width: 14cm
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 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 actor Diana Dors, Princess Grace of Monaco and Diana, Princess of Wales.

A. Oliver Goldsmith created this glasses frame, titled 'Miss Dexter' in the mid-1960s. He designed it with a Vogue fashion editor of that name in mind. The Vogue offices were just around the corner from the Oliver Goldsmith workshop; its editors would often come by to select glasses for photo shoots. At the time this frame was designed, Oliver Goldsmith had started to make lighter frames and experiment with new veneer techniques. This design gains its vibrant colour from a thin layer of plastic veneer applied to the frame.
Collection
Accession number
T.245L-1990

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
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