Tennis Rackets
Sunglasses
1956 (made)
1956 (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, Princess Grace of Monaco and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Charles Oliver Goldsmith designed this frame at a time when plastic was cut and shaped by hand in the company workshop. He designed it for a fashion show of tennis clothing staged by celebrity tennis star turned designer Teddy Tinling. Its unusual design, featuring two tennis racket shaped eye-pieces, complete with miniature bags of tennis balls, received much publicity at the time. It was the first example of the type of whimsical design for which Oliver Goldsmith Eyewear later became known.
Charles Oliver Goldsmith designed this frame at a time when plastic was cut and shaped by hand in the company workshop. He designed it for a fashion show of tennis clothing staged by celebrity tennis star turned designer Teddy Tinling. Its unusual design, featuring two tennis racket shaped eye-pieces, complete with miniature bags of tennis balls, received much publicity at the time. It was the first example of the type of whimsical design for which Oliver Goldsmith Eyewear later became known.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Tennis Rackets (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Plasti, net and pearls |
| Brief description | Plastic sunglasses 'Tennis Rackets' with small net bags, made by Oliver Goldsmith Eyewear, Great Britain, 1956 |
| Physical description | White and orange plastic sunglasses with small net bags containing miniature balls. |
| 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, Princess Grace of Monaco and Diana, Princess of Wales. Charles Oliver Goldsmith designed this frame at a time when plastic was cut and shaped by hand in the company workshop. He designed it for a fashion show of tennis clothing staged by celebrity tennis star turned designer Teddy Tinling. Its unusual design, featuring two tennis racket shaped eye-pieces, complete with miniature bags of tennis balls, received much publicity at the time. It was the first example of the type of whimsical design for which Oliver Goldsmith Eyewear later became known. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.243E-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
