In 1929, Sam Foster sold his first pair of sunglasses on the Atlantic City boardwalk, and launched not just a company but a nationwide demand for The Original American Sunglass Brand®. During the golden era of Hollywood, Foster Grant became the sunglasses of choice for style icons and celebrities such as Raquel Welch.

Foster Grant, or FosterGrant, is an American brand of eyewear founded by Sam Foster in 1919. The Foster Grant brand is a subsidiary company of FGX International, a consumer goods wholesaler with headquarters in Smithfield, Rhode Island, which has been owned by Essilor, today EssilorLuxottica, since 2010.

In 1929, the first commercial sunglasses became available. Sam Foster created these and offered them to beachgoers in Atlantic City for a low price. Foster Grant sunglasses were extremely popular, and soon after Woolworths in New Jersey began selling them commercially as a fashion statement.

1929 Foster Grant got its start in 1929 when company founder Sam Foster started selling sunglasses to beachgoers along the Atlantic City boardwalk. The company quickly grew, and movie stars were soon sporting the brand's sunglasses.

With a rich and storied history dating back nearly 95 years, global leader in the eyewear industry Foster Grant, has earned a golden reputation for offering impeccable, fashion-forward styles at an affordable price.

In the late 18th century, gondoliers in Venice, Italy, wore tinted glasses to protect their eyes from sun glare. Because they were specifically made to shield eyes from the sun, these glasses are sometimes thought to be the first sunglasses.

All our sunglasses offer 100% UVA-UVB lens protection to keep your eyes safe while outside. If you're looking for a pair of glasses to help protect your eyes and reduce glare, our polarized sunglasses are for you.

The beginnings of sunglasses can be traced back to Inuit tribes over 2,000 years ago, where walrus bones, driftwood, or caribou antlers were given slits, and then worn. These were used to protect wearers from the bright light of the sun hitting the snow. They were known as nigaugek as well as igguag.

In 1752, English optician James Ayscough invented special tinted eyeglasses that also had tinted side pieces. Some people view these as the first sunglasses. However, Ayscough's glasses weren't truly meant as “sunglasses.” In fact, they were worn in England as therapy for people who were sensitive to light.

Its manufacturing facilities are located in Rhode Island and overseas in Asia and Africa. Foster Grant sunglasses are sold through many mass-market outlets in the United States, including Target, Wal-Mart, and the Sports Authority.

Foster Grant readers typically cost from about $18 to $40. They're not the cheapest brand of readers available, but they're fairly affordable and they're high quality.

They are usually made of a plastic or metal frame and two lenses that are darkened to filter out light. Sunglasses can have prescription lenses like eyeglasses, but they can also have lenses that are not for correcting vision. Shades is an informal word for sunglasses.