Pair of Shoes
1830s-1840s (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
As skirts became wider and shorter during the 1830s attention focussed on the foot and ankle. Brightly coloured silk shoes complemented the richness of the gown, often matching the sash or the long fluttering ribbons worn in the hat. They came in a wide variety of colours, including the ‘canary yellow’, ‘palm-leaf green’ and ‘marshmallow blossom’ shown here. Delicate bows and rosettes enhanced the daintiness of the shoe and foot.
Due to their fragility, silk ‘slippers’ were usually reserved for indoor wear, evening dress or special occasions. Looking at these examples it is not difficult to see why. Although the toes are lined with linen and the back of the upper with kid, they were clearly not made to last. Some writers complained that silk shoes became distorted and ugly after a few days wear. They were also probably uncomfortable as the toes are narrow, square and very shallow.
Due to their fragility, silk ‘slippers’ were usually reserved for indoor wear, evening dress or special occasions. Looking at these examples it is not difficult to see why. Although the toes are lined with linen and the back of the upper with kid, they were clearly not made to last. Some writers complained that silk shoes became distorted and ugly after a few days wear. They were also probably uncomfortable as the toes are narrow, square and very shallow.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Pair of women's shoes, 1830s-1840s. British, Reeve, W. Made of green silk satin lined with kid |
| Physical description | Green satin heel-less shoe with a shallow square toe. It is edged with silk and decorated with a green silk satin ribbon. The shoe is lined with kid leather and has a linen insole and leather sole. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Messrs Harrods Ltd. |
| Object history | This was part of a very large collection of items of dress and accessories which was given to the Museum by Harrods, the department store, in 1913. The collection had been formed by the artist Talbot Hughes, who wrote a book on the history of dress, illustrated with photographs of models wearing items from his collection. A large firm in America had offered to buy the collection and present it to the Metropolitan Museum, New York, but Hughes did not want it to go abroad. At the suggestion of Cecil Harcourt Smith of the V&A, Harrods bought it for £2,500 and gave it to the Museum for the 'public good'. Harrods displayed the collection for three weeks in December 1913. |
| Association | |
| Summary | As skirts became wider and shorter during the 1830s attention focussed on the foot and ankle. Brightly coloured silk shoes complemented the richness of the gown, often matching the sash or the long fluttering ribbons worn in the hat. They came in a wide variety of colours, including the ‘canary yellow’, ‘palm-leaf green’ and ‘marshmallow blossom’ shown here. Delicate bows and rosettes enhanced the daintiness of the shoe and foot. Due to their fragility, silk ‘slippers’ were usually reserved for indoor wear, evening dress or special occasions. Looking at these examples it is not difficult to see why. Although the toes are lined with linen and the back of the upper with kid, they were clearly not made to last. Some writers complained that silk shoes became distorted and ugly after a few days wear. They were also probably uncomfortable as the toes are narrow, square and very shallow. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.503&A-1913 |
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| Record created | October 18, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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