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Design

mid 20th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is a shoe design by Florence Campbell, a Jewish-German immigrant who moved to England in the 1940s. She was skilled in German penwork, a popular pastime for young women in Germany in which intricate patterns are created with pen and ink, and began transferring her designs to a range of decorative objects including shoes, bags, compacts and cigarette cases. She developed an unusual decorative technique by which minuscule glass beads were applied to painted decoration, creating a glistening, textured effect. After years of freelance work, selling her designs to various London stores, she took a role with the handbag manufacturer H. Wald & Co., designing and executing beaded designs for their signature 'Waldybags'. She also worked for the shoe manufacturer Rayne in the 1950s, and may have designed this shoe for them.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Painted satin decorated with glass beads
Brief description
A painted panel for a satin shoe by Florence Campbell, Great Britain, mid 20th century
Physical description
A painted panel for the toe of a woman's shoe. The decoration forms the shape of the front of the shoe and is painted in the style of German penwork, on cream satin cloth. The decoration consists of interwoven foliage and flowers painted in light and dark blue and gold.
Dimensions
  • Width: 22.5cm
  • Length: 22cm
Credit line
Given by Mrs M. Wood
Subject depicted
Association
Summary
This is a shoe design by Florence Campbell, a Jewish-German immigrant who moved to England in the 1940s. She was skilled in German penwork, a popular pastime for young women in Germany in which intricate patterns are created with pen and ink, and began transferring her designs to a range of decorative objects including shoes, bags, compacts and cigarette cases. She developed an unusual decorative technique by which minuscule glass beads were applied to painted decoration, creating a glistening, textured effect. After years of freelance work, selling her designs to various London stores, she took a role with the handbag manufacturer H. Wald & Co., designing and executing beaded designs for their signature 'Waldybags'. She also worked for the shoe manufacturer Rayne in the 1950s, and may have designed this shoe for them.
Associated object
Collection
Accession number
E.5-2014

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Record createdNovember 19, 2013
Record URL
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