Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at Young V&A
Design Gallery, The Factory, Case 1

Pair of Baby Boots

1800-1830 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

These baby's boots are thought to have been made during the early nineteenth century. They are made of pink satin with a cream wool lining and a thin leather sole. A single pink silk ribbon is laced through the four pairs of lace holes with a pink silk rosette just below the bottom pair.

The boot is decorated with a scrolling foliage motif in corded silver thread using a technique called flat couching. With this technique a piece of thread is laid flat against a ground material, which in this case is pink satin, and is then attached to it by small stitches brought up from the back, taken over the laid thread and then back down into the ground material. The expensive materials used to make these boots mean that they were probably made for a baby born to a wealthy family and would probably not have been for everyday use.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Baby's Boot
  • Baby's Boot
Materials and techniques
Silk satin with couched silver thread, wool lining, leather sole, and pink silk ribbons
Brief description
Pink satin baby's boots with couched silver thread decoration; English, 1800-1830
Physical description
Pink satin baby's boot with cream wool lining and leather sole; pink silk ribbon laces in 4 pairs of lace holes with a small pink rosette just below the bottom pair; couched silver thread decoration in the form of a scrolling foliate motif which stretches from toe back to top of boot.
Dimensions
  • Height: 75mm (Note: Measured by conservation)
  • Width of sole width: 45mm (Note: Measured by conservation)
  • Length of sole length: 105mm (Note: Measured by conservation)
Credit line
Given by Edith M. Wilkins
Subject depicted
Summary
These baby's boots are thought to have been made during the early nineteenth century. They are made of pink satin with a cream wool lining and a thin leather sole. A single pink silk ribbon is laced through the four pairs of lace holes with a pink silk rosette just below the bottom pair.

The boot is decorated with a scrolling foliage motif in corded silver thread using a technique called flat couching. With this technique a piece of thread is laid flat against a ground material, which in this case is pink satin, and is then attached to it by small stitches brought up from the back, taken over the laid thread and then back down into the ground material. The expensive materials used to make these boots mean that they were probably made for a baby born to a wealthy family and would probably not have been for everyday use.
Collection
Accession number
T.76&A-1920

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Record createdJune 8, 2007
Record URL
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