Slippers were usually worn by ladies at home during the first half of the nineteenth century when boots were worn outdoors. Some women purchased patterns and embroidered slippers for themselves or their husbands. Once the embroidery was finished it would be taken to a shoemaker to be made up. The cost of making up a pair of worked slippers in 1847 was 14 shillings, the same price as a pair of ready-made French slippers.

Berlin work or woolwork is the term used to describe the type of all-over embroidery used on these slippers. It is derived from the type of wool used in the work. Berlin wool, also known as Berlin yarn or German wool, was a high quality worsted yarn spun from combed wool, with a harder twist than other yarns. This made it more durable and therefore particularly suitable for this type of embroidery.