Shoe
1640s-1650s (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a woman's walking shoe. It is very worn and distorted but it has features that were fashionable from about 1640-1660. These include a blunt toe, a small side opening and latchet fastening for ribbons. A latchet was a strap that fastened across the instep with either a ribbon or a buckle. Its blackened appearance suggests that it is probably a 'chimney' shoe.
Shoes are frequently associated with good luck. For example, they are often tied on the back of a wedding car or carriage. Pairs of shoes have often been found concealed in buildings, usually in a chimney but sometimes in the rafters or under the floorboards. Such shoes acted as a kind of talisman to protect the occupants of the house and bring them good luck.
Shoes are frequently associated with good luck. For example, they are often tied on the back of a wedding car or carriage. Pairs of shoes have often been found concealed in buildings, usually in a chimney but sometimes in the rafters or under the floorboards. Such shoes acted as a kind of talisman to protect the occupants of the house and bring them good luck.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Leather |
| Brief description | leather, F, 1640-60, English |
| Physical description | Woman's walking shoe, sturdy but much worn, with fashionable features- blunt toe, small side opening and latchet fastening. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Mr H. J. Fillmore |
| Summary | This is a woman's walking shoe. It is very worn and distorted but it has features that were fashionable from about 1640-1660. These include a blunt toe, a small side opening and latchet fastening for ribbons. A latchet was a strap that fastened across the instep with either a ribbon or a buckle. Its blackened appearance suggests that it is probably a 'chimney' shoe. Shoes are frequently associated with good luck. For example, they are often tied on the back of a wedding car or carriage. Pairs of shoes have often been found concealed in buildings, usually in a chimney but sometimes in the rafters or under the floorboards. Such shoes acted as a kind of talisman to protect the occupants of the house and bring them good luck. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 692-1897 |
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| Record created | February 14, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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