Pair of Shoes thumbnail 1
Not on display

Pair of Shoes

1800-1849 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

During the 1790s ornate or jewelled buckles became distinctly unfashionable for shoes. The spirit of the French Revolution spread across the channel and buckles, which were associated with the excesses of pre-revolutionary France, were abandoned on everyday shoes in favour of a much plainer, unembellished style. By the 1800s military influences in fashion brought about by the Napoleonic wars meant that boots were all the rage. This was the case to such an extent that in about 1818 regulations for the Bath Assembly Rooms stated 'No Gentlemen in boots or half-boots to be admitted'. So what became of the buckle?

Inspite of the vagaries of fashion it did not disappear altogether and this was largely thanks to the Prince Regent, later King George IV's insistance that it be retained for Court dress. This pair of low-heeled men's Court shoes is a good example of how the buckle continued to be used well into the nineteenth century. Its function was both decorative and practical and men in attendance at Court were expected to adhere to this dress code. At Court such a pair of shoes would have been worn with silk stockings and breeches cut just below the knee, showing off the calf and and ankle of the wearer.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 4 parts.

  • Buckle
  • Buckle
  • Shoe
  • Shoe
Materials and techniques
Leather, linen and silk sewn with cotton thread and with a gilt metal buckle
Brief description
Mens black leather shoe with buckle; English (?), 1800-1849.
Physical description
Men's black leather low-heeled shoes with buckle; curved throat and toe, narrow leather straps at throat to take rectangular gilt buckle; black leather upper, pair of side seams, edges bound with black silk, all stitched with black thread; red leather insole, and quarter lining, linen vamp lining; brown leather sole, stacked leather heel with sides dyed black.
Dimensions
  • Each shoe height: 9cm
  • Each shoe width: 9cm
  • Each shoe length: 29cm
Credit line
Given by Messrs Harrods Ltd.
Summary
During the 1790s ornate or jewelled buckles became distinctly unfashionable for shoes. The spirit of the French Revolution spread across the channel and buckles, which were associated with the excesses of pre-revolutionary France, were abandoned on everyday shoes in favour of a much plainer, unembellished style. By the 1800s military influences in fashion brought about by the Napoleonic wars meant that boots were all the rage. This was the case to such an extent that in about 1818 regulations for the Bath Assembly Rooms stated 'No Gentlemen in boots or half-boots to be admitted'. So what became of the buckle?

Inspite of the vagaries of fashion it did not disappear altogether and this was largely thanks to the Prince Regent, later King George IV's insistance that it be retained for Court dress. This pair of low-heeled men's Court shoes is a good example of how the buckle continued to be used well into the nineteenth century. Its function was both decorative and practical and men in attendance at Court were expected to adhere to this dress code. At Court such a pair of shoes would have been worn with silk stockings and breeches cut just below the knee, showing off the calf and and ankle of the wearer.
Collection
Accession number
T.497&A-C-1913

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdMay 25, 2007
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest