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Pair of Boots

ca. 1895 (made)
Artist/Maker
W. Coulson (Retailer)
Place of origin
Austria (made)

Pair of knee-length black leather heeled boots with pointed toes, side button fastening, and a pink satin lining

Object details

Categories
Footwear
Accessories
Womenswear
Fashion
Object type
Pair of boots
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Boot
  • Boot
Materials and techniques
Leather
Satin
Shoe-Making
Brief description
Pair of leather buttoned boots, about 1895, Austrian, retailed by W. Coulson
Physical description
Pair of knee-length black leather heeled boots with pointed toes, side button fastening, and a pink satin lining
Dimensions
  • Height: 51.5cm
  • Width: 7cm
  • Length: 22cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • MADE IN AUSTRIA EXPRESSLY FOR W. COULSON 15, TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD LONDON W. (Printed in gold lettering on the inside of the boot)
  • Transliteration
Gallery label
(2015-2016)
Label for the exhibition Shoes: Pleasure and Pain

The Naughty Nineties
Boots like these, with exaggeratedly high heels, are popularly referred to as ‘fetish boots’. They are associated with the perception of the 1890s as the ‘Naughty Nineties’. Such boots served to eroticise the high heel even outside the pornographic realm, creating the associations that continue today. The modern high heel is associated with sexual availability rather than just desirability.

Buttoned boots
About 1895
Austria
Leather, cotton and silk
Retailed by W. Coulson
Given anonymously
V&A: T.108&A-1958
Credit line
Given by an anonymous donor
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.108&A-1958

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O352314/pair-of-boots-w-coulson/
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