Burlington thumbnail 1
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Burlington

Pair of Shoes
1940s (made)
Artist/Maker
Freeman, Hardy & Willis (maker)
Utility (made for)
Place of origin
England (made)

Pair of shoes made by Freeman, Hardy & Willis for Utility. The Utility Clothing Scheme was a rationing scheme introduced by the British government in 1941 during WWII.

Object details

Categories
Day Wear
Leather
Footwear
Womenswear
Fashion
Accessories
Object type
Pair of shoes
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Shoe
  • Shoe
TitleBurlington
Materials and techniques
Suede and leather
Leather
Suede
Brief description
Pair of suede and leather court shoes 'Burlington', made by Freeman, Hardy & Willis for Utility, England, 1940s
Physical description
Pair of grey suede and leather court shoes. With high substantial heels and oval toes. The high fronts are decorated with a laced heart motif in grey leather and the toes are bound in leather. The outer soles have the utility mark.
DimensionsSize 5.5
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'C C 41' (Utility mark on outer soles)
  • ''Burlington' REGD 39/9' (Impressed)
  • ''Burlington' REGD by FHW' (Inscribed in silver inside the heel)
  • 'Cx 8285/3 73649 Eq A118/1 Size 5 1/2 W/I' (Inscribed in black at the sides)
Gallery label
(2021)
Government-regulated goods

In 1941, the British government introduced several schemes to regulate the country’s manufacture of consumer goods to enable a greater focus on the war effort. The pair of shoes and coffeepot shown here comply with the regulations set out at the time: decoration is minimal and the designs are simple, practical and economical. The heel of the shoes does not exceed the two-inch (about 5cm) stipulation as set out by the Utility Scheme.

Grey heeled shoes
Burlington range, 1940s
Manufactured by Freeman, Hardy and Willis, UK
Leather, suede and rubber sole
Given by Miss Pennie Smith
Museum no. T.190&A-1983

Plain coffeepot
About 1945
Manufactured by New Hall Pottery, UK
Glazed earthenware
Museum no. C.121&A-1978

The object sits in the 'Crisis and Conflict' section of the Design 1900-Now gallery opened in June 2021.
Credit line
Given by Miss Pennie Smith
Summary
Pair of shoes made by Freeman, Hardy & Willis for Utility. The Utility Clothing Scheme was a rationing scheme introduced by the British government in 1941 during WWII.
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.190&A-1983

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O356541/burlington-pair-of-shoes-freeman-hardy/
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