Not on display

Pair of Baby Shoes

about 1885 (made)
Place of origin

Pair of baby's ankle-strap shoes, of pink ribbed silk, lined with white cotton. The shoes have flat leather soles, and are bound throughout with deep pink silk ribbon; the throats are trimmed with ruching of matching ribbon, and the binding of the true left ankle-straps extends into a loop fastening for the single conical white glass button with which each pair of straps fastens at the centre. Shoes of this type were were more usually professionally embroidered, but the vamps are decorated with amateur embroidery: a spray of flowers and foliage worked in white silks using satin and back stitches; the back quarters are embroidered in white silks using feather stitch.

Object details

Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Shoe
  • Shoe
Materials and techniques
Hand-embroidered ribbed silk with cotton linings and leather soles
Brief description
Pair of baby shoes; probably French, about 1885
Physical description
Pair of baby's ankle-strap shoes, of pink ribbed silk, lined with white cotton. The shoes have flat leather soles, and are bound throughout with deep pink silk ribbon; the throats are trimmed with ruching of matching ribbon, and the binding of the true left ankle-straps extends into a loop fastening for the single conical white glass button with which each pair of straps fastens at the centre. Shoes of this type were were more usually professionally embroidered, but the vamps are decorated with amateur embroidery: a spray of flowers and foliage worked in white silks using satin and back stitches; the back quarters are embroidered in white silks using feather stitch.
Dimensions
  • Of sole width: 4cm
  • Of sole circumference: 11cm
Credit line
Given by Mrs Celia Tate.
Object history
Said to have been worn by the donor's mother Agneta McCall, born in London in 1886 (one of the seven children of Sir Robert McCall of the Middle Temple. However, a note found inside one of the shoes reads "My mother's first cousin Nora MacSwiney (89 in 1966) sent me these for one of my babies. They had been used by babies in her family"
Collection
Accession number
B.124:1-1997

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Record createdApril 19, 2000
Record URL
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