Pair of women's brocaded silk shoes, ca. 1740, English

Pair of women's shoes of pale blue brocaded silk with latchets for buckles, low heels, rounded toes and leather soles

Given by Messrs Harrods Ltd.

These were part of a very large collection of items of dress and accessories which was given to the Museum by Harrods, the department store, in 1913. The collection had been formed by the artist Talbot Hughes, who wrote a book on the history of dress, illustrated with photographs of models wearing items from his collection. A large firm in America had offered to buy the collection and present it to the Metropolitan Museum, New York, but Hughes did not want it to go abroad. At the suggestion of Cecil Harcourt Smith of the V&A, Harrods bought it for £2,500 and gave it to the Museum for the 'public good'. Harrods displayed the collection for three weeks in December 1913.

This pair of women's shoes can be dated to about 1740. The rounded toe and low heel were fashionable at that time. However, the shoes are covered in a brocaded silk that was made much earlier, about 1705-1710. Uppers and soles were cut separately and sold on to shoemakers who adapted them for their customers. From about 1700-1750 the colours and materials of fashionable women's shoes often reflected the elegance of their gowns. In this case, it is possible that the floral pattern and colours of the silk shoes were quite similar to the fabric used for the gown. No one would have noticed that the silk of the shoes was actually old fashioned.

T.443&A-1913