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Pair of Shoes thumbnail 2
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Pair of Shoes

ca. 1720 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
England (made)

This pair of women's shoes have a thick, waisted heel and a blunt pointed toe. They have ribbon-ties and the tongue has the fashionable vandyke decoration. The brocaded silk was woven in Spitalfields, London, and dates from about 1715 to 1720. At this time shoemakers still made 'straights'. These were identical right and left shoes, which made walking difficult. If the shoemaker placed the heel incorrectly or made the angle of the heel too sharp, the wearer's weight was thrown forward. This added to the discomfort.


Object details

Categories
Accessories
Fashion
Footwear
SCRAN
Europeana Fashion Project
Object type
Pair of shoes
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Lady's Shoe
  • Shoe
Materials and techniques
Leather sole, with brocaded silk uppers
Leather
Silk (Textile)
Brief description
Silk brocade, English, ca. 1720

F, 1730-35, English; Ivory blue silk brocade, Van Dyke tongue
Physical description
Pair of women's shoes of brocaded silk, withmedium heel and vandyked tongue
Dimensions
  • Length: 254mm (Note: T.446-1913)
  • Height: 122mm (Note: T.446-1913)
  • Width: 90mm (Note: T.446-1913)
  • Length: 254mm (Note: T.446A-1913)
  • Height: 143mm (Note: T.446A-1913)
  • Width: 90mm (Note: T.446A-1913)
Credit line
Given by Messrs Harrods Ltd.
Summary
This pair of women's shoes have a thick, waisted heel and a blunt pointed toe. They have ribbon-ties and the tongue has the fashionable vandyke decoration. The brocaded silk was woven in Spitalfields, London, and dates from about 1715 to 1720. At this time shoemakers still made 'straights'. These were identical right and left shoes, which made walking difficult. If the shoemaker placed the heel incorrectly or made the angle of the heel too sharp, the wearer's weight was thrown forward. This added to the discomfort.
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.446&A-1913

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Record createdFebruary 19, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O74735/pair-of-shoes-unknown/
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