Description:
Pair of woman's shoes or mules or slippers made of silk taffeta in light yellow with black and blue stripes trimmed with blue ribbon ruching. The toes are sharply pointed and the backs of the shoes are open; the samll peg-topped heels have a slender waist and are placed far forward with a wedge-like shape under the instep. The heel is made of wood amd covered with white-painted kid.

Label Text:
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, fashionable footwear reflected women’s increasingly active roles in society. The earliest examples were often indoor or carriage styles. Delicate fabric uppers, secured to the feet with either laces or buttons at the side, covered extremely narrow soles of suede or thin leather. Into the 20th century, boots became more substantial, made of leather that fastened with center front lacing affixed to thicker soles. After World War I, boots fell out of favor as more feminine clothing and shoe styles returned.

Subjects:
Textile fabrics; Leather; Silk

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+65.144

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