Slippers

Unknown

1790–1810 · leather, silk, metal · Costume Institute

Sharply pointed slippers with tiny heels were the prevalent style in the 1790s and 1800s. This pair features the red Morocco leather much favored at the time and a tiny heart-shaped buckle threaded with silk twist to form a jaunty tassel. Particularly notable to shoes of this period is the distinctive shape of the sole with its wide ball and narrow waist. Tiny, meticulous stitching in contrasting thread accents the deeply wedged heel.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1790–1810

Medium

leather, silk, metal

Culture

European

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Herman Delman, 1954