Shoes

Hurd Shoe Co.

1930–39 · leather · Costume Institute

Despite the dressy quality of this pair of highly polished, all-black saddle shoes, they retain some of the sporty feeling typical to the style. The saddle shoe is distinguished by the application of a separate piece of leather over the waist of the shoe, often in a contrasting color, forming the lacing tabs. The style was introduced by A. G. Spalding in 1906 as a gym oxford, with the saddle providing added reinforcement around the instep. By the late 1930s, bi-color saddle shoes were being worn widely as a comfortable everyday shoe by both male and female students. This example has dispensed with the traditional rubber sole, but uses the saddle form to bring variety and freshness to a business shoe.

Artist

Hurd Shoe Co.

Date

1930–39

Medium

leather

Culture

American

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Kenneth S. Hurd, 1959