Shoes

Unknown

ca. 1890 · leather · Costume Institute

It is commonly held by fashion historians that through most of history children were dressed as miniature adults once they had passed the age of infancy. While the cuts and favored trimmings frequently correlate, the more extreme adult styles were seldom applied unmodified to childrenswear. It is therefore particularly exciting to find in boyswear this faithful miniature of high-style men's shoes. The design is rendered exactly as seen in adult styles at the time, including the square upturned toe, incised lines on the vamp, and mock button closure with elastic side gores. These shoes were rescued from the ruins of an abandoned shop, so we can only image the little dandy up to the task of wearing such an advanced style.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1890

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 Charles H. G. Kerridge, 1929