Shoes

Unknown

ca. 1860 · leather · Costume Institute

Not all garments were created to be worn. The extremely unusual style and degree of ornamentation make it clear that this pair of shoes is not normal childrenswear. Most outstanding is the intricate impressed diaper and leaf pattern which has been composed to fit the cut of each piece of the upper exactly. The shoes are most probably a craftsman’s sample made to exhibit the quality and skill of his workmanship. As was traditional across the skilled trades, a shoemaker would develop his skill through many years of apprenticeship, ultimately demonstrating his proficiency with sample works exhibiting a variety of techniques. Masterworks were also made by experienced craftsmen as exhibition pieces to display their advanced skills to potential customers and peers.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1860

Medium

leather

Culture

probably European

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Florence E. Chamberlain, 1962