Shoes
John Golden
ca. 1848 · leather · Costume Institute
The low tie was the dominant style of man's shoe in the mid 19th century. These dressy black patent shoes are a modified version of the latchet tie style of the previous century, with their narrow latchets secured through a single eyelet. Multiple-eyelet shoes of the same basic cut, the predecessor of today's blucher, were in use at the time, but the more delicate latchet form is appropriate to a shoe better suited to social entertainments than hard wear. Patent leather was introduced into footwear in the 1790s, and its shiny surface has made it a popular choice for men’s formal dress ever since.
- Artist
- John Golden
- Date
- ca. 1848
- 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 Mrs. James McF. Baker, 1948
