Evening pumps

I. Miller

ca. 1926 · silk, plastic, rhinetsones · Costume Institute

Plain black celluloid-covered heels appeared in the late 1910s. Around 1925, jeweled celluloid heels became the rage on evening shoes. Typically, the heels were set with rhinestone and picotage (tiny metal dots) in geometric Art Deco designs, and paired with a colored satin upper. On better examples, the design of the upper fabric might be coordinated with the heel, or colored, marbled, or faux tortoise celluloid used instead of black.

Artist

I. Miller

Date

ca. 1926

Medium

silk, plastic, rhinetsones

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. William R. Fisher, 1972