Fashion at this period was heavily influenced by Classical Greece with white muslin or light silk dresses. These shoes would have looked perfect with the bars across the toe being inspired by Greek sandals. Hopkins calls these sandal shoes.**
In Walford's book* he tells up that it was a common misconception that tiny shoes resulted in tiny feet and the width of the feet could be trained in childhood by wearing contricting footwear. Small feet were a sign of elegance.
Beautiful shape shoes with Italian heels. I desperately want someone to start producing shoes in this style which would be delicious to wear. See condition report below. We are about to include some photos post restoration.
A pair of pointed toe primrose yellow and black kid cutwork fronted shoes, the vamp with the black kid cut into a decorative design with curved bars with three pointed leaves, revealing the yellow kid below, a pleated black silk throat ruffle, the top edge also with silk ribbon trim and the side and back seams, one shoe has the original corded ties, the quarters of yellow kid, the heel of black kid, straight leather soles, lined with cotton, all hand stitched.
1 1/2 in; 3 cm heel
an oval label with a leaf surround printed in black ink C Gro........., Ladies Shoe Ma......London/High East/ Dorchester
The shoes are really in very good condition. We have just had this pair of shoes restored. The very narrow black silk covering the side, back seams and the top edge was well worn, so we have replaced them with identical ribbed ribbon in the same width. We have supported the shoes with a little card to the back section and tissue paper wadding. The inside label is torn and insides grubby. One pair of adjustment corded ties is missing from one shoe. Ask for detailed photos.
*The Seductive Shoe by Jonathan Walford. Very similar but different colour to shoes on p 45.
**Footwear by Alan and Vanessa Hopkins p 30 for similar shoe.
Shoes. An Illustrated History by Rebecca Shawcross. Very similar shoes on p 78.
Women's Shoes of the Eighteenth Century: Style, Use and Evolution by Alison Fairhurst. The Journal of Dress Design. Volume 1, Issue 2, Autumn 2017.
All images and text © meg-andrews.com 2021
