This collection of shoes, along with their custom-made shoe trees and trunk, originally belonged to Rita de Acosta Lydig (1880–1929), a prominent New York socialite. Lydig commissioned several hundred pairs of shoes from Pietro Yanturni, who was both the curator of shoes at the Musée Cluny in Paris and a gifted shoemaker with an exclusive clientele. Lydig's extensive wardrobe included numerous garments trimmed with antique lace and her shoes were no exception. These examples, made of antique velvet, lace, damask, and embroidery, with their exaggerated Louis XV–style heels and pointed toes, rest in a bespoke trunk, lined with cream-colored velvet.

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