Shoes
It is commonly held by fashion historians that through most of history children were dressed as miniature adults once they had passed the age of infancy. While the cuts and favored trimmings frequently correlate, the more extreme adult styles were seldom applied unmodified to childrenswear. It is therefore particularly exciting to find in boyswear this faithful miniature of high-style men's shoes. The design is rendered exactly as seen in adult styles at the time, including the square upturned toe, incised lines on the vamp, and mock button closure with elastic side gores. These shoes were rescued from the ruins of an abandoned shop, so we can only image the little dandy up to the task of wearing such an advanced style.
Artwork Details
- Title: Shoes
- Date: ca. 1890
- Culture: American
- Medium: leather
- Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Charles H. G. Kerridge, 1929
- Object Number: 2009.300.2992a, b
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Mme. Grapanche
1884–86
Samuel O. Aborn
ca. 1840
American
1860–65
American
1835
American
1820–30
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.