Pumps

The Osgood collection comprises 179 objects, chiefly fashionable Italian-made women's shoes dating from the years 1954 to 1958. The shoes were collected by Charline Osgood, Director of the Kid Leather Guild, a trade organization of American kid leather manufacturers. Highlighting the use of kid leather in footwear, the collection provides a fascinating and enticing view of high-style European shoe design from the period, representing many of the finest and most inventive Italian makers.
While it is the creative toe treatment of this pump that stands out to modern eyes, Osgood chose the style to illustrate the distinction from American shoes in the shape or "footprint" of the sole and fitting of the arch. Osgood thought these differences were critical for manufacturers in the United States to understand in order to make a more comfortable, and hence more saleable, shoe.