Dance shoes

Manufacturer Palter DeLiso, Inc. American

1951

Not on view

Paired here are the dance shoes worn by Tony and Sally DeMarco, a prominent professional ballroom dance team in the 1940s. The couple donated a group of over fifty garments and shoes to the museum, mostly associated with their professional activities. This paring of his-and-hers shoes best epitomizes the glamour of the dance floor, in which the reflective materials would serve to draw attention to the dancers' footwork. As with the other pairs of his footwear in the donation, Mr. DeMarco's oxfords are fabricated specifically as dance shoes, with a soft and flexible construction. All of Mrs. DeMarco's dance shoes, on the other hand, appear to be standard Palter/de Liso evening sandals, with a rubber tread added for traction. This pair of sandals with its interesting asymmetric design and contrasting textures and colors is unique among the group, as the rest consists of eight pairs of satin sandals in two styles (closed and open back) dyed in a rainbow of colors to match her gowns.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Title: Dance shoes
Manufacturer: Palter DeLiso, Inc. (American, 1927–1975)
Date: 1951
Culture: American
Medium: leather, silk
Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Tony de Marco, 1962
Object Number: 2009.300.3830a, b
Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

More Artwork

By Palter DeLiso, Inc.

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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Shoes, Palter DeLiso, Inc. American, Leather, metallic, American — Shoes
Palter DeLiso, Inc.
1947

Dance sandals, Palter DeLiso, Inc. American, Silk, American — Dance sandals
Palter DeLiso, Inc.
1947

Sandals, Palter DeLiso, Inc. American, leather, metal, American — Sandals
Palter DeLiso, Inc.
1945–46

Shoes, Palter DeLiso, Inc. American, leather, American — Shoes
Palter DeLiso, Inc.
1942

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