Evening pumps
Designer Francis O'Neill American
Not on view
While mass-produced shoes have filled the footwear needs of most of the population for over a century, custom made shoes have continued to be an option for those wanting - and able to afford - special attention to their own preferences in design, materials, and fit. This pair of custom pumps features classic lines, a heel with an elegant and refined shape, and gold braid on the vamp adding a lively touch. While the graphic ornamentation suggests a date of about 1920, the construction techniques and conservative design could be found at any time from 1900 to the 1930s. This upper pattern, with the quarters continuing as a narrow collar around the throat, was called the "regent pump", a basic slipper cut which was used quite commonly (in various variations called "full regent", "split regent", and "three-quarter regent", according to the placement and number of seams in the quarters) from the 1910s to the 1950s.
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