Slippers

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Although fancier to modern eyes than the plain satin slippers worn for evening, ornate leather shoes of this type were worn as a daytime at-home style in the 1850s and 1860s. This pair of beautifully preserved shoes features a fine example of the delicate chain stitch vamp decoration frequently seen in shoes from the time. The ornate bow softens the throatline and adds interesting texture.

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art