Shoes

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

As the long skirts of the mid-Victorian era seldom afforded much view of the feet, shoes tended to be relatively plain. Exceptions do of course exist, such as this pair of tie shoes in a lively striped fabric. Surviving day shoes are scarce, so an attractive example like these in such good a state of preservation is particularly desirable. Despite the added durability of the cotton upper compared to silk evening shoes, the fashion for an extremely narrow sole and impossibly tight fit was maintained for daywear, providing little increase in comfort or utility.

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