Slippers

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sharply pointed slippers with tiny heels were the prevalent style in the 1790s and 1800s. This pair features the red Morocco leather much favored at the time and a tiny heart-shaped buckle threaded with silk twist to form a jaunty tassel. Particularly notable to shoes of this period is the distinctive shape of the sole with its wide ball and narrow waist. Tiny, meticulous stitching in contrasting thread accents the deeply wedged heel.

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