Shoes

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Men’s shoes survive in lesser number than women's, and utilitarian clothing is particularly scarce, as it was usually worn out and thrown away. That scarcity makes this pair of men’s latchet-tie shoes of particular interest. The general cut, fold-over tongue, and substantial heel are retained from fashionable shoes of a somewhat earlier date, while the heavy, pegged soles and heel irons indicate that the primary intent of these shoes was not for up-to-date style but for their capacity to stand up to the rigors of work in the pre-industrial society.

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