Children's Shoes
Subject
Accessories
Title
Children's Shoes
Date
19th and 20th century
Description
The Historic Textile and Costume Collection houses almost fifty pairs of baby and children's shoes and slippers, dating from the early 1800s to the 1950s. The variety of footwear includes two pairs of well-worn boys' leather boots, ca. 1855, as well as a pair of fluffy bunny slippers worn in the 1950s. The strength of the collection lies in the variety of shoes for many occasions, from embroidered baby slippers to button shoes.
Collection Items
Child's Congress Gaiters, ca. 1870
Child’s Congress Gaiters, 1865-1875
These boots are made of brown cotton serge with elastic side inserts called “goring.” The elasticized gore originated in England, but did not appear in the US until 1848. This style mimicked adult women’s shoes…
Baby Shoes, ca. 1889
Baby shoes, late 1880s
These baby shoes of white kid leather were worn by Harold Babcock, who was born in 1888. These were his christening shoes. The baby would have worn a long white gown with the shoes for the christening ceremony. They are machine…
Child's Shoes with Ankle Straps, 1860s
These baby shoes belonged to Abbie Read, who wore them in the 1860s. They are made of black leather with a woven cotton lining. Though more vibrant colors were available, children at this time typically wore black or brown shoes (Buck 1996: 238). A…
Child's Button Shoes, ca. 1912
These shoes were worn by the donor, Nathalie E. Briggs (1912-2004), who headed the URI Library’s Catalog Department for thirteen years. She graduated from URI, then known as Rhode Island State College, in 1933 after starring in basketball, softball,…
Girl's Slippers, 1870s
These shoes once belonged to May Rynes (1868-1934), who wore them as a young girl. The flats are made of dark brown leather with small slits on the vamp which are tied with blue silk ribbons. These shoes were made as “straights”, which means there is…
Child's Suede Boots, ca. 1900
These suede booties lace up the front and are lined with cotton twill. They are machine sewn, but they sport hand embroidery in a herringbone stitch around the opening. The brown-red color, known as “russet,” was popular in the late 1800s. Rounded…
Embroidered Baby Shoes, 1830s and 1840s
These hand sewn, white satin baby booties feature ornate embroidery in polychromatic silk satin stitching. Their small size with limited evidence of wear suggests that these were worn by an infant who had not yet learned to walk. The embroidery is of…
Embroidered Baby Shoes
Embroidered baby shoes, 1840s – 1870s
These baby shoes are hand sewn, which widens the possible date range. They could have been made before the widespread use of the sewing machine, or even afterwards because women continued to use their hand sewing…
Baby Shoes, 1860s
Baby boots, 1860s
Made of brown leather with a cloth lining, these boots have a flexible sole designed to be worn by an infant who has yet to walk. They lace up the center front and have four eyelets on each side. A sewing machine was used in their…
Baby Shoes, ca. 1870
Child’s shoes, 1860s/1870s
Flat shoes like these were worn by both boys and girls. This pair is very small at only 4 ¾ inches long. The shoes are decorated with small bows and wooden buttons, two of which are missing.
The remaining buttons have lost…