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 construction. A nearly identical pair (1965.16.02) was given by the same donor.

Interestingly, the dye used to color both pairs of boots has stained yellow the box and the paper in which the shoes were wrapped. This indicates that the dye is fugitive, and that it is possibly an example of an early aniline dye.  William Henry Perkin accidentally discovered the first aniline dye, a mauve color, in 1856. Soon thereafter, additional colors emerged including Bismarck brown in 1862, which can stain other materials a yellow color.