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 skills into the twentieth century. Elias Howe’s sewing machine was patented in 1846, but was not affordable until Isaac Singer inaugurated the concept of buying on the installment plan. These little shoes may have been made at home; patterns for embroidering baby shoes were published in women’s magazines of the 1850s and 1860s. Those patterns feature the same long narrow sole and square toe as these baby shoes. The square toe, which first became popular in the mid 1830s, persisted into the 1870s.

The shoes are made of cream-colored wool cashmere. A stem and leaf motif is embroidered in tan silk floss.