Woman's Purple Satin Shoes

During the 1870s and 1880s, slippers were a prominent style of women’s shoes. Nancy Rexford, author of Women’s Shoes in America: 1795-1930, states, “White and light colors continued in use, of course, but shoes made to match the richly colored silks of the late 1870s and 1880s were also fashionable . . . .” These silk satin slippers were most likely created in order to coordinate with an evening dress of the same purple, although the dress was not preserved or donated with these shoes. The heel of the slippers is medium in height which is reflective of the time period.

The 1860s through the 1880s saw a revival in the wearing of higher heels. Some of the prominent heels that could be seen on shoes during the time were called knock-on heels. Knock-on heels were easy to construct, making such shoes more affordable than the more expensive heels of the period such as Louis heels. Although these slippers have a less-expensive heel construction, the lavish purple satin and ornamentation at the throat suggest a more expensive shoe.

The slipper in the collection has a flared silhouette and somewhat low heel height of two inches. As explained by Rexford,“Knock-ons commonly flared out toward the top piece and were fairly low 1880-1905." The toe of the slipper is rounded yet square and as detailed by Rexford, “the rounded square toe that had been standard for most shoes and boots since the later 1840s did not go out of style until the late 1870s." The silhouette of each toe is a sharp triangular shape that slopes downwards towards the floor.

The 1870s and 1880s slippers were known to incorporate ornamentation or embroidery, with a bow, ribbon, and/or embellishment placed at the throat line of the shoe. These slippers have a tiered bow-like ornamentation made from both satin and velvet with jewels attached in the center that sits under the throat line and on the inset of the shoe.

The nineteenth century saw the development of many machines used to make shoes, lowering the costs along with the time needed to make each pair. These purple satin slippers show evidence of being pegged together by hand, and have straight lasts, which means that there is no distinction between the left and the right. Evenng slippers continued to be made with straight lasts through the 1880s. The slippers from the collection are made of a soft leather and have a narrow shape.

References

Rexford, Nancy E. Women's Shoes in America, 1795-1930. Kent, Kent State University Press, 2000.