This set of early Victorian shoes is full of more questions than answers at first glance. How did three left shoes end up together? They’re so similar, but just varied enough to be made by different hands for different feet. It can be incredibly difficult to date shoes from around the 19th century because it seems like so little changed from 1820-60. But the reality is there are tons of clues to help us unravel the mystery of their origins, wear, and how they survived. Shoes are a strange fashion item in that they are so easy to store and difficult to reuse. They can’t be easily altered or changed. And they’re so incredibly personal! So it’s no wonder that shoes are some of the most commonly saved garments. But usually they come in pairs- leading us down a range of questions to understand how they came to exist in such a strange group.
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00:00 Finding Dates
09:55 Differences
15:38 Stories
Are these not ballet shoes?
I was thinking they were test fitters. All the same shoes with slight differences to find what you wanted. You put it on, how does it fit, does it feel ok around the toes, do you like where the top hits, do you prefer elastic or ribbon, etc. Even the sueded bottom could have been an option to choose from. That is why there are multiple for the same foot se the shoemaker only had to carry half as many shoes when he fit someone.
I love the idea that these do come from sisters (I can't imagine them going to different households, plus it's not really common to see people collecting current shoes like this…well, unless they have a very particular affinity); I'm imagining one of the sisters as more of a Lydia type, on her feet all night, and the other two less inclined to dance
I wonder if the second number is the makers signature.
Why did I think the shoes were labeled "awkward" ????
Thank you so much for giving us good close-ups of these great finds! I've been meaning to make dance shoes like this (can't find anything modern that I like enough, alas) and it's REALLY helpful to see such good examples. ????
These three odd shoes ended up being surprisingly sweet! I definitely loved this video.
Probable that they are season after season of a style that was popular and revisited by a child…growing through their teens, and wanting to have the same shoe with the same dress and outfit…I have done just this, and sentimentality would suppose she has held onto them as a keepsake in a box….for memory and attachment….I have done this… .
Franz Xaver Winterhalter?
Ok, so what if these aren't from theee people, but the same person going back to the same shoe maker and buying the next size up as they outgrow.
What a great find! Without including the unicorn – provenance – with the collection, the people who preserved these shoes left us to make up the story. I think you've done a good job of that. It was so much more common in the 19th c. for sisters to wear the same fabric, even the same style of dress, it would make sense that they'd need matching shoes. Likewise, the idea of the set being broken into two, one for each side makes sense. I was trying to understand why single-lasted shoes would be marked left or right, but it must be for future reference, when the shoes take on the shape of one foot or another in wear.
they look like pointe shoes in the thumbnail, not sure if there's a block or anything
those shoes make me think of "twelve dancing princesses" as they look like they could easily be danced through in a very long night.
This is a fascinating video!!
I looked at them and immediately thought, "those look like my toe shoes from doing ballet".
Please keep doing shoe videos. Fascinating.
My sister and I used to get the same shoes as little girls so I spent the whole video going "sister’s shoes, for sure".
My mum has also kept a pair of shoes from when we were babies so, shoes as momentos makes perfect sense
These are ballet slippers, one mark size, and another is the maker or for the dance. The dancers didn't really go on point, and if they did, it was for a moment in shows thy stuffer with cardboard. Today's Pointe shoes are not right or left, and the dancer often wears out oit before the other.
My immediate thought when I saw them was "three bridesmaids", but 3 sisters could well be the case too.
I have come "a crossed" versus '*across*'
What a clever way to reel in us left brains. Now my real right hemi is all yours!
Great video
I speculate that one of the sisters died, and the other two sisters took one of each pair as a memento of happier times. It would be wonderful to know who actually wore these shoes, and what the real story is, but I don't think we could possibly ever know that. I wish there was some way to extract DNA from the shoes, but I'm sure there isn't any after all this time.
you can see in these the history of what becomes modern ballet shoes, in the shape and construction which is kind of fun when you think about it
Thank you again for a delightfully informative video
I've been watching too many videos from The Pointe Shop because I took one look at the thumbnail and was like "they're vintage pointe shoes!".
These shoes look mauve which was hugely popular in 1860. Using them for a season of balls maybe the story. The thin leather would need to be roughed up to give traction to the dancer. I think that these could be part of a costume for stage performances. I find these shares of antique clothes fascinating and I look forward to getting a close look and the provenance.