1810 Brown cotton shoes
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1805-1820 A pair of shoes in brown cotton twill.
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The toes of the shoes
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The side of one of the shoes
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The sole of one of the shoes
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The back of the shoes; the braid has worn away from the back seam on the right revealing the stitching
Description
A pair of shoes.in brown cotton twill with ivory kid wedge heels.
They are made straight, that is without any difference between left and right, and the sole is made of leather.
The vamp is lined with fawn cotton, and the quarters with ivory kid. The sock is natural linen, where letters have been written in ink: there is an H in each shoe, and what could be an L in one and R in the other, maybe to ensure that the wearer always wore the same shoe on each foot.
A ½" wide ivory plaited braid goes round the edge of the vamp where it is now mostly missing, and there is a ³⁄₁₆" wide braid over the seams.
A trim of bows made of ⅞" wide ivory silk ribbon, sits on the throat.
Written in ink on the kid lining inside one shoe is the number 275 and the letters CH, and similar writing is on the lining of the other shoe but it is less readable.
The shoes are not in good condition, discoloured and torn in places; they show signs of being much worn.
Contemporary illustrations
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Fashion plate in The Lady's Magazine, September 1801
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Fashion plate, February 1806
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Fashion plate Costume Parisien, 1808
Contemporary items
1812 White cotton dress, pink, blue pattern
More shoes from the Hopkins Collection can be seen in Footwear, published by The School of Historical Dress and available from the Hopkins Costume Trust bookshop.