Key Words
handmade shoe; silk; leather
Questions to ask
Do you think this would have been a practical shoe, a shoe for special occasions or a work of art? How do you know?
Clothes can tell us a lot about the self-image and the status of their owner. What kind of woman would have worn this shoe?
What kind of outfit would be worn with these shoes?
How this might inspire your work
Research a person of historical interest and create a ‘portrait’ of them by reconstructing, painting and collaging on a shoe.
After researching your chosen person, turn written information into a series of images that symbolizes them. Try to represent many aspects of who they are as a person.
Get hold of a shoe that you do not intend to wear again. If you are using a dark shoe, you may need to cover it with a light coloured paint before you start working.
Sketch your images onto the shoe. Using acrylic or fabric paint, add colour to your images. You may also like to add other materials to the shoe, such as fabrics. Experiment with removing part of the shoe, and attaching a relevant object in its place.
Georgian woman's shoes with clogs, 1720-1740.
This pair of shoes have been handmade in brown silk brocade upper is trimmed with nutmeg coloured silk braid and lined with white kid. This forms a shoe with closely-stitched square tongues and latchets down to a sharply pointed toe and a high, thick, waisted wooden heel covered with red leather. These shoes have a pair of separate matching clogs worn over the shoe. These are flat with a sharply pointed toe, a wooden instep and leather sole. The heel support is covered in red leather with decorative white stitching. The latchets are made of green woven silk with cream, black and pink flowers, lined with white kid over a leather base. The eyelet holes and green ribbon hold them on to the shoe.
Shoes at this time were identical and could be worn on either foot.
Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, gift of Mrs Faulder 1961
Image © Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery
Click here to view exhibitions designed for Secondary school students and their teachers.
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