Shoes
Unknown Artist
1710–29
Medium
Silk
Classification
Shoes
Culture
British
Department
Costume Institute
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. Clarence R. Hyde, 1928
Accession Number
2009.300.4127a, b
Art Historical Context
Step into the elegant world of early 18th-century Britain these delicate silk *Shoes* from the Costume Institute. Crafted between 1710 and 1729 during the early Georgian era, these pieces exemplify the opulence of the period's fashion, when silk—a luxurious fabric often imported from Asia—was reserved for the elite. As footwear from an unknown artist, they offer a rare glimpse into everyday luxury, highlighting how clothing and accessories signaled social status in a time of expanding trade and refinement. The use of silk underscores advanced textile techniques, with its smooth sheen and dura...