Shoes
Unknown Artist
1845–65
Medium
Leather
Classification
Shoes
Culture
American
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 the estate of Sarah B. Russell, 1956
Accession Number
2009.300.4886a, b
Art Historical Context
Step back to mid-19th-century America with this pair of leather *Shoes*, created between 1845 and1865. Displayed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Institute, these everyday objects capture a pivotal era—from the bustle of industrialization and westward expansion to the turmoil of the Civil War. artifacts of American culture, they reflect the practical elegance of fashion in a young nation shaping its identity. Crafted from leather, a staple material prized for its durability and workability, these shoes showcase the skilled handiwork of anonymous artisans. In an age before mass production d...