18th Century Women’s Shoes

Last updated: Jan 11, 2025

Pages elsewhere on this site focus on pattens, clogs, tied shoes, slippers, and mules.

The Annals of Philadelphia describes women’s footwear:

It is deserving of remark, that no females formerly showed any signs of crumpled toes or corns. They were exempted from such deformities and ills, from two causes, to wit: their shoes were of pliable woven stuff, satin, lastings, &c., and by wearing high heels, they so pressed upon the balls of their feet, as necessarily to give the flattest and easiest expansion to their toes; while, in walking, at the same time, they were prevented from any undue spread in width, by their piked form. There was therefore, some good sense in the choice of those high heels, now deemed so unfitting for pretty feet, that has been overlooked. In a word, ladies could then pinch their feet with impunity, and had no shoes to run down at the heels.

Materials noted in the following links refer to what covers (at least the upper) of the shoe.

• PHM H4448-55, embroidered linen tie shoes, England, c. 1675-1725
• Nordiska museet NM.0087047, pink silk shoes with a silver decoration, c. 1700
• FIT 2019.85.1, silk damask shoe with blue silk and brown leather, made in France in the early 18th century
• Shoe (detail), satin trimmed with silk braid, England, c. 1710
• Christie’s Lot 3331 / Sale 4981, green and silver silk brocade, first half of the 18th century
• PHM H4448-92, silk brocade tie shoes, England, c. 1695-1745
• Kerry Taylor 7-10-07 Lot 39, “A pair of green silk lady's shoes, circa 1720, with curved toes, red leather heels, white rand, edged in green ribbon”
• LACMA M.67.8.133a-b, brocaded silk, England, c. 1720s
• V&:A 230-1908, woman’s shoe in silk satin decorated with silver-gilt braid and embroidery, Britain, c. 1720s-1730s
• Christie’s Lot 269 / Sale 5422, 1720s-1730s; “green and apricot silk brocade bound in green tape, white kid rands, and with very unusual heels of white silk worked in crewel-style embroidery to shape, high waisted heels and very pointed toes”
• V&A E.3403-1932, an embroidery-pattern for a shoe from Kunst-und Fleiss-übende Nadel-Ergötzungen, 1725
• Met 2009.300.1482, embroidered silk, Britain, c. 1720-1749
• DHM J 215, a lady’s shoe, dated 1725
• Kerry Taylor 7-10-07, Lot 42, “A pair of brocaded silk lady's shoes circa 1730, woven in green pink and blue with large flowerheads, curved, pointed toes, medium height heels, edged in blue ribbon the latchets held in place by paste buckles”
• Maria Niforos EI-42, ladies' brocade shoes, c. 1730
• Colonial Williamsburg 1968-645,1/1968-645,2, silk brocade, England, c. 1730-1740
• PMA 1974-128-1a,b, wool embroidery on cotton, America or England, c. 1730-1750
• Colonial Williamsburg 1952-356, silk brocade and damask, England, c. 1730-1750
• FIT 2003.86.1, silk embroidered on linen, England (?), c. 1740
• LACMA 42.16.43a-d, wedding shoes in brocaded silk with conch-shell buckles, England, 1740s
• LACMA M.81.71.1a-b, silk damask, London, c. 1740-1750
• Women's shoes of figured silk satin, England, c. 1740s-1750s
• LACMA M.82.26.4a-b, Morrocan leather and boarded leather and goatskin, England, 1740s-1750s
• LACMA M.80.70.2a-b, silk damask, probably England, c. 1750-1760
• LACMA M.89.144a-b, brocaded silk, London, 1756
• Nordiska museet NM.0080899, a bride’s shoes, black velvet, 1760
• LACMA M.81.71.4a-b, brocaded silk, England, c. 1760
• LACMA M.81.71.2a-b, silk satin, England, c. 1760-1765
• Met 1976.96.1, silk, Britain, 1760s
• A pair of woman’s shoes, c. 1765, in Fitting & Proper: “tan wool damask in a gemoetric pattern, lined with coarse white linen, bound with tan wool tape, with brown leather soles and white kid welts”
• LACMA M.59.24.26a-b, brocaded silk, England, c. 1765-1770
• SPNEA 1949.130AB, brocade, Boston, 1765-1775
• Augusta 4.974.218.221, two pair ladies’ blue silk shoes, 1760-1770; “Both blue satin, 3" narrow Italian heels, pointed tongues, cross-over latchets, blue silk binding tape & homespun natural linen linings: 1 pair w/ oval toes … 1 pair c. 1770 w/ slight point to toe, kidskin toe box below silk”
• Augusta 13.2170.1090.519, woman’s everyday shoes, c. 1770; “Black leather, leather covered Italian heels, brass shoe buckles”
• Historic New England 1919.140AB, brocade, London, c. 1770
• Augusta 1.109.206.109, embroidered silk ladies shoes, c. 1770; “Ivory silk faille w/ silk floss floral embroidery on vamp & back of heel, latchets w/ original steel buckles, low Louis heel”
• LACMA M.67.8.126a-b, brocaded silk, Holland or Italy, c. 1770
• LACMA 63.24.7a-b, silk brocade, probably Italy, 1770s
• Augusta 4.760.81.220, embroidered satin shoes, 1770-1780; “Cream silk w/ chinese embroidery on vamps, green silk binding tape, cross-over lachets, rounded pointed toes, rounded tongue point, Italian heels”
• Kerry Taylor 10 Dec 2024, Lot 422, “A pair of black challis shoes, 1770-1780 with curved oval toe, low Louis heel, lined in white linen, the insoles of brown leather”
• Kerry Taylor 10 Dec 2024, Lot 423, “A pair of black satin shoes and a pair of unusual brown leather pattens, 1770-1780; the shoes with rounded oval toes, low Louis heels, white stitching along heel edges, lined in white kid leather and with indistinct inked inscription to reverse of tongues which are edged in yellow satin selvedges embroidered in gold thread … the pattens with oval toe, the leather with cross-hatched textured finish, built up leather back section to fit under the shoe heels, polished leather insoles.” (The “pattens” here are more like clogs than pattens.)
• Pair of women’s shoes, c. 1770-1780, in Fitting & Proper; “black silk satin, lined with off-white linen, bound with black silk grosgrain ribbon, brown leather soles”
• Louis heel shoes probably worn in England in the 1770s-1780s, ribbed silk with goldwork embroidery and spangles
• Augusta 4.975.219.222, lady’s brocade shoes, 1770-1780s; “cream silk w/ delicate meandering floral brocade, white leather Italian 3" heels, straight tongue, cross-over latchets, salmon leather lining”
• LACMA 46.72.8a-b, brocaded silk taffeta, America, c. 1772
• Nordiska museet NM.0002680A-B, boots made in 1773 and worn by Karin Petters in Sweden
• LACMA M.59.24.27a-b, silk with warp and weft float pattern, probably France, 1775
• PHM H4448-8, dark green sprigged silk, England, c. 1775-1780
• LACMA M.67.8.129a-b, silk damask, London, c. 1775-1785
• Meg Andrews 7064, bronze-colored silk grosgrain embroidered with silk carnations on the toe, c. 1775-1785
• LACMA M.81.71.3a-b, silk plain weave with weft-float patterning (three different fabrics), c. 1780-1785
• Met 1989.321a, b, c. 1780-1799
• Nordiska museet NM.0021163A-B, leather shoes laced with a leather thong, made c. 1780-1800 and worn in Sweden
• Christie’s Lot 3299, Sale 4981, “a pair of delicate black spotted silk shoes, lined in white kid,” 1780s
• LACMA 61.27.1a-b, silk damask, America or England, 1782-1783
• LACMA M.83.81.2a-b, silk satin with sequins and metallic-thread embroidery, England, c. 1785
• Met C.I.46.39a, b, wedding slippers, London, 1786
• Rosgartenmuseum, a lady’s shoe, c. 1790
• LACMA 16.20.3a-b, silk satin, England, c. 1790-1795
• Met 2009.300.1484a, b, leather, Britain, c. 1790-1805
• LACMA M.67.8.131a-b, a pair of woman's slippers in kid leather with linen, England, c. 1795-1810
• LACMA M.67.8.132a-b, slippers, painted leather with silk ribbon, England, c. 1800

Slippers & mules

These have moved to a separate page focusing on mules & slippers.

Pattens, clogs, and overshoes

These have moved to separate pages on pattens and clogs.