Shoes: A Brief History

‘Specially commissioned photography reveals the glorious colours and styles in stunning detail.’

Antiques & Collectibles Changing styles in footwear have always captured the imagination, and communicated the priorities and ambitions of the wearer - during the reign of Henry VIII, exaggerated shapes and wide toes were footwear’s reflection of the aggressive social climate of court, while engravings of Queen Victoria show impossibly narrow slippers, worn in pursuit of nineteenth-century ideals of daintiness.

This colourful book provides an engaging overview of the history of footwear. Shoes and boots that once belonged to wearers male and female, both anonymous and famous, are featured – from battered old ‘chimney shoes’ hidden away for good luck, to the elegant styles of the eighteenth century; from Elizabethan mules to the first stilettos.

About the Authors
Lucy Johnston and Linda Woolley are former curators of fashion in the V&A’s Department of Furniture, Textiles and Fashion.