Shoes and slippers

The ladies' shoes, slippers and boots in this book have been selected from the magnificent Snowshill Collection of costume and accessories created by Charles Paget Wade. Dating from the early 18th century through to the 1880s, they show how an essentially protective covering for the foot can also be a fashion statement. At a time when women did not expose their legs, shoes could be not only a means of conveying status, class and persona, but also hold the hopes, dreams and fantasies of greater delights above.