Currier After Hours: Killer Heels & the Art of the High-Heeled Shoe

Join me for a short presentation on high heels at the Currier Museum as part of a fun evening savoring shoes, music and wine. Tour the exhibit after hours. For tickets and information: http://www.currier.org/calendar/currier-after-hours-relax-and-enjoy-shoe/

Red velvet shoe with metallic lace, Italian, c. 1700-1730
Courtesy, Bata Shoe Museum, Toronto

This night is all about relaxing and exploring shoes. Sample wines from LaBelle Winery and special libations from Djinn Spirits. Learn the stories behind the world of shoes from Dr. Kimberly Alexander, UNH faculty member, and more. The evening will also include live music by MB Padfield, a cash bar and a tour of both Killer Heels and fashion accessories in art. Free with Museum general admission, $8 special exhibition charge for Not-Yet Members to view Killer Heels.

http://www.currier.org/calendar/currier-after-hours-relax-and-enjoy-shoe/

The exhibit was curated by Lisa Small of the Brooklyn Museum

Red and white gingham platform heels by Viviene Westwood
Courtesy, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Of snuff boxes and wedding tokens….treen shoes

Image, courtesy of Bonham's

A colleague recently called my attention to this charming fruitwood token of a Victorian boot, up for auction at Bonham’s. (http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21835/lot/341/) According to sources, this may well be a wedding or love token. Certainly, the significance of shoes with nuptials is a long standing one, and, on this particular example, the object has the added detail of the heart on the toe. Given the "style" of the wedding boot, with its low heel, "spat-like" toe treatment and the ornamented boot top, it would be appropriate to the mid or late19th century. However, the treen shoes, while giving a sense of their respective time period through styling, wood type and details, are imaginative. 

Treen – which literally means "of a tree" -- is a generic name for small handmade functional household objects made of any number of types of wood. Not being too familiar with this type of collectible, I did a bit of searching and found a number of absolutely delightful treen snuff boxes in past auctions at Bonham’s and in museum collections. The use of treen snuff boxes will parallel its popular use, with late 18th-mid 19th century examples. Several are featured below.

E.H. Pinto (1901-1972) brought scholarly attention to the now highly collectible treen. Pinto began collecting when he was a boy and wrote the definitive book on the topic. The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery purchased his collection of over 7,000 items in the 1960s.

Thank you to my colleague, James Burrough, Director, The Real Wood Furniture Company, for calling my attention to the Victorian love/wedding token at Bonham’s.

Clothing May Make the Man, but He Governs the Rules

Collected posts on men's wear by guest blogger, Jeffrey Hopper.

Summer surtouts, men's panniers, commissioning a kilt, how to lose a sporran, leaving behind your sword and other tantalizing glimpses into the past and present of men's fashions and accessories.

Jeff is a museum professional, editor and author. 

Find posts HERE.