ARTS & CULTURE

From the Smithsonian Collections: Famous Footwear

Famous footwear of the Smithsonian collections, from Chinese foot-binding booties to Dorothy’s ruby slippers

Sarah C. Rich
Design by Henry Dreyfuss for Delman Shoe Company, 1929
Design by Henry Dreyfuss for Delman Shoe Company, 1929 Cooper-Hewitt

There is no limit to the number of places we can look for fresh material to post on the Smithsonian’s many blogs, but still one of the greatest sources sits right under our noses within the institution’s own collections. After looking at shoe design of the past, present, and future, I decided to comb through the Smithsonian archives to see what types of footwear have been worthy of impressing upon our national memory. Below is a selection of some of the most interesting, from a pair of cloth booties design to adorn the bound feet of Chinese women at the turn of the 20th century, to the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in her 1939 performance of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

The high-top Keds
The high-top Keds (complete with ball-point pen doodles) worn by child actor Jon Provost, who played Timmy on the television series Lassie, 1957-64 National Museum of American History
Judy Garland’s ruby slippers for the character of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, 1939
Judy Garland’s ruby slippers for the character of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, 1939 National Museum of American History
Shoes for bound feet, made before 1911, when foot binding became illegal
Shoes for bound feet, made before 1911, when foot binding became illegal National Museum of Natural History
Concept design for Nike Air Jordan XIII by Tinker Hatfield, 1996
Concept design for Nike Air Jordan XIII by Tinker Hatfield, 1996 Cooper-Hewitt
Matchsafe in the shape of a shoe with filigree detail, late 19th century
Matchsafe in the shape of a shoe with filigree detail, late 19th century Cooper-Hewitt
Slippers for bound feet, 1900
Slippers for bound feet, 1900 National Museum of American History
Design by Henry Dreyfuss for Delman Shoes, 1929
Design by Henry Dreyfuss for Delman Shoes, 1929 Cooper-Hewitt

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Sarah C. Rich

Sarah Rich is a writer and digital media consultant who previously contributed to Smithsonian.com's Design Decoded blog. She co-founded Longshot magazine and is the co-curator of the Foodprint Project.