Evening slippers
1885–95
Medium
Silk
Classification
Evening slippers
Culture
American
Department
Costume Institute
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Edith Gardiner, 1926
Accession Number
2009.300.4106a, b
Art Historical Context
These elegant evening slippers, produced between 1885 and 5 by the American firm J. & J. Slater, showcase the refined craftsmanship of late-nineteenth-century footwear. Fashioned from luxurious silk, they were designed for formal evening wear, where delicate materials and graceful lines enhanced the wearer’s silhouette during an era of elaborate social gatherings. Silk’s soft sheen and lightweight quality made it especially prized for such accessories, allowing the slippers to complement the flowing gowns of the Gilded Age while offering subtle comfort. As part of the Metropolitan Museum’s Co...