Shoes, Jonathan Hose & Son (1730-79), London, England, ca. 1770. Silk brocade, wood, leather. Gift of Miss Mary C. Wheelwright. 

Shoes, I. Burrill (eighteenth to nineteenth centuries), Lynn, Massachusetts, 1790-1800. Silk, wood, leather, cotton. Estate of Miss Frances Greely Stevenson. 

These one-of-a-kind men’s wedding slippers were likely made by Haverhill cordwainer Samuel Phillips for his marriage to Ednah Kimble in 1824. An experienced shoemaker who probably learned the trade from his father, Samuel adorned these shoes with small, colored, leather appliques in shapes that represented his and Ednah’s lives, individually attaching them with strands of horsehair. Houses, livestock, trees, and flowers embody the couple’s world. Even the bottom of the sole was a place to display his artistry and his hopes and dreams for his future with Ednah. Incised and darkened on the bottom of each shoe are the figures of a man and woman and two homes—symbolizing the joining of Samuel and Ednah’s households. Displaying nineteenth-century Americans’ love of the classical world, each heel features a peacock, which was the symbol for Hera, the Greek goddess of marriage.  

Men’s Wedding Shoes, Likely Samuel Phillips (1799-1859), Haverhill, Massachusetts, ca. 1830. Leather, cotton, horsehair. Buttonwoods Museum. 

Slippers, Unknown, North America or Europe, 1855-65. Wool, silk, cotton, metallic thread. Gift of Mrs. Samuel Hammond.

Shoe, Charles K. Fox, Inc. (ca. 1885-1930), Haverhill, Massachusetts, ca. 1900. Leather, silk, wood, cotton, steel. Jimmy Raye Collection. 

Cycling Shoes, Rice & Hutchins (1866-1929), Massachusetts, 1890-1900. Canvas, leather, cotton. Gift of Josephine Richardson. 

While the sneakers in this picture were manufactured around 2015, the style of Chuck Taylor All Star Sneakers (commonly known as “Chucks”) has changed very little since the company began manufacturing them in 1908. 

Chuck Taylor All Star Sneakers, Converse, Inc. (founded 1908), Boston, Massachusetts, ca. 2015. Cotton, metal, rubber, canvas. Gift of Adam Osgood. 

Evening Slippers, Thayer McNeil Company (ca. 1860-1960), United States, 1928. Silk brocade, metallic thread, leather, wood, metal. Estate of Pauline Condon.

In the first half of the twentieth century, I. Miller was perhaps the best know footwear company in the United States. Based in New York City, I. Miller was known for stylish and high-quality women’s shoes. What few people outside of the footwear industry knew though, was that many of their products were made in Haverhill, Mass. 

Platform Sandals, I. Miller (1895-1970), Haverhill, Massachusetts and New York, New York, ca. 1940. Leather, wood, steel, brass. Jimmy Raye Collection. 

Mr. Seymour Shoes was known as the “jewelry shoemaker” due to its use of lavish crystals, rhinestones, and metal adornments. This pair, fully encrusted with aurora borealis rhinestones, was likely bedazzled by hand at Quinn Enterprises. A family business in Portland, Maine, Quinn Enterprises was one of the many businesses that supplied ornamentation, hardware, and packaging to shoemakers. These shoes, which feature thousands of tiny, round rhinestones carefully adhered by hand one at a time, allow the shoes to shimmer and shine with every step. 

Aurora Borealis Rhinestone Pumps, Mr. Seymour Shoes (ca. 1955-70) and Quinn Enterprises (twentieth century), Haverhill, Massachusetts, and Portland, Maine, ca. 1955-64. Rhinestones, leather, acrylic. Gift of Stuart Weitzman. 

“Gumball” Kitten Heel Flats, Stuart Weitzman for Mr. Seymour Shoes, New York, New York and Spain, ca. 1980. Leather, wood, acrylic, synthetic fiber, cotton. Gift of Stuart Weitzman.

Shoes, Karo’s Shoes, Inc. (founded 1996), United States, 1990-2000. Acrylic, suede, marabou feathers, vinyl. Gift of Stephen K. Desroches. Shoe generously sponsored by Margaret McNeill. 

SB Dunks Low “Orange Lobster” Sneakers, Nike (founded 1964) and CNCPTS (founded 1996), Eugene, Oregon, and Boston, Massachusetts, December 2022. Leather, rubber, nylon, foam, cotton. Museum Purchase.

Contemporary designers are harnessing novel and exciting technologies to address issues of sustainability, providing alternatives to traditional animal-based shoe materials such as leather. Shoes and fashion accessories are being made from mushroom leather and pineapple fiber. The material of this shoe is from Worcester-based laboratory SpadXTech, which has pioneered a new form of bio-leather that is grown from bacteria.   

Sustainable Shoe, Rancourt & Company for SpadXTech, Lewiston, Maine, 2026. Bio-leather.