Pair of Shoes (1850–1932): Art, History and Details

Pair of Shoes (1850–1932) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Finely knotted abacá fibers form intricate geometric patterns in this small pair of shoes, likely created for display rather than for wear. Some sections are dyed, adding subtle tonal variation to the design. The macramé technique combined with local abacá suggests a colonial-era or early-20th-century hybrid craft, likely taught in a convent or school setting.

Object facts

• Title: Pair of Shoes
• Date: 1850–1932
• Culture: Philippines
• Type: Garment
• Technique: Abacá fiber: macramé knotted lace
• Dimensions: Overall: 8.6 x 22.9 x 7 cm (3 3/8 x 9 x 2 3/4 in.)
• Collection: T - Lace
• Department: Textiles
• Accession number: 1932.650

A detail from the museum

The shoes are unstitched at the bottom, suggesting they were never meant to be worn.

Collection credit

Gift of Mrs. Lyman H. Treadway

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.