Platform boots worn by Little Richard: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The boots are made of a tan leather. They are square-toed and have a decorative silver-colored front platform with small diamond-shaped cutouts and small circle-shaped cutouts. There is a black background behind the cutouts. Each boot has a large stacked wooden heel with black rubber on the bottom. There are some small circle cutouts along the bottom edge of the soles. There is a zip-up closure that goes from the top of the boot to the arch of the foot on the inner side of each boot. The zipper reads [CLIX] on the pull. The inside of the boots are marked “Rino’s / Hand Made” in faded black ink. The insides of the boots are an off-white leather with a darker sole. The soles have text that cannot be made out. Both boots have scuff marks in many places, but especially near the toes. The bottoms of the boots show some wear and tear.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1970s
• Created by: Rino Orsato, Italian
• Worn by: Little Richard, American, 1932 - 2020
• Subject of: Clix
• Type: boots
• Medium: leather, metal, wood, rubber, thread, and ink
• Dimensions: H x W x D (a. left): 11 1/8 × 3 1/2 × 10 1/2 in. (28.3 × 8.9 × 26.7 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (b. right): 11 1/8 × 3 1/2 × 10 1/2 in. (28.3 × 8.9 × 26.7 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Composers (Musicians)
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Gospel (Music)
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Rhythm and blues (Music)
• Object number: 2020.53.3ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Unknown – Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.