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Pair of mule style shoes with wooden soles

African American Museum

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    Object Details

    Created by

    Unidentified

    Description

    A pair of mule-or slipper-style shoes with wooden soles and leather uppers. The soles are shaped for the left (a) and right (b) feet. The shoes have rounded toes and carved, slightly raised heels. The shoes have a vamp only, so that the leather would not fully enclose the wearer's foot. Each vamp is made from a single piece of leather that doubles over at the point where the upper attaches to the sole, as well as at the foot opening, for extra strength. The vamps are pegged to the wooden soles with metal pegs. The shoes slip onto the wearers foot and do not have any closure methods.

    Credit Line

    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Avis, Eugene, and Lowell Robinson

    Date

    mid 19th-early 20th century

    Object number

    2014.179.3ab

    Restrictions & Rights

    No Known Copyright Restrictions
    Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

    Type

    mules

    Medium

    hide, wood, and metal

    Dimensions

    H x W x D (overall (a) left): 3 5/8 × 10 7/8 × 5 15/16 in. (9.2 × 27.6 × 15.1 cm)
    H x W x D (overall (b) right): 3 1/8 × 11 1/8 × 6 1/8 in. (7.9 × 28.3 × 15.6 cm)

    See more items in

    National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

    Collection title

    Robinson Family Collection of African American History

    Classification

    Slavery and Freedom Objects
    Clothing - Fashion and Historical

    Exhibition

    Slavery and Freedom

    On View

    NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

    Data Source

    National Museum of African American History and Culture

    Topic

    African American
    Clothing and dress
    Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
    Slavery
    U.S. History, 1865-1921
    U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865

    Metadata Usage

    CC0

    Link to Original Record

    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5a4e020fd-b14d-4f13-b497-797ae1d83205

    Record ID

    nmaahc_2014.179.3ab

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