The low-heeled lady's shoe was essentially a heeled version of the flat satin slipper popular for much of the first half of the nineteenth century. The classically inspired 'sandal shoes', with their square toe and throat, flat soles, rosettes and ribbon ankle ties, continued to be worn in black or white for formal wear but by the 1850s more elaborate styles began to emerge and heels came back into fashion.
This pair with its lace 'fenelon' or tiered bow, a feature particular to the 1860s and 1870s, is especially elaborate. Two different types of lace have been used for the edging and the bow, and the addition of a gilt buckle set onto velvet provides a further decorative flourish. It is not clear whether the lace and buckle were added by the manufacturer, the retailer or the owner. However, although the satin uppers and leather covered heel appear to have been sewn neatly by machine the applied ornament has been hand-stitched rather crudely. Sewing machines for use with leather only came into use from 1856 and this helps to date the shoes more accurately.