For much of the first half of the nineteenth century flat shoes were popular amongst fashionable women. However, after a long absence heels began to make a comeback around the mid-century. Low-cut slip-on shoes or 'court' shoes were the most popular form of women's footwear during the 1880's and 1890's. The curved construction of the heels on this brown velvet pair was influenced by the heel shapes from the previous century. It was known as the 'louis' after the famous French kings of the 1700s. The diamanté buckle is also a reference to the extravagant styles of the eighteenth century although here it is smaller and less showy than its predecessors. Pair of brown velvet shoes with paste buckle; F, English, 1885-1890. Brown velvet court shoe with pointed toe, scooped throat with paste buckle and small heel; edges with turned brown silk ribbon, pair of folded side seams; brown satin insole, cream leather sock, leather sole.