Pair of women's court shoes, white silk satin pumps with with single rear seam at heel; vamp decorated with strips of blue satin ribbon, large blue and white silk ribbon rosette at throat; edges bound with blue silk; loops of elastic attached to edges just back from throat; small blue satin covered heel and brown leather sole; cream leather insole and quarter lining, cream coarse linen lining to vamp. Shoes with high heels were almost non-existent in women's fashions during the first part of the nineteenth century. Instead simple flat satin slippers or 'sandals' with a bow or rosette at the throat and ribbons or elastic loops to fasten them round the ankle were all the rage. However, by the 1850's the heel had begun to make a comeback. This elegant pair of blue and white low-heeled shoes illustrates how the sandal form evolved. The satin upper with square toe and throat, decorative rosette and elastic ties are all features reminiscent of the dainty flat shoes of the early nineteenth century. However, with the addition of a small heel and some striped decoration the form is updated to something more in keeping with modern tastes. 16.Stripy silk shoes with square heels 1855–65 England, Latham Silk satin, silk, cotton and leather Given by Messrs Harrods Ltd V&A: T.562&A-1913 [2015] White satin shoe with appliquéd blue ribbons and rosette Latham, Oxford Street, London, about 1860 Museum number: T.562-1913 Given by Messrs. Harrods Ltd [2007] Pair of women's shoes, white satin trimmed with blue silk ribbon and rosette, low heel; British, Latham, 1850s-1860s