Walk This Way: Footwear from the Stuart Weitzman Collection of Historic Shoes On view April 20 – October 8, 2018

Selected PR Images

This spring, a new exhibition at the New-York Historical Society explores how shoes have transcended their utilitarian purpose to become representations of culture—coveted as objects of desire, designed with artistic consideration, and expressing complicated meanings of femininity, power, and aspiration for women and men alike. On view in the Joyce B. Cowin Women’s History Gallery at the Center for Women’s History, Walk This Way: Footwear from the Stuart Weitzman Collection of Historic Shoes highlights 100 pairs of shoes from the iconic designer’s extensive private collection, assembled over three decades with his wife Jane Gershon Weitzman.

Boudoir shoes, 1867 Paris, France Silk, embroidery, metallic thread Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 101 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society These shoes were created especially for the Paris Universal Exposition of 1867. The soles are stamped with the exhibition seal. During the age of European imperial expansion, Western consumers clamored for “exotic” textiles, such as the Turkish gilt-thread embroidery seen on these shoes.

Buttoned boots, 1870s Leather Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 179 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society One of the first American industries to embrace large-scale mechanization, the footwear industry soon grew into one of America’s largest: by 1850, shoemaking was America’s second-largest industry, following only agriculture.

Lace-up boots, ca. 1900 Silk and silk brocade Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 59 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society The late 1800s saw the introduction of machines capable of mimicking even the most intricate hand shoe-making processes, and producing high-quality shoes. By 1900, nearly every American shoe was made in a mechanized factory. One-third of the workers in these factories were women, at a time when women made up less than 20% of the total industrial workforce.

Pumps, late 1920s Brocade, kid leather Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 247 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society The advent of the department store helped to change the way women occupied urban space. The evolution of upscale retail districts, such as New York’s famous “Ladies’ Mile” on Sixth Avenue, offered a safe, well-lit place for leisure, pleasure, and refreshment where affluent women could socialize without the need for a chaperone.

D’Orsay evening shoes, ca. 1928 Jersey, United Kingdom Silk brocade, kid leather, rhinestones, beads Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 153 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society The first decades of the 20th century witnessed a revolution in the way women dressed, moved, and acted in public. As the floor-length gowns of the late 1800s gradually gave way to the shorter skirts and slim silhouettes of the Jazz Age, women’s feet and legs became a new focal point for chic display.

Peep-toe ankle-strap shoes, ca. 1930 Silk Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 228 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society During the 1920s, as women’s hemlines gradually rose from ankle to knee, the shoe trade, which had long been dependent on a few staple styles, exploded in a host of new colors, materials, and patterns.

Delman, London, maker Peep-toe evening shoes, ca. 1935 Leather and mesh net Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 3 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society Show windows had been a prominent feature of the American streetscape since 1900, when the introduction of glass windows divided the retail experience according to class. Working-class people could look at the enticing products on display, but many continued to buy from pushcarts and sidewalk stalls well into the 20th century. Until the 1920s, access to the glassed-in goods required a degree of affluence.

T-strap pumps, ca. 1937 Velvet, leather Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 249 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society Department stores offered new employment opportunities for saleswomen, buyers, and in a few cases, executives. In 1934, Hortense Odlum became the first woman to head a major fashion retailer when she became president of Bonwit Teller. She would be followed by Dorothy Shaver at Lord & Taylor, and Geraldine “Jerry” Stutz at Henri Bendel.

T-strap evening sandals, ca. 1940s Leather, silk, rhinestones Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 99 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society In the late 1940s and 1950s, epic films such as Samson and Delilah (1949), Quo Vadis (1951), Salome (1953), and The Prodigal (1955) allowed Hollywood costume designers to dodge the restrictive Production Code of 1930 on dubious grounds of historical accuracy. Biblical temptresses and Roman empresses defied the Code’s prohibition against semi-nudity, and inspired a fashion for gold and silver sandals.

Salvatore Ferragamo (1898–1960), designer Madonna sandals, ca. 1954–55 Florence, Italy Kid leather, Tavarnelle needlepoint lace, embroidery, beads Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 57 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society Italian designer Salvatore Ferragamo’s rise to success began with his work for the American Film Company. After World War II, Ferragamo rebuilt his star-studded clientele, making custom shoes for Marilyn Monroe, Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, and the Duchess of Windsor. This design, which features handmade needlepoint lace from Tuscany, was originally created for the Italian actress Sophia Loren.

Peep-toe mules, mid-1950s Plastic, Lucite, leather, elastic Spring-o-lator Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 84 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society These mules feature an innovation called the Spring-o-lator, a strip of elastic tape in the sole that helped the shoes adhere to the wearer’s feet. The device was first popularized by Beth Levine (1914–2006), known as the “First Lady of Shoe Design.”

Seymour Weitzman (1910–65), designer Mr. Seymour (founded 1950s), maker Pointed-toe laced pumps, ca. 1964 Suede, grosgrain ribbon Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 269 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society These shoes were manufactured in Haverhill, Massachusetts, at a factory owned by Seymour Weitzman, a shoe designer and father of Stuart Weitzman. Massachusetts was the earliest center of large-scale shoe production in the United States.

Terry de Havilland (b. 1938), designer Peep-toe platform shoes, ca. 1972 London, England Suede, leather Stuart Weitzman Collection, no. 257 Photo credit: Glenn Castellano, New-York Historical Society Celebrities from actress Marlene Dietrich to dancer Carmen Miranda popularized platform shoes in the late 1930s and 1940s. By the 1970s, platforms were back in fashion for both women and men. The glam-rock London shoemaker Terry de Havilland provided high-heeled shoes for gender-bending performers including David Bowie and Tim Curry in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.