Victorian Shoes - c.1850

This colorful pair of Victorian shoes, or Berlin wool work slippers, are from the mid-19th century. Berlin wool work was a style of embroidery very popular during the Victorian era. These men's Victorian shoes were worked on canvas in a petit-point stitch with colorful wools, producing an intricate three-dimensional look. The uppers were usually embroidered at home and were then taken to a shoemaker to be made up. The men's Victorian shoes are eleven inches long with a red wool lining. Creating men's shoes, such as these, was a popular pastime for Victorian women due largely to the fact that, for the first time in history, a fairly large number of women had leisure time to devote to needlework. Berlin wool work patterns for this style men's Victorian shoes, furniture covers, cushions, and bags were found in women's magazines such as Godey's Lady's Book and Peterson's Magazine.