| Caption | "Until the mid 20th cntury in China it was customary to bind the feet of women who were not peasants. The foot was bandaged tightly from early childhood, which caused the bones of the feet to become deformed as they grew. By adulthood the woman had very small feet, particularly reduced at the arch and toes. Shoes were made to fit and were considered to enhance the small foot. The small size of the feet also meant that wmen walked with small short steps. This is a pair of leather high-heeled shoes which comes from China. They are skilfully crafted with substantial leather soles and leather-covered heels. The upper is a single layer of leather, which has been decorated with small punched triangles and the design is echoed on the tongue, which has a zig-zag edge. The toe is slashed into a series of slits. The shoes are designed to be elegant but, although deep, it are disproportionately short, with a very restricted space for the toe, although the toe is well-rounded. They were probably made for a woman with bound feet. They might have been worn by a woman with bound feet but in a Western milieu, where she would have had to conform to European dress codes."
Author: Feilden,Rosemary Date: 2000 Purpose: WS2001
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