1790-1810 ca. Slip on Red Moroccan Leather Shoes, English. via Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia. Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney, Australia. 

Maker unknown. Turnshoe construction with needlepoint toes and covered wedged louis heels. Red morocco leather uppers, low cut, oblique side seams and silk bound edges. Uppers lined in linen with grip in back and insole of coarse linen. Red morocco heel white stitched and leather sole with suede forepart and fiddle finish at waist. This slip on shoe featured in the Bethnal Green Museum Shoe Exhibition held in London, England in 1897. The shoe comes from an important collection of footwear and shoemaking objects thought to have been initiated by the London shoemaker, Robert Dixon Box, and consolidated by his son, Joseph Box and the Box Kingham family during the second half of the 1800s.

The collection ranges from remnants of leather shoes from the Middle Ages found in English archaeological sites, to intact European shoes. Joseph Box collection label pasted on outsole of shoe, printed black text on paper label, ‘From JOSEPH BOX, / BOOT MAKER BY SPECIAL APPOINTMENTS TO / H.R.H. THE PRINCESS OF WALES, / H.I.H. THE CROWN PRINCESS OF GERMANY AND / H.R.H. THE PRINCESS LOUIS OF HESSE, / 187, REGENT STREET, LONDON. Established 1808’ Numbers written in corner of label, top LH, printed pasted label, text in black, ‘136’, perpendicular to main text, LH top in ink, ‘4’, top RH, upside down in pencil, ‘136A’