Boots. Culture: American. Date: 1865-75.The prevailing fashion for long skirts in the 19th century and the general importance of feminine propriety encouraged rather limited decoration of contemporary ladies' footwear. While ornate bows and embroidered vamps are relatively common on evening shoes, heavy soled walking shoes , like this pair of button boots, were seldom ornamented with anything more than a simple bow or buckle. By consequence, the presence here of an elaborate machine-embroidered design covering the entire upper is of particular interest. The beaded cordwork was applied over the embroidery, presumably by the wearer, to increase the decorative program even further, perhaps for a special event for which it was not possible to purchase shoes specifically . Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.