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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Visual Art / Fashion Currently Standing

Posted by Jen Graves on Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 12:36 PM

A few weeks ago I visited the recently reopened Henry Art Gallery's collections study center—meaning, storage. (You can, too—just have a reason and make an appointment.)

It's worth it for the shelves and shelves of shoes alone. Some are out in the galleries now, thanks to the awesomely eclectic Vortexhibition Polyphonica. There are red 1970s women's sandals with retractable roller skates by Omnia/C, outrageously 1980s sexy red pumps made in Taiwan, Han shoes for bound feet, the Manchu answer to binding (hell, no!), and these, called qabqab:

HENRY ART GALLERY

They're made of wood with inlaid mother of pearl, and that architectural understructure is solid metal. They're marked as from the Ottoman Empire, probably made in Syria, 19th-century. And the label explains women wore them to keep from getting their feet wet at the bathhouses (Venetian women later wore them, to protect from the city's rising tides...).

Here they are in action (photo from Wiki).

Comments (2) RSS

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Lady in the middle had height envy, but also had vertigo. Excellent solution!

Posted by Cracker Jack on October 27, 2009 at 1:43 PM

Um, why would one go to the bathhouse but not get one's feet wet? and if it's THAT sort of bathhouse, those shoes wouldn't help either. I don't understand.

Posted by Libby on October 27, 2009 at 11:41 PM