Material:  Brown Velvet ~ Lavender, Green & Gold Glass Beads

Size:  Interior, flat to insole, toe to heel ~ 10 & 1/2 inches

        Exterior, heel to toe ~ 11 inches

Quantity:  1 pair

An interesting and harder to find pair of men's house shoes, dating from the 19th century mid Victorian era, apx. 1850 - 1870, possibly slightly earlier.

They are finely beaded on velvet, with darker velvet trim at throat, plus leather soles and stacked heels. Interiors are lined in black and purple silk, with full red leather insoles.

The beaded vamps feature an interesting grape and leaf design, finely executed and quite three dimensional.  This motif signified various sentiments over the years, but according to the Victorian Language Of Flowers, around the 1850's the grape motif was used to signify charity and mirth.

The slippers are in nice antique estate condition, with just a few expected fairly minor issues.  The bead work remains amazingly intact, with each shoe showing just a few missing beads on one curly tendril. Interior silk lining does show some splits and small losses and it has pulled away from the upper edge on one, but for the most part remains intact.  The velvet exteriors remain soft and quite plush, with really just extremely minor wear at toes, right near the sole, however there is a split to the velvet on one shoe. Thankfully this is on the heel area, in an upside down L shape, at the very back of the shoe, so it is not readily apparent.  Although I would not recommend it, if a cosmetic remedy is desired I believe a degree of aesthetic improvement can be achieved with either minimal stitching and/or some type of fabric glue. Please note: in the image showing heel area, fabric is lifted away from shoe body, so separation appears more substantial than actual.   Both interior moroccan red leather insoles remain intact.  Exterior leather soles and heels show some minor expected wear, but nothing exceptional.

During the Victorian era shoes of this type were commonly beaded or embroidered at home by women for their husbands and other family members, then taken to a shoemaker to be attached to soles and heels.

This nice pair of 150 year old gentlemen's house shoes were obviously made with great care by a talented artisan, from  fine quality silk, velvet, beads and leather.  
Today 19th century gents slippers are really quite rare and uncommon to find.

Men's 19th Century Antique Victorian Beaded Velvet House Shoes Slippers c. 1850's -70's

$ 799.00