Button boot, 1855-65. Button boots made of leather or cloth were worn by women, men and children in the second half of the Nineteenth Century. This girl's button boot was the possession of Eliza Hussey Goodwin, born in 1841.

 

Walk Right In!

Shoes at the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities

BOSTON, MASS. - "Walk Right In," an exhibition of shoes, is on display at the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities' Gallery at One Bowdoin Square. Featuring footwear from the Eighteenth Century to today, the exhibition includes a shoe used to ward off evil spirits, selections from the closets of New England celebrities, and more.

Well suited for the gallery's downtown location and small size, "Walk Right In" offers an entertaining and thought-provoking glimpse at footwear over the centuries, with more than 50 carefully selected shoes and shoe-related items from SPNEA's extensive collection.

"Shoes seem to occupy a special place in our culture," says exhibit curator Jennifer Swope. "We save them, we bronze them, we tie them to cars at weddings. They are outerwear but are strangely intimate. Once I started working on this exhibit, I found references to shoes everywhere - far more than for other items of apparel."

Shoes in the display are grouped into categories, such as those worn for special occasions like weddings, baptisms, and graduations. One section is devoted to shoes designed for specific activities, like riding, cycling, or gymnastics. Protective wear ranges from black leather overshoes from around 1800, through late Nineteenth Century rubberized boots, to a work boot used by a construction worker in the city's Big Dig. Several children's shoes, of which SPNEA has a large collection, are included, as well as a rare "concealment," the worn shoe placed within the wall of a house to ward off evil spirits.

SPNEA gallery hours are Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 am to 4 pm. There is no admission charge. The gallery is on the first floor at One Bowdoin Square, at the corner of Cambridge and New Chardon streets, between Government Center and SPNEA's Harrison Gray Otis House.