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Overview
These shoes were intended to be part of Mary Burnett's 'going away' outfit - an outfit worn by a bride as she leaves her wedding with her new husband. However, when Mary immigrated to New Zealand with her family in 1852 she was still single, having left behind a broken engagement to a clergyman in Northumberland, North East England.
The Burnett family sailed from London, England, on 24 May 1852 on the ship Joseph Fletcher, arriving in Auckland, New Zealand, three months later.
Delicate shoes
The ribbons on these shoes would be crossed over and tied around the ankle in the style of classical Roman shoes. Square toed, heelless shoes were in vogue between 1830 and 1860, with black or white silk satin being particularly popular. It was also fashionable to have tiny feet, and these narrow shoes were designed to make feet appear small. Such shoes were only suitable for indoor wear, particularly dancing. Because of their delicacy they were often referred to as 'slippers'.
Mary Burnett's outfit
The entire ensemble, comprising these shoes, a silk taffeta dress recycled from another garment, and a matching bonnet similar to the one Queen Victoria of England wore in 1840 for her own 'going away', is part of a collection of nineteenth-century clothing that the Burnett family donated to the National Museum in 1982.