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Overview
These shoes were made by the French shoe manufacturer Jean-Louis François Pinet (1817-1897). Born into a shoemaking family, he settled in Paris in 1844 and in 1855 he opened a factory specialising in the production of women’s shoes. Dedicated to fit and comfort, he patented the ‘Pinet’ heel in 1854, and won a medal and praise at the 1867 Exposition Universelle for his dedication to
women’s footwear and his understanding of 'the true center of the heel' which 'by a mathematical calculation, he fixed it proportionally … at the most convenient place for the ease of walking.’ (1)These shoes feature cream satin uppers and leather soles. The latter are stamped ‘BREVETTE / F. PINET / PARIS’, ‘brevette’ meaning patented.
Pinet's shoes were available in New Zealand from the 1880s.
References
1. L’Exposition universelle de 1867 illustree: Publication internationale autorisee par la commission imperiale v. 2 (Administration de l’exposition, 1867), p. 223.