The Wallace Collection, London.
As lockdown in England gradually lifts and we edge slowly towards greater freedom, we might think of the unknown person who owned this rare and stylish pair of shoes in the Wallace Collection in London. Were these so beautiful that she preferred to treasure them, keeping them in a box or holding them in her hands but never wearing them on her feet as she ventured outside? Was she wary of the square toes? I think of the very different life of the person who held the needle and thread and stitched them so carefully in leather and silk, working by the light from a window or flickering candle, somewhere in Restoration England c.1660-1680.
