The other day I was straightening up my closet--it's amazing what I can
find in the dark recesses of that place. Years ago, we were fortunate
enough to take a journey to China--an enlightening adventure to
say the least. We picked up some interesting textiles on that trip-
like this
tiny shoe from a generation of bound feet!
We visited a museum in this Shangani gentlemen's home
He had made it his life mission to visit Chinese ladies who
live in outlying regions to see if they had shoes from
this era of bound feet. He had a massive collection--
it was a sight to see! So many different little shoes--
hard to imagine they came from those who did
the unthinkable--but it was the custom to have tiny
feet--to be waited upon by the family members.
Most of his collection were pairs, but he did have some
singles. Of these he allowed me to buy this one.
I chose this tiny one because of the indigo features in the details.
Someone in the family, maybe even the wearer, had
used indigo bath to dye the fabric and threads used to
decorate this ornate footwear.
It is a treasure--just wish I knew more about the person
who this foot adorned.