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Pair of stars and stripes slippers attributed to Elizabeth Keckly

Elizabeth Keckly, American, 1818 - 1907

A pair of men's boudoir slippers in a stars and stripes design attributed to Elizabeth Keckly (sometimes spelled Keckley). The slippers were likely commissioned by Mrs. Gideon Welles to be presented to her husband, Hon. Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy under President Lincoln. The slippers are crocheted in stripes of red and white from the toe to the heel. Across the top of the vamp is a blue band embroidered with scattered white stars. The throat of the slippers is edged in a twisted blue and red cord. The slippers have a flat, leather sole and a squarish toe.

Date

ca. 1865

Type

slippers

Medium

fiber , leather and thread

Department

NMAAHC

Institution

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number

nmaahc_2018.35.2.1ab

Credit

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture