Schoen van witte zijde after 1814

These white silk shoes were made by Hendrik Willem Berenbak in the Netherlands, sometime in the 19th century. Shoes, like clothing, are rarely considered ‘art’ but they hold incredible social and cultural information. These silk shoes speak to the industrialization of the Netherlands in the 19th Century and its effect on class structures. Silk, being a costly and delicate material, would have been worn almost exclusively by the upper classes. As Dutch manufacturing grew, so too did its middle class, who then sought ways to visibly establish their new social positions. Consumption became an important indicator of status. These shoes, then, are a demonstration of wealth and success, and tell us about the changing social landscape of the Netherlands at the time. To further understand the social role of this work, we could research the history of Dutch manufacturing, the textile trade, and the emergence of the middle class.