We hope you'll enjoy some of our favorite shoes from the Young Family Collection!

Pair of shoes. Probably American, 1900-1925. Light green silk shoes with cream and green colored embroidery on the toes. The interior of the shoes is lined with green silk and the soles are lined with brown leather. It is likely that these shoes were worn at home as a slipper. Despite the lack of heel, these shoes roughly resemble the mule-style shoe, which was popular during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. 

Pair of shoes. American, 1910-1920. Light pink silk evening shoes with Louis XV-style low heels. Each shoe is adorned with large bows on the toes with bronze decorative beading. The interior is lined with cream colored leather and cloth and the insole of the right shoe is labeled “William Arnold, 240 5th Ave. NY”. William Arnold was a New York City based shoe manufacturer with a shop on 5th Avenue after 1911. 

Pair of shoes. Probably Syria, 1940. Purple velvet with metallic silver embroidery on the toes. The interiors of the shoes are lined with light brown leather and the gray leather soles are labeled “Made in Syria.” According to a note in Annette Young's handwriting, these shoes were purchased by her brother - Innis Young - at the 1939-1940 World’s Fair in New York City. 

Pair of boots. American, c. 1920. Black velvet with fur trim on the edges, and black silk cords with tassels for closure along the front of the shoes. The interiors of the shoes is lined with cream colored cotton and is labeled “Daniel Green.” As the leather soles of these boots are also marked “Lord & Taylor,” it is believed that these shoes may have been designed by Green for distribution by the famous New York City department store. Lord & Taylor was one of the first department stores founded in the United States in 1824. Their flagship store on 5th Avenue between 38th and 39th opened in 1914.

Pair of shoes. American, c. 1900. Black patent leather evening shoes, with steel cut buckles with beading on the toes. The pointed toes and two inch Louis XV style heels are representative of Edwardian fashions. The interiors of the shoes are lined with leather and the insoles are labeled “J & J Slater, Broadway, NY.” J & J Slater was a famous twentieth century women’s shoe manufacturer who was based in New York City.

Pair of slippers. American, 1870-1880. Tan canvas uppers embroidered with multicolor leaves in silk thread, and with cream-colored leather insoles. The soles of these shoes are made of light brown leather with a half inch heel. The insoles of the shoes are marked “H. Innis” in ink. According to a note in Annette Young's handwriting, these slippers were embroidered for her uncle Hasbrouck Innis by her great-aunt, Laura Hasbrouck Varick.

Pair of moccasins. American, 1875-1900. Soft leather with blue ribbon trimming  on the edges, and green, red, and tan embroidered flowers on the toes. According to a handwritten note by Annette Young, these moccasins belonged to her grandmother, Anne Bevier Hasbrouck Innis (1827-1906). 

Pair of ice skates. American, 1879. Size eleven gold-plated ice skates with steel blades produced by The Starr Manufacturing Company located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The steel blade on each skate is labeled “Forbes Patent, Acme Club Skates”. Also included with the skates is a small tool to tighten the bolts on the skates. John Forbes of The Starr Manufacturing Company invented the “Acme Spring Skate,” a revolutionary product that attached the skate to the boot with a spring-lock mechanism and did away with the need for leather straps, as had been previously used on ice skates. The skates are packed in the original white cardboard box labeled “Acme Club Skates 1879” and inside the box there is a pamphlet with directions for fitting the skates to boots in English, French, and German.

Probably purchased at J.P. Ambler’s located on 9 Market Street in Poughkeepsie.