Sports and Leisure

These fawn cotton bathing slippers were probably a souvenir of a holiday on the French coast, as indicated by the embroidered decoration of a woman in Breton peasant dress. French seaside resorts such as Dieppe and Trouville were extremely popular with middle class English holidaymakers during the 19th century.

Bathing shoes were a more important accessory in France than in England, because French women and men walked from the beach directly into the water. Foot protection was not so important for English bathers who entered the water directly from bathing machines, or small huts on wheels which lined the water's edge. Even so, a prudent bather would be aware of potential under-sea hazards which necessitated some form of waterproof shoes to avoid injury. Such canvas shoes or espadrilles remained popular for casual beachwear well into the twentieth century, as seen in the advertisement below in a 1939 shop catalogue.

Full item descriptions:

"bathing shoes & espadrilles" [1947.2866]

Related Themes:

Early Swimwear
Women's Shoes