In pictures: shoes through history
Some 200 pairs of shoes go on show at the V&A, London, this June in an exhibition that considers the cultural significance and transformative capacity of footwear throughout history

‘Parakeet’ shoes by Caroline Groves, 21st century © Photography by Dan Lowe
French evening shoe of beaded silk and leather, Roger Vivier for Christian Dior, 1958-60 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Ancient Egyptian sandal, gilded and incised leather and papyrus, c30 BC–AD 300 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Red ballet shoes made for Victoria Page (Moira Shearer) in The Red Shoes, 1948 © Photograph reproduced with the kind permission of Northampton Museums and Art Gallery
Wedding toe-knob paduka from India, silver and gold over wood, 1800s © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Gilded and marbled leather men's shoes, 1925 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Chopines, punched kid leather over carved pine, Venice, Italy, c1600s © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Shoes: Pleasure and Pain is on show at the V&A Museum, London, from 13 June–31 January 2016. For more information, and to book tickets, visit the museum website
Save 49% when you subscribe to your favourite history magazine for just £39.99 every 13 issues + receive our Royal History Bundle worth £95*