Pair of shoes (oxfords) c. 1930 - 1940

These oxfords were made by A. van Goethem, and now reside in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Let's consider what a pair of shoes can tell us about the social and cultural landscape of its time. These aren’t just any shoes; they are oxfords made of what appears to be crocodile skin, a material associated with luxury and status. Without a date, we must rely on the stylistic features of the shoes, such as the low heel and the overall shape, to make educated guesses about their time of origin. The shoes likely date from a period when consumer culture allowed for the display of wealth through fashion. The presence of these shoes in a museum like the Rijksmuseum also speaks to the evolving role of such institutions. They now preserve and display not only traditional art objects but also items of everyday life that offer insight into social history. By studying objects like these shoes, historians piece together a more nuanced understanding of the past.