Child's Shoe

PeriodCirca 1820 - 1840

Place MadePossibly Middletown, New Jersey, U.S.A.

MediumLeather.

Dimensions3.5 × 2.38 × 5 in. (8.9 × 6 × 12.7 cm)

ClassificationsAccessories, Children's

Credit LineGift of Dr. George S. Stevenson, 1938

Object number1128

DescriptionChild's brown shoe with laces removed. Top of the shoe would have come up just over the child's ankle. Paper tag, with ink writing tied to the shoe says, "Shoe found in the bottom of chimney in Homestead Farm of T.H. Grant, Middletown, Twp. Gift of Dr. George S. Stevenson."
Curatorial RemarksThe hiding or depositing articles of clothing, particularly shoes, dates back to at least Medieval times. Althought he origins of this practice are shrouded in mystery, the placement usually is found beneath a window, a door threshhold, or close by a chimney, all "passage" spaces within a house. The shoe's placement is thought to be of a protective nature, distracting evil spirits from bothering the residents of the home. Shoes have also had a fertility representation, and were often tied to the wagons or car bumpers of newly-married couples. The small size of the shoe indicates its owner was a child.NotesThis leather shoe, made for a child, was discovered in the farmhouse on property owned by Thomas Henry Grant (1858-1926) located in the Nut Swamp area of Middletown, Monmouth County, NJ. The house was constructed sometime in the early 19th century. At some point, Grant discovered the shoe near a chimney in the house during some renovations. He later gave the shoe to Dr. George S. Stevenson. Stevenson, an internationally recognized doctor and president of the American Psychiatric Association as well as the World Federation for Mental Health. Stevenson was interested in Monmouth County history, and donated several items to the Association from the Grant family. The shoe retains its original accession tag, attached when it was donated to the Association in 1938.

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