***Please note that there are no button holes. This was purposefully done so the slippers can be adjusted to the doll's foot.
These French doll slippers are known as Charentaise. These slippers are wool and jute with the pompoms of unknown composition. I believe the brown detailing is manmade and not leather. There is a hole on the back of one of the slippers as seen in the last photo on the slipper on the right.
There is a 19 stamped on the bottom of each sole. The shoes measure 4 ¾" in length and 2 ⅛" at their widest.
Thank you to https://lapantoufleapepere.fr/en/content/20-history-of-the-charentaise for the following explanation:
La Pantoufle à Pépère is an old traditional French slipper called "charentaise", typical of the region of Charente, southwest of France. In the middle Ages, the farmers slipped the ancestor of the charentaise in their clogs to have more heat and comfort.
The actual charentaises was born during the reign of Louis XIV in the XVII century. But don't get misunderstood : the charentaises weren't worn by the châtelains but by... the domestif staff ! The lords and ladies asked their servants to wear charentaises with a two-fold objective.
First, the châtelains didn't want to be disturbed by the sound of their servants' footsteps. So with their charentaises the domestic staff walked around in a smooth and silent motion. At that time the second name of the charentaises was "les silencieuses".
Second, the châtelains expected their wonderful wooden floors to be polished by the repeated passage of the slippers on the floor. The sole of the charentaise is made of felt which is the ideal material to bring back gloss to the precious parquet floors of the castles.
***Please note that there are no button holes. This was purposefully done so the slippers can be adjusted to the doll's foot.
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Jul 13, 2024
Lovely little slippers with a very interesting history! Just as described.