A Collector of Saintes: The Shoes…

The Dupuy Mestreau Museum in the city of Saintes, France is advertised as a ‘cabinet of curiosities’ with about 3,000 artifacts showcasing the cultural history of Saintes. This is the second in my series highlighting some of my favorite objects here.

Possibly the most significant footwear in the collection is this pair of shoes said to be worn by King Louis XVI “while he was prisoner in the Temple.” The placard reads: “…great-grandfather Jacques-Alexandre Dubois de Saint Mande, Knight of Saint Louis, Lt. Col of Cavalry, Commissioner of the Nobility of the Senehaussee of Saint Jean d’Angely in 1789, received these slippers from the hands of Clery, Valet de Chambre du Roi 1792. This was passed down from father to son, by oral tradition, I hear it from the mouth of my maternal grandfather Guillaume Alexandre Dubois de Saint Made. I can therefore with complete certainty confirm the authenticity of this precious relic.” Signed, Garnaud on July 9, 1912.

There was a -really big- and single, unidentified boot in the hallway.

Here is a mismatched pair of ring pattens which date to 1720, and the tiniest wooden clogs I have ever seen, about 5″ long.

A pair of (I think) 19th century sabots, and a pair of men’s brocade slippers from (I think) the same time period, that complimented the coat that was also in that display case.

There were also stockings – the pair at left were worn by a man, those at right by a woman, date and origin unknown, though the men’s stockings were in a display case with an 18th century coat and waistcoat.

Curiously, I did not see anything that I could identify as garters…