Shoe buckle

Dateca. 1775

MediumSilver, Iron/Steel

DimensionsH: 1 3/4"; W: 1 15/16".

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1952-294

DescriptionShoe buckle. Arched, rectangular, silver frame with serpentine sides; steel chape; U shaped prong.
Label TextThe most common way to fasten shoes throughout the 18th century was with a buckle. Shoe buckles ranged in material, shape, and changed in size depending on the fashion. The buckles attach to shoes by using chapes. One side; known as a fluke and in the shape of a whales tail, has two tines that attached to the latchet of the shoe. The other side of the chape; known as the tongue, pierces the leather to hold the shoe closed. The squared serpentine edge of the buckle was very fashionable in the 1750s.
Markings"WP" with a pellet between. Believed to be the mark of William Peavey (? - 1774), a London small worker. Peavey’s mark was registered on 13 February 1773.

See:
Arthur G. Grimwade, London Goldsmiths 2697 - 1937, Their Marks and Lives from the Original Registers at Goldsmiths' Hall and Other Sources (London, Faber and Faber, 1976) 230, 618.
ProvenanceDuplicate from Mabel Brady Garman Collection, Yale University Art Gallery.
Vendor: Yale University Art Gallery