I admit that I am purely showing off here. This cute little item came in to my possession today and I hope to save it for my daughter's wedding someday. The little pouch hanging at the bottom contains a few grains of rice and research tells me that the shoe charm is a symbol of the husband's authority over his wife. (Yeah right!) The estate from which I purchased it had a photo of the owner as a bride from the 1940s so I'm guessing it dates from then. Of course she may have borrowed it from a previous generation! Does anyone else have a beloved keepsake garter?
Lovely piece and looks right for '40s. Funny about the shoe: apparently some early marriage ceremonies made the subservience even more explicit by the bride kneeling and the groom put his boot on her head for the ceremony. Sounds incredible! It came from a reputable source though.
If you go back further I would prefer to think of the charms as the husband's willingness to provide for her, with food and clothing, as shoes used to be a huge symbol of prosperity. (I am reading 18thC period novels right now...)
