Click those heels together and say: “There’s no place like Wedgwood. There’s no place like Wedgwood…”
These jasperware high heel lady’s shoes are a whimsical interpretation of the typical cameos created by Wedgwood. Wedgwood, an English ceramic company founded in 1759, is well known for both their cameos of classical figures and their Jasperware (a type of non-glazed porcelain). So why not combine the two for fashion’s sake? It certainly crossed the mind of Michael Rayne (1922-1992) of H&M Rayne shoe company during the late 1950s. Wedgwood’s founder Josiah Wedgwood (1899–1968) would most likely have been delighted with Rayne’s innovation of the use of porcelain decoration, an evolution from his own experiments with the material and glazes. Produced in colors like lilac, sage green, and that signature Wedgwood blue, the shoes (and the matching purse) made their debut at the 1958 National Shoe Fair in Chicago. Production continued until 1978 with slight variations in depicting the classical figures applied to the back of the heel. Quite a classy way to sashay away with all eyes on your cameo clad feet.
© Courtney Ahlstrom Christy
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