Item HT 6199 Shoes - Gold Cross Shoes, Court, Navy Blue Leather, 1960-1964

Summary

Pair of woman's navy blue court shoes, size 10 ½ A, were made by Gold Cross Shoes and purchased around 1960-64. The donor found them uncomfortable and didn't wear them much. She did wear them as a bridesmaid, however.

Although these shoes were made in Australia, they may have been made under licence or by a subsidiary, since Gold Cross Shoes were a product of the United States Shoe Corporation. Within the United States they were sold as Red Cross Shoes (although the name was not used in the US 1942-1948 owing to action by the House Foreign Affairs Committee during World War II). The company was founded in the late 19th century in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was incorporated in 1931 and is still in operation.

Physical Description

Navy blue leather court shoes with a Louis heel and a pointed toe.

Significance

The donor, Loris Peggie, purchased and wore these clothes in the early 1950s - early 1960s. The suit, red shoes and handbag were purchased when she first began work as a clerk and typist for an accountant in 1952. Her weekly wage was then £5 less 5s tax. She spent some of that money on items for her glory box, including crocheted table cloths and embroidered supper cloths. She also bought the nightdress for the glory box. She purchased many of the items in Flinders Lane and Degraves St, where she also bought blouses. She was given a cedar chest to use as the glory box itself, probably for her 18th birthday. Her family repaired and polished it for her. The chest had been brought out to Australia by her ancestors when they migrated in 1839. (They settled near Flagstaff Gardens, and later moved near Canterbury Gardens.) Loris made her debut about 1952, but never married. Her mother insisted she hold onto the items in her glory box just in case, and she has retained most to this day. She prides herself on the condition in which she has kept her clothes.

Loris' family were orchardists. Her brother ran the orchard after her father died in 1960. Loris continued to live at home, although she went to Europe for a year in 1966-67. Her mother died recently, and Loris is now in the process of clearing her estate.