Title
Slippers and shoe cushions
Year/Period
early 20th century
Region
Singapore
Object Type
Material
Technique
Dimension
Object size: Please refer to parts
Accession No.
2018-01324
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Cynthia, Larry, Celia, Carol and Lawrence Chia, in memory of their parents Chia Teck Loke and Ong Siew Choo.
This is a pair of embroidered round-toed slippers (kasut) with accompanying crescent-shaped cushion to support the shape of the slippers. It has a bird as its central decorative motif. Embroidered slippers were popular amongst the Peranakan community in Singapore since the 19th century, but eventually fell out of fashion and were replaced by beaded slippers. This object belonged to Wee Bee Neo, a prominent Sang Khek Umm or mistress of wedding ceremonies. As a wedding specialist, she was in charge of the bride’s hair and jewellery, and guiding the young lady through the proper rituals.
