Title
Pair of slipper faces
Year/Period
20th century
Region
Singapore
Dimension
Object size: 31.2 x 24.2 cm
Accession No.
2024-00040
Collection of
The dwarfs from the popular fairy tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are depicted on each of the slipper faces. Beads and other needlework supplies could be purchased from the itinerant haberdasher, the "jarong man", who travelled from house to house hawking his wares, or from specialised shops. Slipper faces were often sewn at home before they were sent to the shoemakers to be made up into slippers. This pair belonged to Alice Choo (1926-2019) and might have been made by her. Known as "kasot manek" in Baba Malay, beaded slippers grew in popularity in the 1920s, replacing earlier embroidered slippers.
