Gift of Mrs. Francis D. Ellis, 1973.40.1, the Connecticut Historical Society

Boy's Shoes

Original OwnerOriginally owned by Che Chiang Liang Chinese

Dateabout 1908

MediumMachine-stitched and hand-stitched wool, cotton, silk, and cardboard

DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width x depth): 2 7/8 x 3 x 9 3/8in. (7.3 x 7.6 x 23.8cm)

ClassificationsCostume

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Francis D. Ellis

DescriptionBlack twill-woven wool, unembellished slippers, with slightly pointed toe. The uppers are lined with white plain-woven cotton; the throatline is bound with black silk. The soles are white, plain-woven cotton fabric over cardboard. There is piping covered with the black wool between the upper and the sole. The upper is cut in one piece, with a center back seam only. The sole is stitched to the upper with tan-colored twine (possibly of hemp).

Object number1973.40.1a,b

NotesHistorical Note: These slippers belonged to Che Chiang Liang, a Chinese student who came to study in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1908 or 1909. Che Chang Liang's father, Tun Yen Liang, had studied in Connecticut as part of the Chinese Educational Mission years before; Tun Yen Liang had been in school with Martin Welles, both in Hartford High School and at Yale University. When Che Chiang Liang came to Hartford in the early 1900s, he lived with the Welles family in Hartford. Che Chang Liang eventually returned to China. The Welles family never heard from him or his family again after the Japanese invaded China before World War II.

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