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Museum object · Clothing - Costume

Green satin pumps worn by Eartha Kitt

ca. 1955

New York, New York, United States, North and Central America

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Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

Dark green satin pumps worn by Eartha Kitt and designed by Beth Levine of Herbert Levine for the department store Bonwit Teller and Co. Kitt wore the shoes with a Zelda Wynn designed dress (2007.3.163). The pumps are covered in a dark green satin and feature a three and a half inch spiked heel and sharply pointed toe. There is an embroidered foliage design across the vamp in six lighter shades of green silk embroidery floss with beaded metallic accents. The leather sole is lined with a contrasting gold satin, with satin sidewalls, and leather heel. The left (a) shoe features gold-colored lettering vertically placed on the footpad which reads: [herbert levine]. The right (b) shoe features gold-colored lettering vertically placed on the footpad which reads: [BONWIT TELLER / FIFTH AVE]. Black ink inscriptions inside each shoe, on their right walls, read: [4 ½ B / A-1936].

Sources & collection details

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture — original record ↗

Source collection ↗

Catalog metadata · CC0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

Catalog reference: 2007.3.164ab

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