Shoes worn by Lupita Nyong'o as Patsey in the film 12 Years a Slave

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.

Lupita Nyong'o wears these shoes as the character Patsey in the film 12 Years a Slave (2013). The shoes are a pair of modified ballet flat slippers with the cord ties removed from the foot openings of the uppers. An elastic cord is still in place around the openings. The slipper uppers and soles are made from leather that has been heavily distressed for filming purposes. A long length of distressed leather cord is used to tie the slippers to the feet, with slits cut at either side of the vamp of each slipper so that the cord extends across the throat of the shoe. The number "2" is stamped in black ink on the proper left interior side of both shoes, and is handwritten in black ink on the insole of the proper left shoe (a). No other evidence of manufacturer information is apparent, likely due to the heavy distressing.

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